multimedia and transmedia

Multimedia vs. Transmedia

             There are several modes of communication a storyteller may put to use when attempting to convey a message.  These modes may appear in numerous forms such as writing, sound, imagery or a performance of some sought.  Individually, these communication methods possess the capabilities to get a message across but combined, they can undoubtedly put a story into perspective. This integration of multiple forms of medium's working in unison to tell a story is called "multimedia storytelling". No one knows where the concept of using multiple mediums to express one's self originated but the method can be traced back centuries, where earlier humans drew pictures along with narrations on cave walls in an attempt to communicate effectively with one another.
  15,000 b.c. Grotte de Lascaux.
               
        Multimedia storytelling however would not gain scientific recognition until the 1990’s, when innovations in computing made obvious the importance of media integration played on the ability for an audience to understand content.   
 
Even though multimedia had been acknowledged prior the digital age, it was not widely valued in its usage. Technology pushed the envelope and developed a platform where storytellers could deliver content like never before. In fact, the case can be made that; advancements in multimedia helped usher into existence many of stories making their way in the 21^st century. Take the popular mobile video game angry birds for example, where video animations along with subtitles are used to catapult users through multiple levels of a story.   
 
 Had the creators of angry birds attempted to publish a book on the idea of “shooting birds at pigs”, the concept may not have received such of a warm welcome. Digital elements in multimedia helped provide the platform necessary to establish -user interaction of content- at unprecedented levels thus giving life to a story of this nature. Used in this way, multimedia enables the audience to become participants, allowing them to interact with this story in such a manner that launching birds at pigs now seemed logical.       
         
          Effective broadcasting does not end with multimedia, as creators of content are constantly finding ways to further deliver their message. In the story of angry birds, this was accomplished through a transition of content from mobile devices to film. The creators may have felt the need to deliver content through another platform as a method to drawing more of a liking to the story. This is where a process known as "transmedia" comes to play. Unlike multimedia which integrates communication lines to create a single story, transmedia uses multiple platforms to expand on it.  In a sense, transmedia storytelling is the use of numerous multimedia platforms working to deliver unique content.

            After successfully introducing angry birds on mobile devices, the animated series “piggy tales” was released on film in 2014, telling the story from the pig’s view point. Strategic by definition, transmedia's purpose is to deliver stories in ways not readily available to every platform. By moving the content to film, the story has now expanded beyond the context of launching birds at pigs, and has found value in "Piggy Tales" which may not have been successfully incorporated in mobile gaming.                                          
 
       In conclusion, there really is no competition between the two methods of storytelling as they work to compliment one another. Multimedia finds it's purpose in the developmental stages of a story while transmedia storytelling works to make the completed product an absolute success.