Released October 2015 (Germany) / January 2016 (UK) on demand on Channel 4.
(Episode titles taken from actual NATO military exercises)
Verisimilitude = Very realistic (Using real life events)
Channel 4 poster:
- 2 sides - Split down middle - East and West
- Dark side, East - Grey, communist, barbed wire
- Light side, West - Colourful, love, fruit, games
- Character split in two - Uniform and casual
- Young character but historical programme
- Binary Opposites - Two hands each side - fist on the left connoting violence/rebellion and peace sign on the right showing freedom with kites coming from it.
- Space invaders connoting the 80s
- Dictatorship Vs Love
- Binary opposition of colour
- Grass vs concrete rigid structure
- Consistent yellow font through both sides showing they are happy each side no matter of living standards,
Distributor is 'Walter presents'
Trailer:
- Song is 2 tribes by Frankie goes to Hollywood
- Ronald Reagan - speech, cold war
- Fast editing - action packed - high production value
- Enigma codes - 2 sides? Romance? Spy? running?
- East vs West = Violence
- After the 2nd World War, Germany was divided into Eastern and Western Germany.
- As a result of this the Capital, Berlin was also divided into east and West.
- The West was very capitalist, modern, free owned by the Uk and Us whereas the East was communist under the ruling of the soviet union. The East was government controlled using the secret police, The Stasi.
- For the first 7 years after the split, people were allowed to travel between the borders which let many people in the east move to the west.
-In August 1961, the border closed splitting Berlin, splitting up families and an 87 mile concrete wall was build to divided the two sides, there were 176 watch towers making sure people didn't cross.
- There was a space between the wall called the death strip were people would be shot dead if entered.
- There were several checkpoints that people could cross between, mostly Uk and Us people. One was called Checkpoint Charlie used primarily by Americans.
- It stood for 26 years but in the 1980s many started to criticize the wall. In a speech from Ronald Reagan, the American President, he stated 'Tear down this wall!'
- This cause many Eastern Germans to protest resulting in them approaching the wall and destroying it by hand.
What was life like?
- There was a lot of surveillance and most people lived double lives. They would do one thing at home in their privacy and something different when out in public. E.g. watch western Tv but not mention it outside of the house.
- Poverty was also a big thing as people could only afford the bare essentials. Brands did not exist and the state created its own industry for nearly everything.
- People weren't allowed past the Berlin wall into the west so many tried to sneak into the country but many failed resulting in death. Others hid in cars from western visitors, dug under the wall, went through sewers etc.
What did young people do for fun, like, listen to?
- Music was heavily censored as authorities reviewed lyrics for hints of dissent. Bands were only allowed to sing in German but the youth wanted to listen to bands from abroad so a black market developed of copies of western artists' music.
- Many young people joined youth groups were they would come together to learn socialistic views and organise events for younger children. Others enjoyed going out to theatres and watching movies.
What was education like?
- Instead of being taught English as it is a world language that is usually taught in schools across the world, students were taught Russian.
- Many classes included socialism views which taught children basic etiquette and how to work together. For example, pioneer classes where each child would bring in something like show and tell which gave them the opportunity to talk to each other about their lives.
Why was there so much tension and suspicion?
- Many east Germans were put under surveillance if the stasi thought that they were being rebellious by associating themselves with Western culture.
- East Germany regarded the west as being run by old fascists and corrupted by big, international companies. They suspected the west to prepare for WW3. The west stated that the east deprived citizens of their human rights such as freedom of religion, speech and ability to leave the country.
Why did people want to escape the East?
- The East was heavily run by the government which meant that people had a lack of freedom in how they lived their life. Everything was controlled, their social life, their work, what they said and what they did. People wanted to escape the East in order to have more freedom and the ability to express their views without being scared of being imprisoned or punished.
Why did people like and respect the public?
- There was no unemployment as they didn't believe in the concept therefore there was no benefits and workers were afforded the safety of their jobs as they couldn't be fires unless they committed a serious offence.
- They helped women in the workplace as they though the patriarchy was viewed as a symptom of capitalism. They implemented a strong foundation of laws to protect mothers and distribute childcare services. There was more equality as there was a smaller gender pay gap than in the West.
- They offered free health care, free places to kindergarten and school and had affordable housing.
What was the relationship between the citizens and the government/stasi nearing the end of the cold war?
- The stasi, which was the largest network of secret police in history were able to infiltrate every facet of society and it is estimated that one in five adults in the country were directly connected to them.
- Some citizens were happy in their living standards as there was benefits such as more quality, more work, free health care etc however a majority started to get rebellious as more people were being put under surveillance and being punished for the smallest things as the country was over-dictating. Therefore, this led to citizens tearing down the Berlin Wall by hand in order to get their freedom.
How did they view the West?
- The West contained modern ideas with the allied countries of the Us and Uk. This meant they had popular culture such as western music, fashion and ideals.
What meanings are created in the sequence you have studied
and what do they tell us about narrative, character development and genre?1000 words
Using appropriate technical terminology, and
with some reflection on the meaning their use creates, you will annotate when
we see different technical elements in the sequence.
