This extra blog post is based on what we have learned about convergence culture. In particular how films look to create not only a great movie, but also an entire world that can be fleshed out into a Franchise. Films can expand into other forms of media including books, games, comics, and even theme parks. A great example in an article that I stumbled upon the other day is James Cameron and the expanding Avatar franchise and the possibilities of the changing media of 3D television.
In the article Cameron argues that eventually 3D will be as commonplace across every media platform as color television is today. He sees the industry as resisting the new technology and equates it to the fear of changing from black and white to color tv in the past. I think that this is going to be an awesome advancement once the technology really allows games, movies, and television to become more immersive for the viewers.
While 3D will take some time to catch hold Cameron looks to expand Avatar into other forms of media. Currently he is writing an Avatar book, modeling a theme park, and hoping to expand Avatar games into the MMO realm. Cameron expresses his approval of such a game, but it would make more sense after the next two movie releases. His reasoning is that Avatar was just a jumping point into a new world with multiple alien races living on the planet and within the planetary system. Cameron’s scope of what he is hoping to deliver allows for a potentially massive Avatar franchise, which in turn will lead to fan participation in the MMO and potentially fan fiction. Being a fan of the first film I look forward to an expanded story with its own mythology. This can improve on the clichéd storyline of the first film, which relied heavily on some fantastic eye candy for its appeal. Instead the expansion of the Avatar Universe can lead to a more compelling and layered story for fans of the franchise and can incorporate fans that use other media such as games into the fold.
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