Take True Blood for instance. Based on the highly successful Charlaine Harris novels, True Blood was readily equipped with a steady fan base, largely composed of readers of the books. Using this predisposition as leverage, the show was able to construct a different perspective into the series, serving up new characters and in-depth story lines and adding personality and importance to minor characters within the books. As a reader of the books, it is interesting for me to see how the series has taken off, more or less maintaining the same storyline with the main characters (Sookie and Bill), yet connecting important events from the later books into season two (which I only assumed would follow the second book, as did season one with the first). And, if that weren't enough, the creation of fan blogs, facebook and twitter pages (BonTempsGossip: http://twitter.com/BonTempsGossip) have allowed fans to continue their obsession with the characters after the show and project their thoughts on what will happen next season.
Needless to say, I do think that film can benefit from the transmedia platform, yet obviously not as easily as something constructed around multiple installments. I most definitely agree with Jenkins in that some type of framework has to be established in order to determine the success of a certain genres franchise and that some shouldn't even attempt to market themselves in that way. The problem is figuring out how to determine that. I can just see the day when every main stream film offers a novelty food item to accompany its release in order to extend its fictional world into the real.
O wait, a 4-pack of True Blood is already available online for $16.00!
heres the link if your interested
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