Scott Pilgrim, a comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley was first adapted into a movie in 2010. A recent Netflix series adaptation has just been released, with all the charm of its original comic-book style animations, combined with the dynamism of the live-action movie. What drives its popularity and continued relevance to pop culture is not just its outlandish plot and iconic characters, but its ability to effectively incorporate references across mediums and genres – without ever coming off as cliche or forced. 

It incorporates framing and composition techniques from comic books, portrays fight scenes in the style of video games, and incorporates the visual language and cadence of music videos in its dramatised montage sequences. For this reason, it’s an oft-cited example of transmedia storytelling, a concept coined by Henry Jenkins (2006) to refer to multi-platform storytelling modes that communicate narratives through the use of multiple mediums. 

In this clip, fictional character Envy Adams (played by Brie Larson) as she performs Black Sheep by Metric – a Canadian indie rock band. 

Here, not only does Scott Pilgrim make use of music as a narrative device, it leans into the music and makes the music itself part of the narrative. In fact, this particular part of the movie almost starts to resemble more of a music video, with the soundtrack coming to the forefront and the visuals supporting it. 

This remarkable sense of reflexivity that permeates not only here but throughout the film has indubitably led to its massive popularity. Although it markedly differs from a regular blockbuster Hollywood movie, pushing the boundaries between a graphic novel, video game trailer and music video, its lasting impact on mainstream pop culture is proof that when done well, transmedia narratives can be highly effective. 

By Yanning Tan, BA Media and Communications 

References: 

1. Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York: New York University Press.
2. Track-by-track: Beck, Nigel Godrich, Emily Haines, Bryan Lee O’Malley & Edgar Wright dissect the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ music (2010) Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/pop-hiss/story/2010-08-14/track-by-track-beck-nigel-godrich-emily-haines-bryan-lee-omalley-edgar-wright-dissect-the-scott-pilgrim-music (Accessed: 19 November 2023).