Proposing Transmedia Storytelling for Malaysian Film Industry: Thematic Considerations

Media convergence is ultimately the result of the disruption in media technology, creating a new episteme that foregrounds the diverse and interlinked way a story travels across platforms. One crucial development of media convergence is transmedia. While media scholars argue that media convergence has resulted in ontological uncertainties, it ironically entrenches some recognisable functions of the traditional media. This enables traditional communication functions like storytelling to be incorporated within media convergence. Storytelling, as communication functions, has continued to challenge the spatial and temporal metaphors of messages, allowing cultural symbols to transcend traditionally held boundaries in communication. Indeed, much has been written about transmedia storytelling, less however, has linked transmedia storytelling with the Malaysian film industry. The main aim of this paper is to thematically review past studies on transmedia storytelling in order to propose the idea that transmedia storytelling can help the Malaysian film industry as it is a new form of communication that the industry needs in increasing production, creating and determining local and global consumption of Malaysian stories. The review of past studies on transmedia storytelling reveals five salient themes: 1) Transmedia and engagement; 2) Liberatory potential; 3) Hybridisation of producer and user; 4) Uniqueness of media genre, and 5) Media literacy. The themes found are used to problematise transmedia storytelling and the Malaysian Film industry; this leads to the proposal of how transmedia storytelling can help the Malaysian film industry prosper while contributing to the understanding of transmedia storytelling and its benefit for the Malaysian film industry. Keywords: Transmedia storytelling, Malaysian film industry, media convergence, digital technologies, themes.

Transmedia Storytelling towards an Expanded Teaching of Reading in Distance Learning

This study is focused on looking into the acceptance level of the teachers relative to transmedia storytelling, views on the modification of reading tasks and activities through transmedia storytelling, and integration of transmedia storytelling in reading tasks and activities. This study focuses and limits only in describing the acceptance level of language teachers as to transmedia storytelling and on knowing the teachers’ thoughts on modification of reading tasks and activities. The study used descriptive research design wherein the data were analyzed through a modified questionnaire on the level of acceptance and thematic analysis wherein responses were analyzed using open-ended questionnaire for thoughts and views on transmedia storytelling modifications and integration. The results of the study show a positive acceptance of transmedia storytelling among teachers. Furthermore, it was emphasized that transmedia storytelling is a beneficial and educational strategy for teaching reading and integration should be done through adapting and designing various media platforms. This action research presented a new reading strategy for language teachers that can be used in distance learning aimed for a contextualized and expanded teaching and learning of reading through a matrix that include selected and applicable reading texts in Grades 7-10 with transmedia storytelling media platforms.

#PrettyLittleLiars: ABC Family in TV’s Post-Network Era

<p>This thesis explores the branding of ABC Family as a home for ‘Millennial’ viewers through its original TV drama programme, Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family emerged during what Amanda Lotz (2007) terms the ‘post-network’ era of American television, a period that has been characterised by fierce inter-network competition and the availability of TV programming on a larger array of platforms, including online platforms. These revolutionary changes have been coupled with the emergence of a commercially desirable demographic known as the ‘Millennials’, a group of young people who are considered to be ‘native’ to this ‘post-network’ environment and whose media use and preferences are challenging networks to revise their strategies and develop programmes that aim to solicit their attention and engagement. Pretty Little Liars has been specifically constructed to assert the brand identity of ABC Family as a channel “for and about Millennials” (Liesse A2). This programme has sought to distinguish itself within teen-oriented TV drama by incorporating cinematic aesthetics, serial storytelling, narrative complexity, and intertextuality – all of which have been characteristic of adult-oriented ‘high-end’ TV drama in the ‘post-network’ era. Pretty Little Liars has supplemented these efforts to distinguish itself by cultivating a thriving online presence. Important to this online presence are the use of ‘transmedia storytelling’ and social media. As this thesis demonstrates, transmedia storytelling and social media have the capacity to significantly extend the experience of a TV programme beyond what is aired on television. Importantly, their deployment in support of Pretty Little Liars has been successful in encouraging consistent viewing of new episodes as they are broadcast, a pattern that persists despite the post-network era’s capacity for delayed viewing on alternative platforms. This thesis undertakes an in-depth examination of ABC Family’s ‘post-network’ strategy in three chapters, each of which takes a different critical perspective. Chapter One examines the internal and external challenges that contributed to the emergence of ABC Family’s rebranding. Chapter Two analyses Pretty Little Liars as a ‘high end’ teen-oriented TV drama that functions to elevate the profile of ABC Family while simultaneously engaging ‘Millennial’ viewers. Finally, Chapter Three explores the transmedia extensions of Pretty Little Liars that function to supplement the television narrative in ways that encourage and reward consistent viewing patterns and long-term loyalty.</p>

