Dilatação do espaço e tempo na franquia The Last of Us: lógica diegética no âmbito das franquias de mídia contemporâneas

Abstract

This research develops an analysis of The Last of Us™ as a media franchise that moves between adaptation and transposition, transitioning from a computer game to a television series. The study presents a history of computer game adaptations, aiming to highlight how the transition of these games to other media involves them in their own cultural and market-driven development, which is understood within the concept of media franchises. The contrast between a computer game and a cinematic production, however, is quite evident. The research incisively discusses this media contrast, which manifests in audiovisual adaptation processes and productions that encompass different media formats based on the same narrative—each with its own unique characteristics. By examining what defines a computer game and what defines a television series, it was observed that space-time representation categories serve as common conceptual elements within these audiovisual productions and the very definition of “media.” Based on this, the research follows this lead to identify how The Last of Us™ deliberately employs space-time representations and how the television series utilizes these same representations. It was possible to determine how space-time representations in The Last of Us™ converge within a shared development, allowing for different aesthetic experiences of the narrative as a whole, while each medium expresses its own unique capabilities. It was noted that each medium has the capacity to emphasize and intensify certain instances of space-time representation categories in relation to the other. Television series tend to enhance temporal representations, with spatial representations serving their function, whereas computer games intensify spatial representations, with temporal elements structured accordingly. As a result, in addition to highlighting different possibilities within each medium, the study also indicates how this contributes to the diegesis of The Last of Us™ as an intellectual property.