Stranger things Distribution

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-1c6Ikuopbl7ItwvhWcHWAQfXHM3uzCAurdBLl_Wb08/edit?usp=sharing

Stranger things Ownership

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WcOZORCu8fFKySiAlzXFDJ8EZIe26SJyc9ijsDJm8p4/edit?usp=sharing

Stranger things Circulation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RDBwl4DcrSHPSEI3e_-kY4B-Kym7_Sv9t76ceN5_rHo/edit?usp=sharing

Stranger things Production

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hPOdOLhCoMXUMpyvVQj5BqzCWgECtAtC1casZ3Nv6iQ/edit?usp=sharing

How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed?

How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifiers have in constructing and presenting these representations as real?

Throughout the first episode of stranger things we are showcased a range of social groups that are represented in real and truthful ways. One main representation being the social groups within teenagers and because all media products are constructed we are shown this through the use of characters. For instance, mike, Lucas and Dustin at school. The three boys here represent a stereotypical social group within the pre-teen area which could be classed as ‘nerds’. This is presented when we see their interest towards the AV club and them being bullied by the popular, more superior children in middle school. This is done through the use of the camera shot being behind the three boys when confronted by the bullies which allows us as an audience to feel connected and apart of the ‘nerd’ group. Constructed realism is used here to indicate to us as an audience that we feel sympathy for Dustin, Lucas and mike and hatred towards the bullies from this camera angle. Along with their characters feeling more real due to the representations showed of being vulnerable and interested in school in this scene.

However, the character of Jonathan byers breaks the stereotypical teenager when he is shown as a ‘father figure’ to his younger brother, will instead of a typical 17-year-old. We know this with the dialogue he uses when he says, “I thought we could use the extra cash”. This is in contrast to the character of Steve Harrington, seen in the popular social group in teenager society. He is a stereotypical popular boy with big hair and plays football. The use of Strauss’s binary opposition here and how he believes that as an audience we understand the world through the relationship that two opposites have together, allows us as the viewers to believe Steve feels more real and truthful compared to Jonathan who is not a stereotypical teenager and is harder to believe as true.

Another social group that is presented in the first episode is the police force. Typically shown as lazy and laid back the use of props and setting can indicate this to us. For example, we watch hopper turning up late to work then moving onto eat a doughnut whilst his colleagues around him play card games. This is all shown through a slow pan of the camera to suggest the calmness of the police force since nothing ‘serious’ happens in Hawkins. These stereotypical features can be similar to characters in shows like the Simpsons such as a doughnut, an instantly recognisable icon that can be linked with policeman. This constructed representation is encoded into the episode so audiences can quickly see and understand what sort of characters we are dealing with. Overall helping reinforce the realness of them which will then allow audiences to relate more with them.

Stranger things representations

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cIgPCChMGMyrf2bl85u-gFB-VpjNy79kdA4Gy6eZGcg/edit?usp=sharing

Stranger things Narrative

LFTVD Stranger things codes and conventions OCR

Stranger things timings

Stranger things first episode walk through

80's film research

Stranger Things is a loving, fantastically unsubtle homage to classic horror and a nostalgic return to the 80's.

Close encounters of the third kind (1978) a science fiction adventure about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. This film was directed by Steven Spielberg a famous director known for portraying his films through young protagonist’s viewpoints. This iconic film can be shown in ST with the use of a sci-fi genre and both containing the fear of the unknown and what is beyond the norm. in both CEOTTK and ST there is a lot of similar lighting used being both of red and blue which stand against a dark background and the use of flashing lights and sounds used to communicate with the aliens in Close Encounters. Whereas will similarly communicates to his mother through flickering the lights in their house, a common ghost movie trope. (https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/10/stranger-things-pop-culture-references/)

Goonies (1985) another 80’s film reference to stranger things, follows a band of adventurous kids who take on the might of a property developing company which plans to destroy their home to build a country club. This is similar in ways with ST who also take on an adventure to stop the enemy i.e. the government and the upside down. Both hold themes such as mystery, adventure and romance and the main story follows these young characters take on this. Goonies also include bikes in their film which is heavily used in ST as well showing once again the intertextuality of both film and show. Sean Astin who played Mikey in goonies also featured as a significant role in the second series of stranger things playing Joyce’s love interest Bob Newby.

