Media Cultures - Case Study - The Matrix

In this post, we will talk about, The Matrix franchise, a well received and popular example of transmedia storytelling.

Quick background about the movie. It is a science fiction movie created by Andy and Larry Wachowski in 1999 about a man named Neo who, by day, is a computer programmer in reality, but by night, a malevolent hacker in a virtual world. Both sequels were then released on the same year in 2003. In that same year, an anime series, a series of comics, and a video game was released.

So how is The Matrix transmedia storytelling? For starters, the franchise in itself expanded from the big screen to comics and the like. Rather than focusing on the main character Neo, other media platforms expanded from there, taking the role of other characters and seeing the world from their perspective. As a whole  the trilogy would be enough to satisfy the audience but the additional media offers more to the story, the characters and more.

To delve into that, take for example, Enter the Matrix, the videogame released in 2003. The game takes place concurrent with the events of Matrix Reloaded, the first sequel. In the game, you take the role of Niobe or Ghost, members of the same group of rebels as Neo, the movie's protagonist. How did this game contribute to the narrative? In the movie is a character named the Oracle. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the original actor Gloria Foster has succumbed to complications related to diabetes. While she completed her work in the second film, she did not for the third and as such, another actor had replaced her, Mary Alice. The game introduces Mary Alice as the Oracle even going as far as giving a reason as to the change in appearance.

Transmedia storytelling allows the main narrative presented in the Matrix movies which was self-contained but, for the enthusiastic fan, it was complemented by information, backstory, and character development obtainable only through the different media platforms. This extension by forms other than film itself, offers extra meanings to the original story.

References:

Jenkins, H. (2010). Convergence culture. New York: New York University Press. (Jenkins,

2010)

Jenkins, H. (n.d.). Coursera | Online Courses From Top Universities. Join for Free. [online] Coursera. Available at: https://www.coursera.org/learn/transmedia-storytelling/lecture/Fw9aa/henry-jenkins-the-matrix-an-example-of-a-transmedia-world [Accessed 3 Jul. 2017].

Jenkins, H. (2007). Transmedia Storytelling 101. [Blog] CONFESSIONS OF AN ACA-FAN. Available at: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html [Accessed 4 Jul. 2017].

Pratten, R. (2015). Getting started with transmedia storytelling. 2nd ed. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. (Pratten, 2015)