Transmedia Storytelling of Middle-Earth

Henry Jenkin’s 10 points on transmedia texts and their complex fictional worlds are more easily explained through the analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The mystical world of Middle-Earth in LOTR and The Hobbit, has unfolded across six films, comics, books, video games, radio channels, and fan fiction sites. Thus the story has been dispersed ‘across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and co-ordinated entertainment experience’ (Jenkins, 2007). Each of the mediums broaden the audience’s understanding of Middle-Earth. For example, The Hobbit is the backstory to LOTR. It serves both as an introduction to Middle-Earth and as a link between earlier and later events presented in LOTR. Both the books have also been developed into major films which further enhances the viewers’ experience of the narratives. The franchise has also branched into the medium of video games. Now in ‘The Battle of Middle Earth’, “players can explore many different aspects of Middle-Earth from a variety of character perspectives, even ones that are only explored in small ways within the main story” (Bain K, et al, 2011). These extensions of the narrative make a unique contribution to the story. The video games —as well as LOTR toys— also provide its readers with a set of roles and goals which they can ‘assume as they enact aspects of the story through their everyday life’ (Jenkins 2007).

While the movies are catered to a slightly older audience, J.R.R. Tolkien’s story of The Hobbit was originally for children. In 1989 the story was adapted in a children’s comic book series which was published by Eclipse Comics. In the following years, more comic adaptions were produced, including comics written in foreign languages such as German and Italian. These adaptions demonstrate the ways in which the storytelling practices attempt to attract different audiences. This was also done through the radio series of LOTR and The Hobbit in the 1960s and 1980s.

The extensive and complex nature of Middle-Earth enables readers to creatively engage with their own imaginations and create their own stories. The original stories essentially introduce potential plots with which the audience can speculate, elaborate and play upon. LOTR and The Hobbit fan-fiction sites enable fans to ‘fill in the gaps’ they have discovered in the original stories (Jenkins, 2007). Similarly, the virtual world of Second Life also invites audience participation. Considering you can make absolutely anything on Second Life, it would be possible for users to create their own virtual Middle-Earth. This means users can have the power to control, dictate and produce their own unique narratives. However, the main potential limitation to this creative use of Second Life would be the issue of copyright. Nevertheless, Second Life does provide its users with the ability to ‘role play’ in the virtual world.

Watch this video to uncover the parallels between LOTR and The Hobbit. 

 

References:

Bain K, et al, 2011, ‘Transmedia and Crossmedia Convergence in a Connected World’, Convergenceishere, viewed 18 April 2014 < http://convergenceishere.weebly.com/lotr-and-eragon.html>.

Jenkins, H 2007, ‘Transmedia Storytelling 101’,< http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html>

Video

Frodo Baggins 2013, Lego Le Seigneur Des Anneaux / Le Hobbit Bande Annonce De Transition, video, YouTube, 13 September, viewed 19 April 2014, < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3DXtc8Vobg>.

IGN 2013, Connections Between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, video, YouTube, 17 December, viewed 19 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9BzM1xQeBw>. 

Ullyses Gordon 2010, What is TransMedia?, video, YouTube, 17 October, viewed 18 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9uX_65IFpY>.

 

Reflection Time!

To be honest, in week one, I didn’t really know what to expect from BCM110. In the beginning,  the thought of expressing and sharing my views publicly on WordPress freaked me out and put me off —I have always been self conscious of my work and to have it displayed for the whole world to see was pretty scary! However, now I really appreciate it. It has not only helped me to develop my own critical and analytical skills, it has also made me more confident.

The past six weeks of study have confirmed my critical thinking of the role of media in our society. I have always been quite skeptical of the media. As a young adult who likes to keep up-to-date with current and political affairs, it angers me when I am only given a restricted viewpoint. My research of the 2013 Federal Election made me realise how media ownership can have a negative impact on the core values of democracy. Such values are compromised when the media abuses its centralised power and projects its own narrow views. I like to form my own informed opinion; not be ‘spoon-fed’ an opinion. Elizabeth Hart’s reading reminded me of the importance of being cautious of the messages I read and understanding the relevance behind the creator of those messages. 

