CHAPTER 3- RESEARCH DESIGN
4.2 P REFERENCE FOR TYPE OF EXTENSION
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What should be noted form the above is that there was a higher percentage of responses from females for this survey. This could be due to the fact that females were more likely to fill out a form or that they were more concentrated in the sampling locations discussed above. As for age, the majority of this sample falls between 18-34 which is good for this study as this demographic should be more active on a receptive to engaging with new technology platforms.
4.2 Preference for type of extension
As mentioned in section 3.3.1 above, research question 1 is aimed at assessing whether audiences might respond to different types of transmedia cues in a different manner. Knowing which ones are more likely to trigger an audience to dig deeper would make it a preferred type of extension for a producer to put time or money into.
4.2.1 Character Based Extensions(Q5-8)
As noted in the survey design above, questions 5-8 of the survey were designed to find out if character based transmedia cues would
stimulate engagement by the
audience. These cues would be based on characters’ actions, motivations and relationships and could be used to draw the audience to another medium to satisfy their interest in knowing more about the characters in their favorite shows.
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The sample in this showed a majority of interest on each of these type of cues as something that would provoke them to dig deeper. When averaged together, the responses showed 83% interest in engaging
based on this type of cue. The other 17%
disagreed with the statement on the survey or perhaps did not understand the question.
This data shows the possible pay of creating rich characters with interesting back stories and complex relationships. That way fans of the show can be drawn in to explore these elements more deeply and be possible entry points to other platforms of the
transmedia production.
4.2.2 Story world Based Extensions (Q9-12)
As discussed in the section on survey design, questions 9-12 were designed to see if a richer story world would create the type of negative capability for audiences to use as a cue to explore and engage with the television program. (Long, 2007) These cues might hint at places not yet explored on-screen or events from the past that are not seen on-screen.
They also might just be unexplained
Figures 8-11 Character Based Cues
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phenomenon of the world in which the story takes place.
The results of this survey showed a clear majority of respondents as
willing to seek more information based on these information gaps. When averaged
together, questions 9-12 showed a preference of nearly 86% agreeing to seek out further action, given this type of transmedia cue.
What this shows for someone interested in transmedia productions in Taiwan is that
“world-building” should be considered an important part of the planning of a transmedia narrative. By making a vivid story world with past, present, and future events, and places to explore that are referenced on-screen but not explored, one can create cues for the audience to move along to another extension of the story where this will be explored more.
Figures 12-15 Story World Based Extensions
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As discussed earlier, question 13-16 were designed to see if
television audiences were interested in the type of engagement that is participatory. They might be able to interact with the characters or
influence events within the story such as in Sciyfy’s Defiance show and video game discussed in section 2.3.3.1. Or perhaps they play an active role in generating content like with the Spiral also mentioned in 2.3.3.2.
The figures to the right show the results from Q13-Q16. All but, Q16 show a majority of respondents agreeing to look for more information based on participatory cues. Q16 specifically mentions altering the
relationships between characters in the show.
Perhaps this type of participation was not
understood by the respondents or they do not wish to engage with characters in ways that alter the relationships they see on-screen. When averaging the results of these, the
respondents of this survey agreed to this type of cue in a 50/50 manner.
Although three out of 4 questions show that more than 50% of respondents agree that they would look for more information on how to engage with their favorite show, these
Figures 16-19 Participation Based Extensions
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to doubt about what participation with a television program is or it might signal that audiences are less interested in participatory narratives in general.
4.2.4 Product Marketing Based Extensions (Q17-20)
Earlier it was explained that questions 17-20 were designed to see how likely audiences were to engage with a television show simply
because of products or services shown in the show were of interest to them. While these are less “pure” in a transmedia storytelling way,
producers of transmedia narratives might be able to use them in creative ways and secure corporate
sponsorship for their productions.
For this type of cue, more than half of respondents answered that they agree to look for more information when encountering this type of cue. This survey showed that 63% of
respondents would engage with this type of transmedia cue. The results of Q18 were the highest for engagement. This
question dealt with the products or services that characters in the show use.
The results of these four questions point to an interest in looking for more information about products and services both displayed in the show and used by the characters in the show. This information should help possible producers of transmedia productions think
Figures 6-23-Product Marketing Based Extensions
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about what products or services they might showcase on-screen or have their characters interact with. This also might be a place for producers to think about strategic partners that might be interested in funding their production in exchange for on-screen use of their product or service. The extensions developed for these products or services could be mutually beneficial to both parties if the audiences choose to engage with it.