Representation Essay Stranger Things

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?

Make a plan, go through the doc link and see what other students wrote for their scenes, take notes.

Your response must:

1. Answer the question.

2. Use key terms learned to date.

3. Give a range of examples from the sequence to support your ideas. THIS IS THE AREA YOU TEND TO LOSE MOST MARKS IN - CAMERA, EDITING, MES, SOUND

How to write Essay (Paragraph)

Point (fragmented open ended)

Example (boy missing and find 11 in rain)

Specific

Analysis (camera shot and editing, mise en scene textual analysis)

Theory/ Terminology

Answer the question

In the TV Drama Stranger Things there are many representations featured throughout. One of the main representations in the storyline are teenagers and the different types. There are two different types of teens one being the pre- teens, who are Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas and are represented as the stereotypical nerdy, excited, pre- pubescent youths. We can imply this because throughout the first episode, before Will goes missing, they are all playing a board game getting heavily excited and enthusiastic about being together. This shows how much they enjoy hanging out with their friends and than be with their families just like the stereotypical young teen. We can also know they are enjoying hanging out with each other by their facial expressions and the close ups used by the camera to show their faces lighting up with interest after every game movement. Concentration was another expression on the boys faces suggesting they had a serious side to them making them all very similar and with a close friendship. The teenage representation is shown again through their use of language when they shout at one another the word “pussy”, which is a word often used when throwing a insult and potentially showing power. By using this term, they show their ages because ‘pussy’ is most commonly used by young teens to show power of an opinion. This reinforces the audience how close and honest friends they are. When Mike’s mother tells them to stop playing later on in the scene, they are represented as a stereotypical grumpy teen. This shows that when told what to do the boys moan are not happy due to their age and the fact they are having fun hanging out.

The other type of teens represented are the older, more mature ones showed through Nancy and Steve. Nancy is represented as the typical ‘girl next door’, unpopular high school girl who is always studying and always wants to make her grades. This is shown through her fashion taste, wearing long skirts and high necks, being represented as a teen who is well dressed and cares about her appearance.  Its is also shown by the slow panning of the camera on her body in order to show off her 80’s styled clothes and her innocent face. However Steve is the complete opposite ‘bad boy’ rebellious teen, who in the storyline is trying to get with Nancy. He is represented as this through his clothing choice; roll necks, clear up, gelled back hair and a repeated smirk throughout the first episode. Steve is represented as a ‘trouble maker’ teen because in the narrative he distracts Nancy from studying and is a bad influence on her. This is a stereotypical real representation of teens because many incidents like this happen all the time within the youth making the characters more realistic to the audience.

The authority in the town is another representation featured in the drama and is through the Sheriff. He is represented as the typical lazy sheriff who sleeps, smokes and gives off a laid back persona. This is because in one of the opening scenes the camera slowly rises and it shows the sheriff laying on the sofa with mess all over his house and being late for work. This instantly makes the character seem real as he fits the stereotypical lazy, unorganised sheriff making the audience feel like they know him. The lighting also helps represent him because it is dull and the whether looks miserable. However due to the fact its fragmented throughout the episode, our opinion changes about him and we find out he lost his daughter changing his representation to a more softer, caring character. This makes the audience feel sympathy for him and shows the series may have more to offer and find out.

Media Language- Stranger Things

Representations in Ep 1

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

Constructed realism - All media we see isn't realistic due to editing, CLAMPS, POV etc.
Dominant ideology - Everything is run by rich, white, christian, men - Western, capitalist, heterosexual, able-bodied.

All media products are 'Constructed' -

• They are made by a producer with a specific intention to create a certain meaning 
• Producer hopes intended target audience will interpret and accept the meaning unquestioningly. 

Producers use different elements/conventions of media language to construct these representations.
Producers of different LFTVD's may use different elements of media language to:

• Offer different representations
• communicate different ideas and viewpoints

Stranger Things main Representations:

• Don't trust who you are supposed to (I.e. the government)
• The two main narratives; Will disappears and Eleven 
• the supernatural - The fan, portal, monsters, scientists etc. 
• Binary oppositions - Old fashioned town with new sci-fi. 

Narrative

What is Narrative?

- The Structure or chain of events in which a story is told.

- Narrative structure is carefully considered when writing the screenplay for a drama. 