Ghostbusters (1984) is a key intertextuality represented throughout the show stranger things. Apart from the fact the boys wear the iconic boiler suits for Halloween, both film and TV Show fight against the supernatural in the forms of ghosts and monsters with four boys/men doing so. Music and instrumental are highly significant in both as well. In ghostbusters the fast rhythms and quick tempos build overall action and adventure whereas the use of climatic sound and sci-fi instrumentals adds to Stanger things creepier side due to the fact the Demogorgon’s in ST are far more complex and scary compared to the ghosts in GB. Along with this both film and show hold similar storylines that the four boys/men are capable of fighting the supernatural that no one else can do in which they are the heroes of the plot.

Stranger things characters and representations

Stranger things poster analysis

Setting - Outback, garden, nighttime, shed, prison, wired off, out of bounds
Genre - Sci-fi, action, fantasy, super-natural, thriller, crime
Themes - power, anger, violence, relationships/friendships, fear, mystery, facing adversity, otherworldiness, serious, youth
Narrative - person in the middle the story perhaps surrounds around, battling against something (two sides) from serious facial expression and hand position. Group of three boys being chased by unknown figure, or hunting something down, possible powers, red and blue sides representing police lights.
Characters - Protagonist in the middle, well lit, circle of people revolve around them, more exposed and clothing different compared to others
Monster, sheriff, young characters, varied facial expressions (anger, sad, worried, shocked, defensive)
Intertextuality - E.T., 80's genre, ghostbusters, Star wars force awakens poster, goonies (bikes and young characters), fight of the navigator (young people beyond control), close encounters of the third kind (sci-fi)
Historical period - 80's, clothing, hairstyles, bikes (choppers), walkie talkies

LFTVD Intro

Paper 2: Section B 

Long form TV drama - Is a number of episodes which help create a narrative and tell a story to an audience. Usually 45 minutes to an hour, enough time to develop and have a narrative spin out.

US network broadcasters must satisfy their adverisers and hold market share which is controlled by federal regulaton. This is in contrast to US cable TV e.g. showtime, HBO etc. they dont rely on advertising as much therefore can take more risks with content and form.

The trouble with UK TV drama is that channels like BBC and ITV rely on genre-based, formula drama e.g. Heritage and crime drama. Whereas Sky co-opted success of LFTVD with Sky atlantic and could broadcast shows such as games of thrones. Commissioning remains tightly controlled.

Audiences 

• Rise of binge-watching started with DVD 
• Move from 'water-cooler' TV to 'shared universe' fandom
• Easter eggs, long running jokes, obsessive fans realise this 

Why do audiences love LFTVD?

• high quality drama
• multiple episodes, hours, years
• content can be dark and difficult but innovative 
• now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors 
• time shifting, easy accessible
• keeps people invested 
• lots of creativity 
• characters change surprising but natural 
• not just a couple networks, loads of networks competing 

Forms and conventions 

• genre - e.g. thriller, mystery, supernatural, period drama etc.
• themes - e.g. relationships, coming of age, violence, manipulation etc.
• Narratives 
• characters - drcages/personality/role in narrative
• Production values - (camera, editing, sound) can range for $4.5 million dollars per episode to $45 million a series 
• Viewing methods/platforms - e.g. Netflix, YouTube, Now TV, iTunes store, Google play etc.

Vocab 

Easter eggs - is a secret message, joke or reference cleverly hidden in a scene i.e. Scar from the lion king features in the disney film Hercules 

Timeshifiting - In broadcasting, time shifting is the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to after the live broadcasting.

VOD - video on demand, is an interactive TV technology that allows subscribers to view programming in real time or download programs and view them later.

PVR - personal video recorder, TV-recording device that stores the programmes you have recorded onto a large internal hard disk drive

streaming - listening to music or watching video in 'real time', instead of downloading a file to your computer and watching it later.

terrestrial TV -  originally the method by which the significant majority of viewers in the UK received television