GUERRERO-PICO, M. y SCOLARI, C.A. Transmedia storytelling and user-generated content CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 ISSN 0719-3661 Versión electrónica: ISSN 0719-367x http://www.cuadernos.info doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.760 Received: 04-15-2015 / Accepted: 03-23-2016 Transmedia storytelling and user-generated content: A case study on crossovers Narrativas transmedia y contenidos generados por los usuarios: el caso de los crossovers Narrativas transmídia e conteúdos gerados por usuários: o caso dos crossovers MAR GUERRERO-PICO, Departamento de Comunicación, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España [[email protected]] CARLOS A. SCOLARI, Departamento de Comunicación, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España [[email protected]] ABSTRACT RESUMEN RESUMO The aim of this article is to analyze a El objetivo de este artículo es analizar un O objetivo deste artigo é analisar um tipo special type of textuality: crossovers. tipo especial de textualidad: los crossovers. especial de textualidade: os crossovers. A The analy¬sis focuses on user-generated El análisis se focalizará en los contenidos análise se centra nos conteúdos gerados content in the transmedia storytelling generados por los usuarios de las narrati- pelos usuários de narrativas transmídia. context. The study follows a series of vas transmedia. Para ello, se toman como Para isso, 25 produções derivadas das 25 productions derivative of ABC’s Lost caso 25 producciones derivadas de dos se- séries de televisão Lost (ABC, 2004- (2004- 2010) and FOX’s Fringe (2008- ries televisivas: Lost (ABC, 2004-2010) y 2010) e Fringe (FOX, 2008-2013) são 2013). After describing the scenario where Fringe (FOX, 2008-2013). Tras describir utilizadas como estudo de caso. Após these works were produced and mapping el contexto de estas producciones y mapear descrever sucintamente o contexto de the etymology of the crossover concept, la etimología del concepto de crossover, se tais produções e mapear a etimologia we analyzed some fan productions by analizan algunas producciones realizadas de crossover, o artigo analisa algumas applying a methodology ba¬sed on por fans, aplicando un método basado en produções realizadas por fãs, com narrative semiotics and narratology. la semiótica narrativa y la narratología. base em uma metodologia baseada na Finally, we propose a taxonomy of these Finalmente, se propone una taxonomía de semiótica narrativa e na narratologia. formats organized around four key estos formatos, articulada en cuatro ejes: Para finalizar, o artigo propõe uma points: media, style, genre and narrative medio, estilo, género y programa narrativo. taxonomia desses formatos, articulada program. em 4 eixos: meio, estilo, gênero e programa narrativo. Keywords: Crossover, transmedia, Palabras clave: Crossover, narrativa, Palavras-chave: Crossover, narrativa, storytelling, mashup, fans, Lost, Fringe. transmedia, mashup, fans, Lost, Fringe. transmídia, mashup, fãs, Lost, Fringe. •How to cite: Guerrero-Pico,CUADERNOS.INFO M. y Scolari, Nº C.A. 38 / (2016). JUNE 2016 Narrativas / ISSN 0719-3661 transmedia / E-VERSION: y contenidos WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO generados por los / usuarios:ISSN 0719-367X el caso de los crossovers. Cuadernos.info, (38), 183-200. doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.760 183 GUERRERO-PICO, M. y SCOLARI, C.A. Transmedia storytelling and user-generated content INTRODUCTION Thus, starting from this context, we will The processes of production, circulation, describe the semantic link with of crossover with translation and textual interpretation have accelerated other hybrid species, as the mashup and remix, exponentially since the diffusion of digital networks. and propose a definition of this textual format. A digitalized text is much easier to distribute, modify, Once the concept coordinates are defined, we will remix and put back into circulation, leading to an analyze the crossover samples from Lost and Fringe, explosion of user-generated content that permeates using a methodology that combines contributions the media ecosystem. In contrast to what happened from narrative semiotics and narratology. The before the popularization of various types of software analysis will conclude with a taxonomic proposal for editing text, image and sound, and the expansion of on crossovers, in which we consider variables as the World Wide Web during the nineties, nowadays it the media platform, the genre, the style or narrative is very easy to find productions derived from previous programs. cultural products. However, the hybridization and overflowing intertextuality which generally define these productions requires an adaptation of the theoretical THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK approaches of the disciplines devoted to the analysis This analysis of a specific