- It is usually achieved through the editing of different shots together

Why is Narrative important?

- The narrative structure chosen directly affects how the audience experiences the story. 

- The way a 'story' is told can provide certain messages and values about who we see and what is being said about the character, groups of people or events represented in the drama.

- The narrative structure can affect the audience's involvement with and enjoyment of a drama. 

- The narrative structure used in LFTVD is considered to be complex, often multiple narrative strands and story lines being told at the same time. 

Narrative structure:

- Linear Narrative 

• Clear beginning, middle and end. 
• Follows a chronological time frame 
• Action A leads to Action B which leads to Action C etc. 

- Fragmented Narrative

• Also called Non-linear, disrupted or disjointed narrative. 
• No clear beginning, middle and end. 
• Out of chronological order
• helps show parallel stories, a story within a story, dreams etc. 
• Closely replicates the way human minds work
• Makes audience participate by piecing the story together. 

- Stranger Things is a fragmented narrative because right from the start, we witness multiple parallel plot lines such as the laboratory, Eleven and the boys. We also see a non-chronological narrative strand in the flashback to Joyce and Will's conversation at castle Byers. The fragmented narrative creates enigmas or questions for the audience, who have to work to figure out the connections, therefore ensuring greater audience engagement. 

Narrative types:

- Restricted Narrative 

• We experience the story through the senses and thoughts of just one character.
• Almost always the main character (The protagonist).
• The narrative cannot tell the audience things that the main character does not know, we find things out in the story at the same time as the character. 

- Omnipresent Narrative

• A panoramic, all seeing, view of the world of the story.
• Many Points of view, experiences and feelings. 
• This makes the audience see a broader background of the story. 

- Stranger Things has an omnipresent narrative which provides multiple gratifications for the audience - we can empathize and identify with the same characters, while gaining escapism and mystery from others. 

Narrative Endings:

- Closed endings

• TV dramas traditionally feature one character's story or point of view in an episode, which comes to a resolution at the end of the episode.
• The story can exist as one unique story in one episode.
• A story is unraveled before an audience and then ultimately is brought to a conclusion. 
• The following episode will feature a different story.

 - Open endings

• When an episode, or season, ends on a cliff-hanger. 
• A story-telling technique
• Open endings can be unsatisfying for audiences
• In LFTVD, open endings indicate there will be a continuation. 
• This encourages the viewer to continue watching the series. 

Theory:

- Todorov: The Equilibrium theory

• The idea that every story has the same pattern; (Narrative usually chronological & linear)

1. Equilibrium - Everything is good and happy
2. Disruption - A problem occurs
3. Recognition - The main character realizes the problem
4. Repair - The character begins to fix the situation 
5. New Equilibrium - The character has a new, better life. 

- Strauss: Binary Oppositions

• A narrative is told through showing the relationship that two opposites have together. 
• The narrative is about the conflict between the two (E.g. good VS bad) 

Narrative Stranger Things

Stranger Things Poster Analysis

- With the amount of characters shown on the poster, it shows that there will be multiple storylines. This also suggests that they are the main characters so the audience will be seeing a lot of them and get to know them if they watch the series. 

- The characters at the top of the poster look scared and are positioned so that it looks like they are hiding behind another person. This suggests that maybe throughout the series, there may be something that may threaten them. 

- The use of the stars in the sky connote space and the sci fi genre. This shows that the series may contain some typical sci-fi conventions such as the supernatural, monsters etc. The night also connotes eeriness. 

- The character in the middle of the poster is shown to be slightly bigger showing that she may be significant throughout the series. This could also be connoted as she is positioned in the centre. The other characters are seen to surround her suggesting that they may be protecting her. This is reinforced by one of the characters holding a weapon - the baseball bat. 

- In the background of the poster is a ominous figure emerging from a gated area with a restricted sign on. This could show that he may be the antagonist/villain. 

- The title shown on the poster connotes a retro vine as it is written almost like a neon sign which could reference the 80s. This could suggest that the series may be set within this time period. This is reinforced by the clothing. The writing of the title also resembles that of a Stephen king film showing that there may be some intertextuality taken from some of his work. 

- The clothing, bikes and setting suggest that the series is set in America. This is reinforced by the man who is in a sheriff uniform. The fact that there is a sheriff may suggest there is crime within the series. 

