Lovebug the story, the song

In class we recently looked at the growing trend of transmedia, it characteristics, and the effects it has on the stories or arguments it is intended to tell. The clearest conclusion was that transmedia typically expands and most often, humanizes the story.

Transmedia is often looked at as some piece with layers that often include more than three very different media components that each tell a different part of the story. For an idea of this, take a look at this article.

One common transmedia form that most people are familiar with and may not recognize as a transmedia piece, is th music video. Whether or not music videos are truly transmedia pieces is debatable in some cases.

In my estimation, a music video that shows a singer singing in a number of different places with little relation to the song lyrics or the reverse, the artist shown in places and situations which depict the lyrics very literally, would not be a transmedia piece, as the video added no layer to the story the lyrics were intended to tell. However a music video that shows the subjects of the song and plays out a story that the viewer would not otherwise have seen or imagined in relation to the lyrics in the song would be considered transmedia.

The following music video by the Jonas Brothers successfully falls under this category of transmedia.

The lyrics tell a story all on their own, as does the video. In most cases I think that transmedia should not be able to stand alone and out to be completely intertwined, inseparable. Music videos however, are the exception.

This music video tells a sweet story about a couple who falls in love, gets married buys a house and is separated as the husband goes off to war (WWI). The story is portrayed as  a flashback or a memory brought on by a photograph from an old album being viewed by a little girl we presume to be the couple’s granddaughters, featuring main characters whom are not played by the Jonas Brothers.

I think this is one of the most important reasons that the music video is such a successful transmedia piece. Because the artists are not featured as the subjects of the story, it is easier to  separate the story from the song.

The story is sweet and believable. This song is adorable. The two work well together as well as seperatley.