I also learnt about the ‘media effects model’ and how it invalidly claims that there is a direct link between what individuals consume from the mass media and their subsequent behaviours. While I agree that the model adopts a ‘backwards’ approach and unfairly  blames the media for anti-social behaviours; I do believe that the mass media has created a new modern culture which has shaped our behaviours and attitudes. My BCM studies further cemented this belief when I examined the relationship between the media and body image issues amongst young men and women. Kate Bowles’ reading made me more mindful of how representation (which is deliberate and conscious) in advertising can have a significant psychological impact on the audience’ understanding of what is considered ‘right’, ’real’ and ‘normal’. Similarly, Mitchell Hobbs’ reading proved to be useful in understanding the techniques employed by the media to convey messages to its audience. As a recipient of media texts myself, I am now more aware of the power behind semiotics in advertising.

Through WordPress and the Moodle Twitter feed, I have been exposed to a multi-faceted views and perspectives of my fellow BCM students on media-related issues. I have throughly enjoyed reading the blogs of other students. It was comforting knowing that other students had similar views to me. However, I have also been challenged and confronted by other viewpoints. This is good as it has encouraged me to see issues from different angles. I also really enjoyed viewing the additional material, texts and examples other students referred to in their blogs. One post I found quite interesting was Courtney Berthaly’s Is social media to blame for anti-social behaviour? blog, which considered parents’ roles in fostering their child’s social media use. I also enjoyed Deekw93’s The Image Cannot Lie blog, which taught me about the sad truth behind cage-free eggs and chickens.

In closing, my BCM110 WordPress journey has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience. I have learnt a lot and I am grateful for this opportunity!

…However, I could also have done with Ryan Gosling lending me his scarf when I was blogging 😉

From Citizen Journalism to Collective Intelligence

In today’s technological era, society has become largely immersed in a dialogic media landscape, whereby media content is interactively produced and shared by many individuals. This reflects the participatory culture of the 21st century as the roles of media content audiences have changed. Consumers are no longer passive who simply receive the message; consumers are now active as they produce, create, distribute, discuss and receive the message. This user created content has essentially challenged and reconfigured the established traditional boundaries between media content production, its rules and its logistics.

This culture of participation and produsage has led to the new modern phenomenon of citizen journalism. Now, ordinary citizens have the power to share news instantaneously at the tip of their fingertips. Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have all made it easier to share content across the internet. For example, events such as Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring were all instigated through social media. 

Traditional news broadcasters have also recognised the changing patterns and have thus embraced this participatory culture. For example, after the activity of citizen journalists during the 2004 tsunami and the 2005 London Bombings, in 2006 CNN launched its iReport initiative which allows people from across the globe to share and publish stories, pictures, videos and breaking news in one space. This demonstrates the way in which CNN relies on collective intelligence to share news stories. As Pierre Levy notes, when we combine and collaborate the knowledge of all individuals, we can have a greater understanding on the issues involved. 

Similarly, the virtual world of Second Life is designed to be non-linear and relies on collective intelligence for expansion. The world is focused on providing an enjoyable user-generated, community-driven experience. Second Life users collaborate and share ideas and content to help develop the online virtual world. Almost all the objects in Second Life are created and modified by users. Thus while platform developer, Linden Lab, provided the online space, Second Life users have used their own imaginations to essentially create, dictate, generate and maintain their own unique online world.

Second Life users use their creative imaginations and skills to create beautiful worlds.

 

References:

CNN 2014, ‘CNN iReport’, CNN iReport, viewed 10 April 2014 < http://ireport.cnn.com/>

Nielsen, N 2010, ‘“Collective Intelligence”, by Pierre Levy’, Michael Nielsen, 23 May, viewed 10 April 2014 < http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/collective-intelligence-by-pierre-levy/>.

Video 

Business Objects 2007, Collective Intelligence — The Vision, video, YouTube, 29 May, viewed 10 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQe8dWTbE2U>.

 

‘The Project’ as a Mediated Public Sphere

The ‘public sphere’ is a metaphorical term which describes an undefined virtual space where individuals can publicly engage, interact and debate over issues of general interest with one another (McKee 2005, p.4).

The Channel Ten show, The Project is one example of a ‘public sphere’ where a broad range of social, political, economic and moral issues are discussed by the panel. Topics covered on the show include: daily news, same-sex marriage, animal cruelty, pornography, political issues etc. In fact, some of these issues  —such as Gay Rights —are not even discussed by the traditional, institutionalised media. I personally love how the panel discusses —as oppose to simply informs —these issues in an informal and casual manner with a mix of their own personal perspectives and opinions.