- The 3 boys are positioned above the title meaning that they may feature as mains throughout. 

- Themes that are shown in the poster include facing adversity as they are all facing the same way, ready to fight. Also, the supernatural which could be suggested by the centre character holding her hand out in a way that she may control something. Friendship is shown the close proximity of all the characters.

- The narrative of the series could include binary opposition reinforced by the use of the two colours contrasting, red and blue. Also, the fact that there are many children included shows that the story may be from their point of view. 

- There is much intertextuality shown between the poster and ET with the use of the bikes and the moon. 

Stranger Things Episode 1

Stranger Things Representations

Key Words

Easter Egg- They are an opportunity to move beyond the standard narrative and predictable user experience to create a surprising, playful interaction that connects, shows personality, and builds brand loyalty.

Timeshifting-

VOD-
PVR-
Streaming-
Terrestrial TV-

Stranger Things Intertexuality

           

LFTVD- Long form TV Drama

- 2 questions: 30 and 15 marks-

- Stranger Things and Deutschland 83 (Same time periods) - 

- Series with a long narrative - 

- A TV drama that has a number of episodes that helps create a narrative and tell a story to an audience.

Network Television: (E.g. NBC, CBS)

• US network broadcasters must satisfy their advertisers and hold market share. They are also controlled by federal regulation.
• The impact of this on content is a reliance on highly formalised genre conventions and normative values which meet mainstream audience expectations but generate conservative drama. 

Cable Television: 

• Launched in the 1970s, HBO was the first US national subscription cable TV channel. 
• Other major US players include FX, Showtime, & AMC. Many are subsidiaries of media conglomerates (HBO/Warner, FX/Fox)
• These subscription based cable channels can take more risks with content and form. 
• By early 2000s The Sopranos and The Wire won awards, audiences and created 'water cooler' TV.  

UK TV Drama:

• UK broadcasters have failed to meet the challenge of the US cable channels move to long form with their risk - taking content and style. 
• BBC and ITV 90s > relied on genre-based, formula drama.
• Sky co-opted success of US long form with Sky Atlantic
• Commissioning remains tightly controlled with a conservative outlook

Subscription VOD (Viewing on demand)

• Content viewing via a TV still dominates in the UK.
• 3/4 UK households have PVR (Personal video recording) uptake but it has plateaued 
• Use of timeshift is increasing (You can watch whenever)
• Growth of SVOD (Streaming video on demand). Web based channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV is considerable. 
• Netflix dominates with 24% of UK market & 5 million subscribers. 10% growth 2015-16

Audiences:

• Rise in binge watching started with DVD in late 90s/early C21. Partially due to syndication problems in the UK.
• A move from 'Water cooler' to 'Shared universe' fandom (as with cinema)
• US long form drama often uses Easter eggs, and mid-season breaks to generate fan intensity and maintain a media profile. 

Why audiences love LFTVD:

• High quality drama
• Multiple episodes, hours, years
• Content can be dark and difficult but innovative 
• It now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors
• Time shifting, easily accessible 
• Keeps people invested
• Lots of creativity 
• Characters and themes change and develop
• Lots of different networks compete
• The show can cater to specific taste

'State of Nation' TV

• LFTVD challenged the simplistic story lines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in US.
• CULTURAL ZEITGEIST

- Genres: LFTVD can fit into any (E.g. Comedy, horror, thriller, mystery, drama, crime, etc.)

- Themes: Also can fit into any (E.g, Relationships, murder, power, war, coming of age, family, etc)

- Narratives: Can have vast variety of all different worlds which are completely different to normality

- Characters: Relatable and interesting to watch. Engaging so they are watched over long period

- Production Values: Good ones usually range from 4 million to 5 million per episode. 

- Methods/Platforms: Either on Terrestrial TV, Cable TV, Subscriptions, Streaming 

- State of Nation: Escapist for the viewers, not usual to their everyday life.

- Memes/Accessories: These can determine how popular the series is with the youth.

TV Dramas need:

• Various locations
• Stock characters - complex, able to follow for a long period of time. 
• Multiple narratives
• 1 hour episodes
• Dramatic cliff hangers - usually at end of season/mid season breaks
• High production values