Shifting my pair o' dimes.
At last week’s Transmedia Vancouver Meetup, we had a number of new faces in the crowd, which was exciting. So I decided we should talk a bit about what transmedia storytelling is, before letting the discussion go into the minutiae of funding and such concerns. I asked three long-time members to give their definitions, and was actually surprised by the cohesion of thought — given that everyone in this community seems to have somewhat different ideas. It was encouraging.
I then gave my standard spectrum definition — you have ARGs on one side, and integrated transmedia franchises on the other, and transmedia is kind of basically everything in between. But then I brought up something else I’d been thinking of more recently, and that is that transmedia isn’t so much a thing itself — the fact that we all have slightly different ideas of what it is and yet still manage to have great discussions and whole conferences speaks to that — but rather a kind of way of thinking about storytelling. It’s a frame of mind.
This was partly thrown into relief for me during a discussion I had last week with Brian Clark. (Discussions with Brian have a way of turning my thinking on its side. In a good way. Darn mad scientists.) Brian made the argument that “transmedia” is not an industry, but an artistic movement. It is the most recent form of the avant-garde, literally the forefront of an army or movement — an artistic movement in the same way the beat generation was, but instead of being united by a geographic area in which we meet and gather and mutually explore each other’s ideas, we are united by the internet, on which we gather and…mutually explore each other’s ideas.
A year ago, I was much more concerned with the discussion of “this is transmedia, this isn’t.” Today, my thoughts have shifted more. I don’t care as much any more if you call your project transmedia, or if you let me. There are of course issues with funding and branding and jobs that are important to consider.
But to me what makes transmedia exciting is the community, this group of people from around the world sharing ideas about awesome ways to tell stories, and awesome ways for an audience to experience stories.
That, to me, is the essence of transmedia, whatever the definition. Transmedia is a way of thought, a way of conceptualizing storytelling and experience in a way that is not limited to a single form or medium, and at its best takes full advantage of that tack.
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Simon Staffans
February 20, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yup, agree fully. Using transmedia storytelling methods – or, if you will, a transmedia frame of mind – you can apply it to nearly anything that has a story or is in dire need of a story. This can be persons, companies, families, tribes, territories, products, animals… you name it.
It’s – in my mind – a helluva lot more than one genre within the entertainment industry.
freda johnson
February 20, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Brilliant illustrative photo!!
Lucas J.W. Johnson
February 20, 2012 at 2:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Stole the pun from Spider Robinson, but thanks ^_^
Olivia Fermi
February 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I’m so glad you’ve stated this – that transmedia is a frame of mind. I tell people what transmedia is and that I have a transmedia mind. This says my life experience and imagination can traverse cultures, demographics, disciplines and even levels of awareness from within myself or between people or within a whole culture – or even the world. Then there is also the ability with a transmedia mind to externalize and look at all these aspects and levels from the outside. That we have every type of medium at our disposal is awesome in terms of finding the precise way to express one’s transmedia mind map/story/presentation.
The other thing I love about having a transmedia mind is states my choice to be grounded or to start with real life transmedia and then to expand from there into digital media. I’m curious about how for others it starts the other way around with digital and expands to experience.
Fernando Carrion
March 1, 2012 at 2:29 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Good article, Lucas. Thank you.
I like the ‘transmedia frame/state of mind’ concept.
Many of us agree that transmedia is not limited to a single form or medium. Almost anything can be transmedia, from transmedia zen and transmedia art to transmedia worlds and transmedia life. The point is that while some people are looking for definitions, trying to establish what it is and what it is not, …transmedia is already here. And that’s the good part!
#Transmedia #storytelling as a way of thought, a frame of mind. ~@slvrstrng: A S… - 4D Fiction
February 21, 2012 at 6:58 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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