New media and transmedia for documentary storytelling : a comprehensive approach

Abstract

New media and transmedia are two phenomena that are currently changing the way in which media is produced, distributed and experienced. Although media scholars have proposed working definitions for these terms, their application for documentary storytelling is still scarce. Using the foundations offered by Henry Jenkins and Martin Lister and collaborators, I examine the consequences that new media and transmedia may have for documentary storytellers that are using them as production and distribution tools. This work is the result of a personal desire to explore new ways to document and tell stories while experimenting with different media formats and their interaction: photography, video, audio and the internet. New media and transmedia have resulted not only in new production technologies but also in a shift from passive media consumers to active media users. As a consequence, audiences now play a major role as interactive agents that are transforming the uses of media. By acknowledging the current state of how media is being produced, distributed and experienced, documentary storytellers may shed new lights when creating non-fiction media experiences.