Description
Book SynopsisThis book shows how the unique characteristics of traditionally differentiated media continue to determine narrative despite the recent digital convergence of media technologies. The author argues that media are now each largely defined by distinctive industrial practices that continue to preserve their identities and condition narrative production. Furthermore, the book demonstrates how a given medium’s variability in institutional and technological contexts influences diverse approaches to storytelling. By connecting US film, television, comic book and video game industries to their popular fictional characters and universes; including
Star Wars, Batman, Game of Thrones and
Grand Theft Auto; the book identifies how differences in industrial practice between media inform narrative production. This book is a must read for students and scholars interested in transmedia storytelling.
Trade Review“A solid and engaging examination of narrative and medium in the entertainment industries that will appeal to scholars in a wide range of fields related to media studies. This is an ambitious manuscript that accomplishes its goal of discussing the narrative differences between and within serial media in the current entertainment industries. … One of the things that makes this book such a joy to read is the wealth of information provided here.” (Jessica Bay, Projections, Vol. 15 (1), 2021)
“This is an impressive study, drawing on significant archival resources, that dazzles with the breadth of knowledge of different fields, … to simplify occasionally.” (Elke Weissmann, Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 14 (1), 2019)
Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Narratives in the Media Convergence Era: The Industrial Dimensions of Medium Specificity.3. Economic Specificity in Narrative Design: the Business of Television Drama Storytelling.4. Audience Specificity in Narrative Design: Comic-Book Storytelling in the
Inclusivity Era.5. Technological Specificity in Narrative Design:
Story-Driven Videogame Series in an Upgrade Culture.6. Conclusion.
