Examining Transmedia Storytelling in BTS’s Music Videos and Short Films

Abstract

Trans-media storytelling is a concept where the whole narrative can only be understood through media extensions that relate to each other and expand the narrative. Despite the handful of studies done using numerous texts and fictional worlds, none have looked at music videos with this concept. BTS is a Korean pop group whose rise in popularity is given partial credit due to the trans-media narrative of their videography. This research paper did a content analysis to analyze BTS’s music videos and short films to determine how the group uses trans-media storytelling in their narrative and if music video genre plays an important role in building a cohesive, ever-expanding universe. Narrative elements and visual symbols are actively used to connect BTS’s music videos together directly to the narrative and as distant peripherals to the main story, and the addition of each video creates more opportunity for fans to engage with the text and add to the narrative. Although BTS is a unique group to follow through with a consistent narrative expanding over the course of their music video history, they have created more opportunity for artists and music video producers to follow suit and use trans-media storytelling for their own content.

Keywords: Trans-Media Storytelling, Narrative, Music Video, Genre, Content Analysis, BTS, K-Pop, Symbolism, Visual Rhetoric, Music, Entertainment, Fandom