The Scott Pilgrim franchise started in 2004 with the release of the first graphic novel in a six-part series, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life. Immediately, it was picked up for film a production, with writer/director Edgar Wright finishing his first draft of the screenplay before the second novel was even released. From one novel, an entire Scott Pilgrim universe came to fruition. In referencing the franchise in completion, a case can be made for transmedia storytelling as a whole, considering it has not been done justice in many of its past attempts. Franchises such as Indiana Jones, Lost and the Matrix (though all are financial success stories) have all been cited in dark corners of internet forums as “failures” in their attempts to expand their individual storylines. Which begs the question - what did the Scott Pilgrim franchise do to come out unscathed? By analyzing how Scott Pilgrim reacted to current media trends and applied those trends to its varied adaptations, it becomes clear how Scott Pilgrim saved the American ideal of the franchise.
In The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence, Henry Jenkins discusses the rapid changes that are occurring in the media industry today. Forms of media are no longer stand-alone entities, but rather trends have been moving towards media convergence. Media convergence is “phenomenon involving the interconnection of information and communications technologies, computer networks, and media content. It brings together the ‘three C’s’—computing, communication, and content—and is a direct consequence of the digitization of media content and the popularization of the Internet,” (Brittanica). But to naysayers who worry that media convergence will cause mass-homogenization, Jenkins counters, “media convergence is more than simply a technological shift. Convergence alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. Convergence refers to a process, but not an endpoint,” (Jenkins, 34). Jenkins continues to describe nine major changes that are happening in the field of media right now. The Scott Pilgrim franchise was able to recognize these changes and used each of them to their direct advantage.
Jenkins discusses the Revision of Audience Measurement. Where fanboys and girls’ fervor was once relegated to their parent’s basements, mass media is finally learning to embrace nerd culture. In fact, they’ve learned to target hyper-vigilant fans. Casual fans have fallen to the wayside and in their place are those who are willing to go above and beyond to absorb their favorite franchises completely. Creating a holistic experience, “Scott Pilgrim is a pastiche crafted from a web of references and allusions that both parody and pay homage to their sources, the impulse for many serious readers becomes the drive to collect and know all of these potential references,” (Eveleth, 9). A perfect example of one of these “easter eggs” is Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation. This pseudo-prequel aired late nights on the Adult Swim network leading up to the movie’s release. Because it aired as a commercial, there was no way for fans to plan for when it would be popping up. Not only did this heighten excitement surrounding the film, but also kept superfans glued to their televisions for hours just to get brief glimpses into the world of Scott Pilgrim.
With the internet becoming so widely accessible (and babies’ uncanny ability to decipher iPads so rapidly) many parents worry about Regulating Media Content. Where once media companies created family-friendly content in attempt to gain as much viewership as possible, “there is now a push away from consensus-style media and towards greater narrowcasting,” (Jenkins, 38). Essentially, media companies are infinitely more concerned with creating the content their viewers want and leaving the babysitting up to actual parents. Given that it’s a comic book film full of bright colors and fun music, a child may stumble upon Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and be transfixed. While Scott Pilgrim doesn’t shy away from innuendos and romantic content, it isn’t so overtly inappropriate that it would scare away any potential viewers.
The Redesign of the Digital Economy came just after much of the release of Scott Pilgrim. While web-based content is struggling to find a fair and efficient means of payment, the timely release of Scott Pilgrim’s various forms of media spared it from this argument. By releasing physical copies (books, video games, etc.) the franchise was able to dodge the latest trend in consuming goods - subscriptions. Although it may seem tedious, subscription based readership has become increasingly popular - for example, LootCrate because nerds are anything if not excessive.
Jenkins also discusses how a 2003 lift on FCC restrictions has given way to many arguments regarding Restricting Media Ownership. It isn’t a clear choice one way or another as “the debate pitted those who believed that technological change had resulted in an explosion of media options against those who saw the present moment primarily in terms of media concentration,” (Jenkins, 39). Scott Pilgrim could be the poster child for such an explosion. On one hand, it gives fans a unique experience that more and more are searching for, but it also represents mass-corporatization that could have unforeseen consequences in the future. There exists a media landscape where fans can now be fully immersed in their favorite franchises. Even if one has to wait years for a new season or film to be released, there is constant stream of merchandise, podcasts, theory videos, even “Con” events to satiate one’s desire for content. This is a win-win for both consumers and producers alike. The fans are more than willing to shell out cash for these options and the media companies are creating content hand over fist to keep up… and reaping the monetary benefits.
One area where Scott Pilgrim undoubtedly succeeds is its ability to Rethink Media Aesthetics. The aesthetics of a form of media are no longer exclusive, in fact “more recent media franchises, such as The Blair Witch Project, Pokemon or The Matrix, have experimented with a more integrated structure whereby each media manifestation makes a distinct but interrelated contribution to the unfolding of a narrative universe. While each individual work must be sufficiently self-contained to satisfy the interests of a first time consumer, the interplay between many such works can create an unprecedented degree of complexity and generate a depth of engagement that will satisfy the most committed viewer,” (Jenkins, 39-40). The Scott Pilgrim franchises synthesizes its three major forms of media - comic books (with inspiration from both Eastern and Western forms), film and video games to create building blocks of one complete franchise. This melting pot of media provides a commonality from which viewers, readers, players, etc. can maintain narrative focus and stylistic integrity. For example, “the repetition of the popular gaming trope ‘Continue?’ in the film harmonizes with its brief appearance in the book series and is built upon even more strongly by the game, which features it as a part of the medium,” (Eveleth, 11).
