Transmedia story telling, also referred to as multi-platform storytelling, cross-platform storytelling, or transmedia narrative, is the technique of telling stories through digital technologies.

Transmedia storytelling allows film makers and distributors to reach targeted segments from all angles. Some already utilize Facebook and Twitter, but incorporating this new concept can create heightened interest for products. From a production standpoint, it involves creating content that engages an audience using various techniques to permeate their daily lives. For this to happen, a Transmedia production will develop stories across multiple forms of media in order to deliver unique pieces of content over multiple channels. Importantly, these pieces of content are not only linked together but are in sync with each other.

Although participants might never see all of a “storyworld” within a story, if the storyworld has been developed correctly and they know that there is much more to the story and characters, then participants (or audience) will become fans who want to participate and collaborate on a greater scale to get more content.

STORYWORLD is part of the Spiderwood franchise with "Storytelling" through Transmedia as a driving energy for the future distribution of story, whether connecting with film, video, books, internet, handheld devices or other methods.

Although the “Hollywood Buzz” for a film or television program is intense and short lived, it will become more and more important as film and television artists, producers, directors and entertainment companies  rely more and more on transmedia to gauge growth and success across different media platforms.  

Large entertainment companies, production companies and distributors have realized that concepts like transmedia create synergistic opportunities. An example is Disney Company. Disney acquired Marvel for an estimated $4.3 billion and is sure to produce transmedia-focused content in the future. 

STORYWORLD explores new models for collaborating with audiences and develops innovative ways for audiences to participate in transmedia narratives. STORYWORLD takes storytelling across a variety of media such as literary writing, short stories, feature films, made-for-television movies, music videos, and commercials.  STORYWORLD, provides services that film makers, producers and directors need in developing storytelling for audiences. STORYWORLD offers excellent training for beginning filmmakers.        

STORYWORLD makes it possible to distribute movies to theaters through the use of satellites or fiber-optic cable. Bulky metal film canisters can be replaced by easy-to-transport hard-drives, although relatively few theaters are capable of receiving and screening movies in that manner now. In the future, however, more theaters will be capable of projecting films digitally and the costly process of producing and distributing films will be sharply reduced.

Examples of contemporary trans-media properties include: The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix, Hot Wheels: World Race / Acceleracers, Bionicle, Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, James Cameron’s AVATAR, many Disney projects including High School Musical, Pirates of the Caribbean, Fairies, Hannah Montana.

Additional Links

As Dr. Pamela Rutledge writes in her article “The Psychology of Storytelling“ (Exterior Web Link),  Transmedia storytelling is one of the most exciting developments to hit entertainment, branding, marketing, and advocacy in the last few years. Transmedia storytelling is a ‘story experience’ both for—and with—an audience that unfolds over several media channels. This is a big deal for two reasons. First, it represents the continuing shift from a technological to human focus.  Second, storytelling and narrative tap into a fundamental form of human communication and connection, engaging our imagination and through that, empathy and creativity.”