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Harry Potter : Transmedia Storytelling : Fictions And Components

Decent Essays

Transmedia Storytelling
Transmedia storytelling, defined by Henry Jenkins in “Searching for the Origami Unicorn” as a narrative that explains “each medium does what it does best – so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics”(Page 96). Jenkins makes a compelling argument why transmedia storytelling systems hold the attention of audiences and allows one to become interested even without reading the original story. Modern media companies hold interests across a range of social networking and gaming platforms to reach all audiences. June 1997 J.K. Rowling began to publish the seven book series of Harry Potter. Through Transmedia theory the story of Harry Potter became the fifth largest franchise in U.S history to this day. The final movie chapter of Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part two sparked a large interest in the use of transmedia theory in the years leading up to the final movie. The seventh and final episode of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part two is a wide example of Jenkins explanation of Transmedia Theory.
Transmedia used by itself, simply means “across media. And through Transmedia storytelling the writers of Harry Potter have created an entire platform for audiences of all ages. “The consumer who has played the game or watched the shorts will get a different experience of the movies, then the one who has simply had the theatrical experience.”(Jenkins, 102) For audiences who began reading the books in 1997

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