There is currently great turmoil surrounding Redefining Intellectual Property Rights. On one hand, companies are fighting to end censorship so their media can be available to everyone who wishes to access them. At the same time, these same companies (most notably Warner Brothers) are fighting to shut down fan-created material. Fan sites are being constantly shut down due to arguments over ownership. Does someone writing a piece of fanfiction have the creative license to do so or do major companies have legal right to shut them down? A search for “scott pilgrim fan fiction” produced thousands of results, which serves as a lead-up for Jenkins’ next argument.
Fans are currently Remapping the Relationship Between Producer and Consumer. As much as major corporations may seek to shut down fan communities, these widespread fandoms are steadily conquering the world of media. The days of viewers complacently accepting whatever production companies toss at them are long gone. Media now comes from the “bottom up” - meaning the consumers are wielding more power than they ever have in the past. If a viewer does not agree with the end of a series or a character's death or a romantic entanglement, all they have to do is type their idealized version of events into the internet to find thousands of fans who agree with them. Narratives are no longer blindly accepted as fans have the ability to re-write, mash up, and contort storylines however their hearts desire. Media corporations who recognize how virtually unstoppable this phenomenon has become have gained the most success as a result. While film companies like Warner Brothers mentioned above have been slow to adjust to this trend, “in the games industry, on the other hand, the major successes have come within franchises that have courted feedback from consumers during the product development process, endorsed grassroots appropriation of their content and technology and that have showcased the best user-generated content,” (Jenkins, 40).
Scott Pilgrim is an American film by a british director that takes place in Canada and can not be separated from its Asian inspiration - so to say that Scott Pilgrim exemplifies Remapping Globalization would be an understatement. Defined as, “the flow of goods,workers, money and media content from east to west.” globalization has become cyclical in nature (Jenkins, 41). Where Western content was once heaped onto the rest of the world with a smug “you’re welcome”, immigration and fan’s willingness to go to (quite literally) the ends of the Earth to find media that speaks to them, has put an end to this trend. Scott Pilgrim’s synthesis of many cultures allows it to be accepted on a wider scale and also makes it a much more entertaining franchise.
Being such a global franchise, Scott Pilgrim also ties into Jenkin’s idea of Re-engaging Citizens. Jenkins discusses how widespread media allows for people to play a larger role in social activism. While the Scott Pilgrim franchise, does not go so far as to make any bold political statements, its diversity in characters was ahead of its time. Featuring characters of all races and sexualities (and without exploiting them as stereotypes) the franchise is infinitely more “human” than many of its counterparts.
The Scott Pilgrim franchise works in accordance with Jenkins nine touchstones for transmediality, but the true test of a franchise’s success lies in the opinions of its fans. Although the film was not a blatant commercial success, it has taken on a cult-classic status. Receiving a respectable 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 3.5/4 stars from Rolling Stone, true ardor for Scott Pilgrim came from its deeply loyal fan base. Fans are not satisfied to just absorb all the various media of the franchise, they want to collect each tidbit of information as trophies of their loyalty. Notably, “the development of a Scott Pilgrim wiki to attempt to catalogue all the nuances and references surrounding the work, as well as the exhaustive fan-submitted trivia section of the Scott vs. The World Internet Movie Database Page, exemplifies this drive to encyclopedic knowledge,” (Eveleth, 9).
But what sets Scott Pilgrim apart from other franchises, such as the Matrix which, following the massive success of the first iteration, is highly regarded as a failure? From where does such ardor spring? Scott Pilgrim as a franchise’s success lies in its ability to simultaneously adapt and remediate down to its very core. The initial book, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, remediates various forms of media and boils it down into one graphic novel. It plays with music, video games, television, and manga to create a completely unique experience. The film then adapted the novel series into an aesthetically loyal film. The film also remediates (using more media touchstones than can be mentioned) to create an intense hypermedium. As a result, the book, film, and video game blend seamlessly into one another creating a deeply holistic experience. Such a holistic approach creates an alternate universe that fans can completely immerse themselves into.
But such a universe isn’t what keeps fans coming back for more. Rather, “Scott Pilgrim builds a story that includes the rules of the world in which it occurs. Rather than making characters and building stories about how they fit into the world, readers of Scott Pilgrim are encouraged to build connections between the stories shown in the works by building the world around them. Instead of a world-centric view of fiction, Scott Pilgrim embraces a character-centric view of the fiction,” (Eveleth, 8). Scott Pilgrim employs many different forms of media in its franchise. The constant connection between all the forms are the characters. By deeply developing all of the characters and establishing their stories and motives, readers or viewers or players can pick up in any part of the Scott Pilgrim universe and be able to comprehend what exactly is occurring and why it is occurring.
For worse or for better, franchises are taking over. Lately, movies are not made unless they started as books and can be marketed as various other forms of media. Stories are transforming from entertaining escapes to deeply immersive universes. Consumers have been demanding such experiences for years and it took media companies ages to get on board. Furthermore, it took them ages to get it right. Grassroots missions to put an end to mediocre franchises and a major switch to a consumer-driven media culture finally gave way to a well-executed franchise: Scott Pilgrim. By recognizing and adapting to trends emerging in transmedia and molding adaptation and remediation to create a truly unique experience, Scott Pilgrim was proof-positive that transmedia narratives can be done well. Taking on a cult status and satisfying its fan base, Scott Pilgrim truly saved the franchise.
Works Cited
Eveleth, Kyle. "Crucial Convergence: Scott Pilgrim as transmedial testcase." Textual Overtures 1.1 (2013): 1-14. Web.
Jenkins, Henry. "The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence." International Journal of Cultural Studies 7.1 (2004): 33-43. Web.
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