Transmedia: Storytelling for the Digital Age

Gary Hayes: "The spine of [Predicting Present Futures'] rather winding narrative arc was some simple trend extrapolation across four of the key themes and asking questions about their trajectories:

• Social Share & Online Connection
• TV & Everything Else
• Mobile & Locationalism
• Transmedia & Content Everywhere"

It is fantastic that the term ‘transmedia’ is now so widespread across the industry and with the official credit (attached ironically to film primarily) but is it a bubble about to burst – is what we have come to know as ‘transmedia’ in danger of being blown out of all proportion...

[This 2010 opinion piece by Gary Hayes has been "doing the social media rounds" lately and I'm including it here because the question posed is still remarkably current.]

“Anyone up to battle aliens at the local museum tonight?”

Right now it might sound like a farfetched idea, but this question could soon replace the old invitation to go see the latest 3D blockbuster at the Cineplex.

Lean forward, and keep your eyes peeled, updates from your Facebook page are about to be incorporated into your favorite TV show’s narrative. (Your best friend becomes the suspect!) As you immerse yourself in the story, the story immerses itself in your social world.

We all do it. We sit in our local multiplex waiting for the latest blockbuster film to start. The room darkens and minutes later your world has disappeared. The seats and people around you evaporate and for the next hour or so, you are living vicariously “through” the heroes in front of you. You have an out-of-body experience of sorts.

Augmented Reality is still emerging out of the woods from a technological and awareness viewpoint and already rising from the hype haze is one of the most synergistic applications yet - 'historical & futuristic' factual stories viewed in contextual...

Transmedia storytelling could be a fictional property, or the method by which that property is marketed, or both, or none of the above.

[Another good look at what constitutes transmedia & it comes with Gary Hayes' excellent multi-platform map.]

In our everyday lives, we engage with stories in many ways, whether it’s eye-to-eye contact with a stranger that sparks an instant connection or a well-crafted movie or TV show. But what if we started experiencing those stories in the outernet’s layers?

Games and stories have grown legs and Facebook MafiaWars and Playstation console games have jumped into the physical world. Welcome to the most exciting and entertaining commute of your life.