As opposed to your same old, yawn-worthy, old school news bulletins, The Project discusses relevant topics with a touch of entertainment and humour. As their slogan asserts, ‘It’s news done differently’. For example, the show regularly invites celebrities —such as Jared Leto, Rebel Wilson, Will Ferrell —to join the panel. However, some might criticise this approach as being too trivialised and fragmented. According to Jürgen Habermas, the ideal public sphere should:

deal only with serious issues of real importance…it should refuse to dumb down to consumers…It should only engage in rational, logical argument: not emotional or spectacular appeals. And it should be unified and homogenous, refusing the fragmentation of niche audiences and different kinds of culture (McKee 2005, p.14).

While this structure is more informal, it’s not fair to downgrade it as ‘trivial’. In fact, unlike traditional news, The Project also engages and encourages young people to join the conversation on important issues. The Project is in the top 15 shows for 13-29 year olds. This is important as the young generation is the future of our country and there must be a healthy debate amongst young people in order to stimulate new ideas and a better direction for national, as well as global affairs. Furthermore, while I believe celebrity issues are unnecessary in the public sphere, I agree with McKee and believe that such issues —as well as issues relating to entertainment and sports —are vital parts of culture (McKee 2005, p.30). As the post-modern commentators claim, ‘different groups think and communicate differently about issues and we should respect that’ (McKee 2005, p.17). 

The Project directly involves its viewers to contribute to the show’s content and facilitate further debate. For example, The Project offers the public to have their say and share their thoughts on stories they have watched on the show. Public members can also offer tips for future stories and send breaking news. This demonstrates a shift in the way news is told in the 21st century. Unlike the old school days where media content was told in a more monologic manner, today we live in a dialogic media landscape, whereby the public can directly contribute to the news and in essence, dictate and direct what should be classified as ‘news’ (Bruns 2007). Furthermore, through the use of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, individuals can directly and instantaneously join the conversation from their own living rooms. 

Therefore the Project is a great example of the ‘public sphere’ as it empowers individuals to discuss, debate and formulate their own opinions on a variety of issues —this is a sign of a healthy democratic society.

Here is a clip from The Project when Ron Burgundy from Anchorman decided to share the daily news with a comedic twist:

Reference List

Articles

Bruns, Axel (2007) Produsage: Towards a Broader Framework for User-Led Content Creation. In Proceedings Creativity & Cognition 6, Washington, DC.

Knox, D 2014, ‘Andrew Bolt to Replace Charlie Pickering on The Project’, TVTonight, 1 April, viewed 9 April 2014 < http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/04/andrew-bolt-to-replace-charlie-pickering-on-the-project.html> 

McKee, A, 2005, ‘Introduction: the public sphere : an introduction’ in Public Sphere: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp1-31.

The Project 2014, Your Say, Tenplay, viewed 9 April 2014 < http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/your-say>

Video

Alvopenrescue 2010, 7pm Project Puppy Farming, video, YouTube, 21 September, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwmDBl9LE6o> 

Australian TV Fan 2013, Election Project Channel 10 Highlights, video, YouTube, 7 September, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVTjUl3PSno>

Bianca Walker 2013, Rebel Wilson on The Project, video, YouTube, 18 February, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-MWSO_-4Yk> 

BunyipBlue1 2010, Gay Marriage Debate in Australia, video, YouTube, 16 November, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbYk1TTyORA>

James DeWeaver 2014, Jared Leto ‘It’s all Good’ LIVE Australian Tv Interview FULL 27-3-2014, video, YouTube, 27 March, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuTj523uCo> 

RoveOnlineClips 2012, Will Ferrell Interview on The Project (2012) -The Campaign (Plus PM Julia Gillard), video, YouTube, 7 August, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9VAOYiMlyM> 

The Project 2014, Porn Addiction, video, 9 April, viewed 9 April 2014 < http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/extra/season-5/porn-addiction>. 

