Dexter as Transmedia
Transmedia Analysis
5 Feb. 2014
Dexter
Upon beginning the research for this assignment, finding an example of Transmedia seemed harder than it truly was. Dexter the series on Showtime gained popularity over its run of 8 seasons. Few people notice that the series was based on a book by the name of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Of those that do notice the fact that it is based on a book, even fewer viewers know that only season one of the show is related to the book. After the first season, the rest of the series was a completely original story, but the Transmedia aspect of the story doesn’t stop with the first season.
To promote the second season, which would no longer follow the books, producers realized they needed to keep fans interested and create a new fan base in case they lost those who wanted the series to follow the book. The creators decided to create a viral campaign that would be used in London. It was a series of emails and text messages that could be sent from people to their friends or family. The viral campaign was so successful that even Scotland Yard even received calls and reports because some people thought they were receiving actual threats from someone. The campaign was so successful that the show had one of its biggest audiences on record at the start of the second season.
Further down the line, the show launched another campaign, which was named Early Cuts. This viral campaign was an animated mini series viewers could access online. Early Cuts were episodes from Dexter’s early life in which he was learning the ropes of what he would one day do regularly. The mini series in no way affected the show but it gave viewers a closer look into Dexter and his decisions within the show. The mini series was so successful that it led to a second season for the animated mini series.
The show creators also used games as a form of advertisement. In one, the player takes control of Dexter and does exactly as Dexter does and find a killer so
5 Feb. 2014
Dexter
Upon beginning the research for this assignment, finding an example of Transmedia seemed harder than it truly was. Dexter the series on Showtime gained popularity over its run of 8 seasons. Few people notice that the series was based on a book by the name of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Of those that do notice the fact that it is based on a book, even fewer viewers know that only season one of the show is related to the book. After the first season, the rest of the series was a completely original story, but the Transmedia aspect of the story doesn’t stop with the first season.
To promote the second season, which would no longer follow the books, producers realized they needed to keep fans interested and create a new fan base in case they lost those who wanted the series to follow the book. The creators decided to create a viral campaign that would be used in London. It was a series of emails and text messages that could be sent from people to their friends or family. The viral campaign was so successful that even Scotland Yard even received calls and reports because some people thought they were receiving actual threats from someone. The campaign was so successful that the show had one of its biggest audiences on record at the start of the second season.
Further down the line, the show launched another campaign, which was named Early Cuts. This viral campaign was an animated mini series viewers could access online. Early Cuts were episodes from Dexter’s early life in which he was learning the ropes of what he would one day do regularly. The mini series in no way affected the show but it gave viewers a closer look into Dexter and his decisions within the show. The mini series was so successful that it led to a second season for the animated mini series.
The show creators also used games as a form of advertisement. In one, the player takes control of Dexter and does exactly as Dexter does and find a killer so
Cited: D 'Souza, Aniketh. "Dexter: Trans-media Case Study." Worlds Best Case Studies. WorldsBestCaseStudies.com, 20 Oct. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. Vasile, Ana, and Olivier Godest. "Dexter in Transmedia." Transmedia Lab. TransmediaLab.org, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.