Narrative Structures and Fairy Tales - what a lovely mix!

This week in 'Convergence Media Teamwork' we were learning abut narrative structures within Transmedia stories. There are 2 types: linear in which the story just follows a straight line, or non linear in which the user can choose what direction the story can go off to out of a number of different options. As a user I much prefer a non linear direction because it allows me to have some impact in what happens in the story and makes me feel like I am involved into it. However for this module, I think I would much rather do a linear story because I would rather make my project the best it can be rather than attempt to do too much and it all being of a low standard.

In this lecture we got into groups and had to create a transmedia story plan of a fairytale. We had to decide the narrative structure and then plan what aspects of a multiplatform story we would include. Our group chose to base ours on 'Finding Nemo' which I know isn't classed as a fairytale but has many similar aspects - and it is an amazing film!

We decided to focus on what happened before and after the film, providing fans with more of an insight into how the characters became who they were and what happened to them next. We split up our story into 4 parts based on 4 of the characters: What happened next to Dory, The back story of how Marlin and Coral met (Nemo's parents), how the sharks became who they were in the film and what happened next to Nemo. We decided that within our story we would use a range of transmedia such as viral videos, social networking, websites and apps.

Overall I found this task fascinating because it allowed us to explore different aspects of how to tell a story through narrative and platform. After researching in previous weeks example of transmedia stories, I feel that I am becoming more knowledgable in this area and will be able to successfully complete the brief that we have been set. In my opinion, using multiplatform devices to help tell a story is an effective device because it allows fans of shows to explore aspects of shows in new and innovative ways.