type of user-generated of different texts. content in the context of two transmedia narratives Among the variety of text formats that users can (Lost and Fringe) will be based on the contributions of produce are the crossovers, a format where, broadly narrative semiotics (Greimas, 1989) and narratology speaking, two or more cultural references intersect (especially the work of Genette, 1989, 1997). In this in one piece. The aim of this article is to explore the section we define the main concepts on which the nature of crossover through the study of examples study is based (transmedia narrative, user-generated created by fans of the television series Lost (ABC, 2004- content, crossover) and the theoretical works on which 2010) and Fringe (FOX 2008-2013). Produced by the the analysis is based. factory of J.J. Abrams, both fictions have an extensive transmedia deployment on various media platforms WHAT IS A TRANSMEDIA NARRATIVE? and during their broadcasting, they were paradigm of When defining transmedia narratives (transmedia a passionate following by planetary audience, which storytelling), Jenkins (2003, 2006, 2009) proposes did not hesitate to move their conversations online three key elements: spaces and re-appropriate of characters and plots to • On the one hand, the story should expand through create derivative content. While Lost and the intense various media; for example, the story can begin activity of its fans have been the subject of numerous in in the form of television series, expand into a academic papers (Clarke, 2009; Graves, 2011; Mittell, comic, incorporate some mobisodes or webisodes 2015; Pearson, 2009, among others), Fringe has not and ending through novels or a feature film. The had the same impact, except some approaches from bottom line is that each of these texts tell something literature (Clarke Stuart, 2011), studies of television different and expands the narrative world. narrative (Álvarez Berciano, 2012) and transmedia narrative (Belsunces Gonçalves, 2011), in addition to the • Furthermore, this top-down expansion managed publication of anthologies of multidisciplinary studies by producers is complemented by bottom-up (Grazier, 2011; Cochran, Ginn & Zinder, 2014) with very expansions made by users and disseminated in few approaches into the textual production of its fans collaborative platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, (Guerrero-Pico, 2015). For this reason, and considering blogs, wikis or fan fiction. These productions, the linkages of genre (science fiction and supernatural) which can range from friendly expansions of the and authorship (Abrams) shared by these two fictions, narrative world to hilarious parodies or mashups we considered relevant to join them in the study of of narrative worlds, are often called user-generated part of the transmedia storytelling generated by users. content (UGC). CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 / JUNE 2016 / ISSN 0719-3661 / E-VERSION: WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO / ISSN 0719-367X 184 GUERRERO-PICO, M. y SCOLARI, C.A. Transmedia storytelling and user-generated content • A third feature (not always respected by producers) processes, dissemination of graphical interfaces is given by the ability of the narrative world of which facilitate handling of all kinds of texts and the being addressed through any of the textual units advent of the World Wide Web completely changed that compose it. That is, in the world of transmedia the rules of the game. When written or audiovisual storytelling it is possible to enter the universe of texts are digitalized, they become malleable, Batman through a feature film, a comic book or a re-combinable and capable of being remixed with video game. However, each of these textual pieces other content. The web, especially social networks can have a different degree of autonomy, and and open content platforms as YouTube, allows these sometimes it can happen that a text (for example, new texts to circulate virally around the globe in a mobisode) is not understood unless we know a seconds. This is the breeding ground of content larger text (the TV series that originated it)1. generated by users. The boundary between a user-generated content The transmedia narrative worlds are a real challenge and the production of the cultural industry is very for narratology and textual narrative semiotics, all porous. Contents born with a marginal and artisan strongly mono-media study fields –there is a semiotic spirit may end up absorbed by the large communication of theater, radio, cinema, etc., but still not a semiotics systems, in the same way that the culture industry of transmedia– and unaccustomed to the analysis of is very attentive to the productions of prosumers highly complex multi-modal narrative, characterized by and has no fear in broadcasting and even profit from hyper fragmented textualities,