WAWProductionsAU 2013, Ron Burgundy Vs. Ray Martin (The Project, 25/11/13), video, YouTube, 25 November, viewed 9 April 2014 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_wED8BW6NQ>

Citizen Journalism: User Empowerment, Access and Participation Across Media Platforms

The mobile phone has had a profound impact on the way in which news and stories are distributed across the domestic sphere and international sphere. Essentially, the mobile phone has led to an innovation in journalism: now, ordinary citizens have the power to share news instantaneously at the tip of their fingertips. Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc have all made it easier to share photos, messages and videos across the internet, allowing users all around the world to access and engage with such content. Thus the advances in digital technology and the growth of the internet have empowered a new era of citizen journalism. This means that we now live in a participatory culture where ordinary citizens are also contributors to the community through self-expressed user-generated content.

The latest event I can think of where citizen journalism came into play was when a 13-year-old girl filmed two young women assaulting and abusing an elderly man. The amateur footage was later handed in to the police and was also posted on YouTube which circulated across social media sites.  Channel 9 aired the Footage on a Thursday night and by the next morning, the names of the young women were circulating on social media. Members of the public also called the police and by late Friday afternoon, both women handed themselves in to the police. This one example demonstrates the way in which the combination of the mobile phone and social media has made it harder for offenders to escape liability.

Similar to this event, Janey Gordon also identified the way in which the mobile phone proved to be crucial in the crises of the 2004 South-East Asian Tsunami and the 2005 London Bombings. In the 2004 tsunami, many utilised their mobile phones for contacting others about the tsunami. The mobile phone was used in a number of ways: for photography, phoning or texting home, and most importantly, contacting survivors (Gordon 2007, p.313). Thus individuals in the crisis areas were able to capture and document the natural event in ways which would not otherwise have been possible. This also demonstrates how the news was spread without ‘the gatekeeping or editorship of corporate news media’ (Gordon 2007, p.313). Similarly, the event of the London Bombings also proved how the mobile phone became crucial in providing potent documentation of the event (Gordon 2007, p.314). Even the media and press utilised the images -which were subject to editorial process- taken by the citizens as a means to ‘enhance the coverage of the event’ (Gordon 2007, p.314). 

All these events demonstrate that individuals involved in any event -the people who are are the story -are better at capturing the story. It may be argued that they are the best journalists. Citizen journalism also enables a diverse range of voices to be heard. Unlike mainstream media (where 70% is owned by Rupert Murdoch!), citizen journalism over the internet allows individuals to compare and contrast amongst a variety of vetted sources of news. However while this is a great advantage, this can also be a disadvantage as reports may be unreliable, inaccurate and subjected to bias. As Chris Measures claims, professional journalists are generally trained to avoid bias and understand both sides of a story (although this is questionable as at the end of the day, the important question to ask is: who owns the media corporation?). This article provides one example of where citizen journalism went incredibly wrong during the Boston Marathon Bombings.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the digital age has revolutionized the way audiences now engage as well as participate in reporting the news. As Kate Bulkley reported, many agree that such technological developments have added a richer dimension to current affairs.

Also check out Katie Couric’s Top Citizen Journalism Moments on YouTube:

 

Reference List

Journal Articles:

Gordon, J (2007), ‘The Mobile Phone and the Public Sphere: Mobile Phone Usage in Three Critical Situations’, Convergence, Vol 13, no.3, pp. 307-319.

Online:

Bochenski, N, Calligeros M, 2014, ‘Gold Coast bus attack: two women leave elderly man ‘upset and shaken’, Brisbane Times, 28 February, viewed 31st March 2014 < http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/gold-coast-bus-attack-two-women-leave-elderly-man-upset-and-shaken-20140228-33pyl.html>. 

Bulkley, K, 2012, ‘The Rise of Citizen Journalism’, The Guardian, 11 June, viewed 31st March 2014 < http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/11/rise-of-citizen-journalism>. 

Jenkins, H, 2007, Videoblogging, Citizen Journalism, and Credibility, Confessions of an Aca-Fan, viewed 31st March 2014, < http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/videoblogging.html> 

Measures, C, 2013, ‘The Rise of Citizen Journalism’, Socialmedia Today, 1 May, viewed 31st March 2014 < http://socialmediatoday.com/chris-measures/1430031/rise-citizen-journalism>.

Video:

Five Year, 2010, Katie Couric’s Top Citizen Journalism Moments on YouTube, video, YouTube, 10 May, viewed 1st April 2014, < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySEIK-I8I-Q>.

THNKR, 2012, Citizen Journalism On The Rise, video, YouTube, 10 September, viewed 1st April 2014, < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKLPkODHo64>.