ABSTRACT
Interactive narratives and transmedia story developers have a wide range of technical skills and abilities, but it is the ability to tell a good story that is fundamental to their success. Hank Blumenthal's 'storyscapes' describe 'the coordinated transmedia franchise model of games, characters, music, paratexts, and fan participation'. Facebook is particularly interested in the quantifiable social media engagement of smartphone-based viewers. Disney is creating a direct-to-consumer streaming service and Facebook will offer factual entertainment to compete with services such as YouTube, Netflix and traditional TV networks. Future narrative paradigms may realise Anthony Burgess's vision of a complex blend of sound design, text, musical notation and visuals. An audience that is read music, interpret visual composition, framing, timing, tone, colour, contrast and translate languages and consider nuance will successfully deconstruct a complex text. The subjective responses of audiences are influenced by their cultural background and knowledge.
