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How Audiences Engage with Narrative Across Multiple Story Modes

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Consuming Transmedia: how audiences engage with narrative across multiple story modes. By Emma Beddows A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia 2012 i Student Declaration I, Emma Beddows, declare that the examinable outcome: Contains no material which has been accepted for the award to the candidate of any other degree or diploma, except where due reference is made in the text of the examinable outcome. To the best of my knowledge contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of the examinable outcome; and Where the work is based on joint research or publications, discloses the relative contributions of the respective workers or authors. Signed: 2012 i ii Abstract Research in the field of transmedia storytelling, variously known as ‘cross-media’ (Dena 2004a, 2004b), ‘distributed narration’ (Walker 2004) and ‘transmedia practice’ (Dena 2009) has grown steadily over the past ten years. As new content distribution models emerge from the creative industries it is essential that we consider how users engage with these new frameworks. Whilst many scholars acknowledge the consumption of transmedia texts, few studies detail reception of these texts using practical or qualitative measures. This thesis aims to address this issue via a synthesis of theoretical concerns and practical analysis. Commercial transmedia storytelling presents significant opportunities for audience research because it seeks to exploit the migratory consumption patterns of media users by replicating user-led traversals in a highly structured commercial environment. Furthermore, due to the multi-faceted nature of transmedia storytelling, it can be used in a commercial setting to attract multiple market segments. The present research argues that commercial transmedia storytelling accommodates multiple modes of media use. The approach taken in this thesis thus facilitates a method for exploring complex market relations by formalising modes of use which emerge in response to this form. The primary aim of the research is to answer the following research questions: 1) what modes of use do commercial transmedia texts accommodate? and 2) how do media users engage with commercial transmedia texts? This thesis is based on a two-tiered approach that reflects this. The first tier is conceptual in nature and uses discourse analysis to develop an argument based on modes of use accommodated by transmedia storytelling. Modes of use are explored in this tier using a Media Use Typology based on two intersecting axes: mode preference and level of engagement. This thesis argues that transmedial consumption –the dedicated consumption of a narrative across multiple story modes – is best facilitated by a combination of high levels of engagement and an undifferentiated mode preference. This implies the movement of a single audience across multiple story modes and is defined as story/content-driven use. It is argued that this mode is adopted most often by fans – a unique subset of a broader audience. Fans thus exemplify reception of transmedia narratives as comprehensive artefacts, rather than viewing each story mode in isolation. The second tier is a qualitative study which iii explores how fans engage with transmedia texts, based on responses from a series of in- depth interviews. Participants in the study are fans of the case study texts: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the View Askew-niverse. This thesis finds that fans conceive of their engagement with commercial transmedia texts in a number of ways. The interview data reveals three major themes: an emphasis on the author as text; the role of fans in constructing the text; and the conditions and contingencies for transmedial consumption. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the problems associated with transmedial consumption, including suggested solutions, and points of interest for future research. iv Acknowledgments I would like to start by thanking the academics and intellectuals who have inspired me during my PhD candidature. To my supervisors, Dr Mark Finn and Dr Jason Bainbridge, thank you for your support and for your feedback on my work. Your combined input has been instrumental in formalising my ideas; Mark, thank you for riding the rollercoaster with me for the final few difficult years. To Dr Paula Geldens and Dr Darren Tofts, thank you for reviewing my work at a time when I was afraid to let anyone else read it, and for your gentle but helpful feedback. To Dr Christy Dena, thank you for setting the example and for welcoming me into the transmedia community. You are a wonderful role model for a young, female transmedia scholar. I look forward to joining your ranks. To the scholars who directly influenced my work in the body of my thesis, you are too numerous to mention but I thank you all for formalising the field. To Cathy Farrell and Dr Elizabeth Stewart, you were both instrumental during my formative intellectual years. Without your encouragement and support I would not be here now. Thank you for forcing me to be what you knew I could. I would also like to thank Clare McDonald-Sims for accepting the task of proofreading and editing my thesis; your input made the thesis shine. Also, please forgive me; I know not the errors I make! To the participants from my study, thank you for sharing your perspectives and experiences. Without all of you, none of this would be possible. I appreciate your contribution to my research. I would also like to thank the postgraduate community at Hawthorn. It was important during my PhD candidature that I felt like there were others who could empathise with my situation. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a community of such people. From damning feedback, to progress reviews, to first publications: thank you all for your support and for sharing my fears, triumphs and breakthroughs. Long live the Hive of Scum and Villainy and good luck to those who reside there. Finally, I would like to thank my closest friends and family. You were my pillars of strength when I had none. To Jane Felstead and Laura Crawford, we were a formidable v threesome. It’s hard to put in words how much both of you have changed my life. Needless to say, my PhD journey would have been harder without you and sobriety just isn’t my style. I love you both. Know that you have made these years unforgettable and that you have changed my life irrevocably. To Brooke Maggs, thank you for being such a good friend: for listening, advising and brainstorming when one mind was no longer enough. It takes patience to support someone during such a hectic and long process. I am truly grateful that you did, and for your friendship. To the rest of my close friends, who are too numerous to mention by name, thank you all for your support. You have all helped to make this process easier. To my family: Mum, Dad and Jake, and to the Corcorans, thank you all for supporting me and for believing in me. To Missy, thank you for being fluffy and adorable. Sometimes, that was all I needed to get through a rough day. To my partner, in love and in life, Jake Corcoran, thank you for everything. You have been my number one supporter: a shoulder to cry on; a bringer of tea; and an unpaid proof-reader. Your support has been enduring and unconditional; you believed in me during the best and the worst times. I can never thank you enough for what you have sacrificed to be there for me. I love you and I only hope I can support you in the same way one day. vi Contents Student Declaration ........................................................................................................... i Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. v Contents ....................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xi List of Tables .................................................................................................................. xiii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Traversals, Convergence and Cross-media Entertainment ............................................ 1 A Brief History of Transmedia Storytelling .................................................................. 4 A Narratological Perspective ......................................................................................... 8 Narratively Situated ..................................................................................................... 11 The Present Research .................................................................................................. 14 Chapter One: Transmedia Storytelling ........................................................................... 17 The Aesthetic View ..................................................................................................... 18 The Economic Logic of Transmedia Storytelling ....................................................... 24 Constitution: Theorising Transmedia Storytelling
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