Examples Of Transmedia Storytelling In The Harry Potter Saga By J. K. Rowling

Back in 2003 Henry Jenkins caused a massive stir in the media world when he introduced the idea of transmedia storytelling, Jenkins describes it as a process where elements of fiction are dispersed across multiple media platforms in order to serve the purpose of creating a coordinated entertainment experience. Jenkins goes on to say that preferably, each medium will contribute different aspects which will assist in the telling of a story and unveil new aspects. However a good transmedia text does not simply supply information, instead it allows the fans, or fandom, to interact with the world within the text (Jenkins, 2007). This essay will arue that transmedia storytelling impacts on how the audience interacts with the story, in order to

If you want your audience to get fervently attached to the world and characters you create then it is extremely important to make the world in which you base your story seem authentic. One of the best examples of transmedia storytelling done correctly is the Harry Potter saga by J.K. Rowling. Rowling created a detailed wizarding world which she achieved by setting the story in a real life location, England, and also by creating texts within the story which she would later publish as books of their own, such as, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is soon to become a film itself. Although creating these texts allows the story to reach out to the real world Philips believes that the most useful tool in transmedia storytelling, is creating an area where fans can expand and immerse themselves into the story. Rowling successfully adapted to this area by creating Pottermore, the website allows the audience, who may have been part of the Harry Potter world since 1997, to become a part of the story themselves. Rowling made this possible by adding features such as a sorting hat ceremony, where fans answer quiz questions and are assigned to Hogwarts houses through their answers. This feature allows fans to connect with

As mentioned earlier in this paragraph, Pottermore is not the only way which Rowling accessed the area of transmedia storytelling but it has been one of the most successful. As Jeff Gomez, Pottermore creater and transmedia expert, states Pottermore allows the franchise to expand “from its basis in being a repurposed or repeated story world, into being a true transmedia brand.” The website is also multidimensional where it expands out to other popular social media outlets, this allows Rowling to release videos where she answers fans questions and reviel new information about the series. According to Gomez, what makes Pottermore so successful is the amount of interactivity within the site, this means that the audience feel as if they have a personal relationship with the author and also that the have an important imput in the story (Humphrey, 2011). Pottermore shows how websites and todays technology can be used to engage with an audience, and the website has proven to be a huge success not only for J.K. Rowling and the franchise, but also for the area of transmedia