ABSTRACT
Creating multi-platform projects can be challenging on many levels. Some practitioners and commentators have argued that any story can become a transmedia project. While that may be true in some regard, for it to be eff ective and engaging, the project must include manifold narrative strands as well as various entry points and opportunities for audience engagement. Stories that can be serialized, containing strong supporting characters beyond the main protagonist and antagonist, with rich back-stories expanding through multiple angles that give viewers opportunities to interact and “talk back,” are considered strong elements for transmedia development.
When writing a story for fi lm or TV, the creators usually follow the dramatic narrative rules and conventions of the format. During the production, the visual storytelling language of fi lm is observed and followed but less attention is paid to how the audience will consume the content beyond whether it will be shown in a movie theater or on a TV screen. Some consideration is given to what the main distribution channels will be-if the primary exhibition medium is the theatrical screen (which can tolerate wider long shots and rely on a more detailed visual aesthetic and spectacular images) or content made for TV (which generally tends to favor medium-sized shots and is more dialogue-based than cinema). Th is has somewhat changed as the screens on which we watch content have alternately become smaller (the
tablet and the phone) and bigger (the large HD TV screen), but such considerations are still quite sporadic.
