Introduction
Films are lengthy plays recorded on electronic devices, which focus on telling factual, mythical, tradition, scientific and fictional stories. A film results from the creative skills of the producer who writes the script that the actors follow while acting. Most films attempt to replicate real situations, which have transpired in the past. Conversely, music is a composition that consists of lyrics. However, visual images as evident in the presence of images and sounds lack in music.
Evidently, such media platforms pass information to the mass in an extensive manner. Nonetheless, they make use of different styles thus translating the intended messages. This paper aims to contrast the two media platforms based on certain aspects that include ideology, realism and audience. Transmedia narratives are story narrated over different media platforms. A story falls into this category once it conforms to three or more media platforms.
The exponential developments in the media world have facilitated the growth of transmedia narratives. Diversification of media platforms will be the predominant factor driving the growth of transmedia narratives by creating more platforms. The discussion below compares two media platforms thus music and film. The discussion exemplifies the techniques and devices used in storytelling in music and films (Abba 2009).
Ideology
Ideology is a general term that describes certain ideas or values that people follow. Overtime, mass media has been an avenue that fosters definite ideas. This means media platforms can lead to changes in ideologies. Films have the capability to tell lengthy and complex narrative because they can accommodate a dynamic cast. In addition, they make use of sound and picture in messages. Film uses different techniques to suggest its significance.
On the contrary, music uses few techniques since it faces limitations. Music only makes use of sound. Therefore, it cannot integrate all the techniques and devices into sound. However, films can integrate the techniques and devices into sound and images. The visual ability in films means that they have the capability to influence persons. Music can influence ideologies due to its rhythms and creatively used lyrics.
Essentially, both are influential; however, films seem to exude significant influence. With the digital advancement, a filmmaker can now film complex pieces. In order to enforce certain ideologies, films use devices such as rhetoric techniques. Music and film have applied rhetoric relatively equally. Evidently, rhetoric refers to any part of the story where the storyteller asks a question yet the artist comprehends the answer. The style is evident significantly in film than music (Post and Gold, 2006).
Audience
Transmedia narratives exude diverse story lines. Transmedia narratives require fanatical audience that will endeavor to follow the variety of stories that exist. These narratives capture a wide range of audiences because they are present on numerous media platforms. It worth noting that music commands a large crowd than film because it is cheaper.
A vital element of transmedia narratives is that they bring the audience on-board. Once the audiences participate, they can adjust the storyline making it linguistically and ethnically suitable for the industry. This means that the audiences have a certain level of responsibility to add to the entire plot. This makes transmedia narratives more acceptable. The level of participation in altering the plot would be minimal since film involves diverse issues that include cast and resources.
Conversely, altering the plot would be easier since it involves lesser people and resources. This means the flexibility of music gives it an edge over films, which are rigid. Transmedia allows a single story telling on a multitude of ways. With the technological advancement, transmedia will help to explore previously untapped market. Indeed, it would suit audio oriented stories while film would be suitable for graphical and audio oriented stories.
“Form of realism”
Realism involves making a representation of real life situation in literature of arts. It fundamentally involves replicating a real situation. In contrasting the two media platforms with regard to realism, it is imperative to analyze their capability to replicate situations and scenarios. Films are competent of replicating situations exemplarily since it has both visual and audio capability. When they have a trained cast, they can bring out any story magnificently well.
However, films require a substantial amount of resources to support the crew and equipment. Story telling on film requires an assortment of skills. This is because a film requires a script, which captures the basis of the story. Conversely, the process of storytelling in music is considerably simple but requires a gifted person. Telling a story in a song requires the singer to blend in the ideas, which is not an ordinary fit.
However, storytelling through music is much simpler and inculcates fewer techniques and devices. On the contrary, storytelling through films involves many devices since it can accommodate a larger cast. This means that it can have antagonist protagonist, narrator, foil, and confidant. The antagonist, narrator, and antagonist represent the varying views, which may exist due to a certain story.
The use of such a cast gives depth to the story telling in films since the story has to give space to allow the varying speakers to assert their views. Such diverse thought brought about by the cast will trigger the audience to pay attention. This means that the audiences are not just ordinary listeners. It is challenging and impractical to integrate such a cast in a song because it would lose certain aspects such as rhythm.
Indeed, films have the capability to replicate a situation given the right cast and resources. These are attributable to the sound and visual aspect of films. In addition, film allows the audience to see the narrators and members of the cast. Music integrates poetry into lyrics to create rhyming words and thus improve rhythm in the song. Poetry represents the most incorporated style in music (Khlentzos 2011).
“Modes of representation”
These modes present model of film making utilized in the past. These modes represent the patterns that film production engaged. These modes apply in film making by providing guidance to the filmmaker on the procedures to follow. This reveal an aspect of film making that is procedural (Isaken & Dorval 1992).
Therefore, storytelling through films is more technical and procedural than through music since set procedures are non-existent. This reveals filmmaking as a bureaucratic procedure that requires a certain set of processes followed. This represents a key difference between story telling through music and film. In music, there is no set procedure and the quality depends on the creativity of the musician.
The artist has the responsibility to merge various genres to create a magnificent presentation. Filmmaking seems to follow a procedure in storytelling to guarantee a given quality to the listeners. Conversely, the modes are likely to lead to a good story telling since the set procedures facilitate quality work. Both media platforms have definite facets, which work in tandem. These two media outlet provides minimal avenue for feedback.
In storytelling, it is imperative to create an avenue for feedback as it contributes to the overall plot of the story. In addition, it makes the audience an active participant in storytelling. Media platform such as blogs sites are pioneer in this field since they provide an avenue for the listener to articulate their feeling with regard to a given story. Interaction between the storyteller and the audience is crucial since the audiences are able to contribute to the plot of the transmedia narrative (McWilliams, 1998).
Conclusion
Transmedia narratives have become a predominant force in the 21st century communication. This is because most people are on social media and other correlated platforms. Music and films have been critical in creating this new media phenomenon. Music or songs only last for a diminutive phase while films are relatively lengthy. Basing on time, films can inculcate more styles, techniques, and devices to spruce up storytelling.
The styles applied include ambiguity, rhetoric and a diverse cast. Overall, films use more devices and techniques than music. Music and film are primarily different since the latter makes use of both images and sound while the initial only utilizes audio. The ability of film to make use of both sound and images has granted it advantage over music in storytelling. Nonetheless, the use of music in story telling surpasses the use of film despite its advantages.
List of References
Abba, T 2009, Hybrid stories: Examining the future of transmedia narrative, Liverpool university press, 2, 1, pp 59-75.
Isaken, S & Dorval, K 1992, Mode of symbolic representation in a cognitive style. Web.
Khlentzos, D 2011, Challenges to Metaphysical Realism Web.
McWilliams 1998, Effective Storytelling Web.
Post, D & Gold, L 2006, Literary Devices Web.