#PrettyLittleLiars: ABC Family in TV’s Post-Network Era

<p>This thesis explores the branding of ABC Family as a home for ‘Millennial’ viewers through its original TV drama programme, Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family emerged during what Amanda Lotz (2007) terms the ‘post-network’ era of American television, a period that has been characterised by fierce inter-network competition and the availability of TV programming on a larger array of platforms, including online platforms. These revolutionary changes have been coupled with the emergence of a commercially desirable demographic known as the ‘Millennials’, a group of young people who are considered to be ‘native’ to this ‘post-network’ environment and whose media use and preferences are challenging networks to revise their strategies and develop programmes that aim to solicit their attention and engagement. Pretty Little Liars has been specifically constructed to assert the brand identity of ABC Family as a channel “for and about Millennials” (Liesse A2). This programme has sought to distinguish itself within teen-oriented TV drama by incorporating cinematic aesthetics, serial storytelling, narrative complexity, and intertextuality – all of which have been characteristic of adult-oriented ‘high-end’ TV drama in the ‘post-network’ era. Pretty Little Liars has supplemented these efforts to distinguish itself by cultivating a thriving online presence. Important to this online presence are the use of ‘transmedia storytelling’ and social media. As this thesis demonstrates, transmedia storytelling and social media have the capacity to significantly extend the experience of a TV programme beyond what is aired on television. Importantly, their deployment in support of Pretty Little Liars has been successful in encouraging consistent viewing of new episodes as they are broadcast, a pattern that persists despite the post-network era’s capacity for delayed viewing on alternative platforms. This thesis undertakes an in-depth examination of ABC Family’s ‘post-network’ strategy in three chapters, each of which takes a different critical perspective. Chapter One examines the internal and external challenges that contributed to the emergence of ABC Family’s rebranding. Chapter Two analyses Pretty Little Liars as a ‘high end’ teen-oriented TV drama that functions to elevate the profile of ABC Family while simultaneously engaging ‘Millennial’ viewers. Finally, Chapter Three explores the transmedia extensions of Pretty Little Liars that function to supplement the television narrative in ways that encourage and reward consistent viewing patterns and long-term loyalty.</p>

Building an Extensive Experience in Video Games and Movies, a Transmedia Storytelling

Transforming video games into movies and transforming movies into video games has been a common thing nowadays. With advanced technology, what can be done in a video game can also be done in a movie, and vice versa. Good attention to details is important in a transformation process as the final product has to be as good as the original one, if not better. To be able to do well in transforming an art form to another, it is important to understand the whole process and how it was first done.

Youthification of television through online media: Production strategies and narrative choices in DRUCK/SKAM Germany

This article discusses online media’s contribution to the youthification of television through the case study of DRUCK (tr. Pressure, 2018–), the German format adaptation of SKAM (tr. Shame, 2015–17). Youthification is understood as the television industry’s attempts to reach and win back teen and tween viewers with strategies in production, representations, aesthetics and distribution. In DRUCK, online media are integral to the youthification in all these strategies. Our multifaceted analysis of this serial combines perspectives from media industry studies to investigate production strategies, sociological analysis of film and television to examine the thematic and narrative choices and theories of transmedia storytelling to make sense of the specific distribution choices.