To complete this successfully you will need to:
As you play through the sequence, annotate when
you see examples of different camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scène
features. In your annotated analysis you must identify:
a.which technical elements are used (using correct
terminology) b.when they are used (give a time code) c.what meanings they create and what they tell us
about the sequence in terms of: i.plot development/narrative/genre ii.the characters iii.how we should respond to the sequence at that
moment as a viewer. You must identify AT LEAST FOUR examples FROM EACH
TECHNICAL AREA. Your standard long form tv drama follows a set of conventions which entice an audience to continue watching through long periods of time. To do this, these dramas, like the one I have studied, continue many multi-stranded narrative structures which interlink and cross over bringing in many developed relatable characters to conjoin and help us follow the narrative easier. To keep audiences engaged and left wanting more without getting bored, the dramas include many plot twists, cliff hangers and lots of creativity when characters and themes change and develop to keep audiences invested in the programme. Stranger Things does this particularly using the 80s nostalgia using intertextuality whilst having engaging characters which are easy to relate to for younger audiences. Throughout the sequence I have studied, we see the fragmented narrative through the use of multiple parallel plot lines such as the boys looking for their friend Will, Nancy and Steve's relationship and Eleven's escape from the government. This structure of narrative helps create enigmas for the audience who have to figure out connections by piecing the story together and seeing how they all crossover eventually. This is answered slightly in the end of the sequence where we see two of the narratives crossover with the 3 shot of the boys looking for Will shining their torches into Eleven's face whilst she is running away from the government. Non-diegetic sci-fi music is added over the top of the scene which increases in volume as the scene closes suggesting that this is the end that it had=s been building up to therefore is an important part of the narrative. This cues the open ending of the episode leaving the audience with even more enigmas as they wonder how these two narratives crossover further in the future. This ensures greater audience engagement to the series as a whole. The sequence contains many features of a long form tv drama with the start showing an idealistic world between Benny and Eleven eating together looking happy but is quickly interrupted by a loud off screen diegetic knocking at the door creating a disruption in the narrative as this leads to Benny, who is represented as innocent and compassionate, being shot by the 'social worker,' leaving us shocked at the plot twist creating many unanswered questions which we hope to be answered as why would an innocent business owner be shot by a social worker. Later in the sequence, it is clear that the social worker is linked in with the government as we see Brenner, the lead antagonist, by her side. This is a clear sign of the disruption in the narrative which helps the audience engage more to the story. Stranger Things has a diverse range of characters within its omnipresent narrative, allowing us to watch the plot unfold through many points of view instead of us just following a single protagonist. This lets the audience empathise with certain characters which they find relatable. For example, the younger viewers may identify with Will or Eleven whilst older viewers may find Joyce more relatable. This allows a diverse following of the show with audiences watching the development of their favourite characters. Within the sequence we see many eye level shots with the younger characters connoting equality among them and the audience directly showing that we can relate to them as we follow the story. Teenagers are a main representation within Stranger Things showing two groups; the pre-teens (I.e. Mike's group) and the older teenagers (I.e. Nancy and Steve). We see the group of boys develop over the sequence as in the beginning they are portrayed as typical nerdy type boys playing dungeons and dragons but develop in the end to be brave. This is shown when they head out to look for their friend Will in the dark woods where we hear diegetic rain and thunder showing pathetic fallacy that danger might be ahead but the boys still walk in there. We also see a change in the older teens where we see in the beginning of the episode where Nancy is shown to be studious with her geeky friend Barb whilst Steve is portrayed as the stereotypical arrogant jock. Nearer the end we see a development as Steve is shown to be caring as he helps Nancy study but we see that Nancy has become rebellious as she gets distracted from studying to be intimate with Steve as we hear the contrapuntal song 'Africa by Toto' connoting the romantic mood with the pace of the shots and jump cuts quickening as they get closer in proximity. This not only shows the development of the characters individually but their relationship as it blossoms in the sequence. Within the sequence, we see a mixture of many genres such as sci-fi, thriller, romance and family values. A reoccurring theme throughout is the 80s since that is when the tv drama is set. To begin with, when Benny answers the door to Connie, the social worker, we see a high angle from Benny's point of view looking down on Connie which could signify the patriarchy of the time period however, this is ironic as we soon find out that it is in fact Connie who has the most power as she is part of the government. We see many representations of the 80s cultural zeitgeist for example, the use of the choppers by the boys connotes freedom and youth. Also the yellow chorded phone within the Byers house which contrasts with the brown tones of the house represents the time era. Within the sequence, we see that the phone also shows the sci-fi genre of the programme as nearer the end we hear on screen diegetic sound of a supernatural being on the phone with Joyce followed by a sound effect of an electric bang when the phone cuts out which suggests that Will could be in danger. The use of many different genres means that the show can cater to many different tastes, therefore drawing in a variety of audiences. Overall, within the sequence I have studied, there are many examples instances of character, narrative and genre development which all contribute in making Stranger Things a very successful Long form Tv drama as it keeps audiences engaged through the ever-twisting multi stranded storyline, the stories of character development and the variety of genres catering many audiences.
Frame - E.g. Close up Angle - E.g. Birdseye Movement - E.g. Tracking
- High angle
looking down on social worker from Benny – Patriarchy - Extreme close up on phone
after it falls connoting extreme panic.
- Most camera
shots of the young people were eye level showing equality amongst us and directly with
the audience - Gun shot was long shot of Connie which cut to close up of Eleven. This shot demonstrates panic - Level three
shot of boys in woods with Mike in the front showing he is the leader - Two mid shot
of Jonathon and Joyce close on the sofa signifies closeness in relationship
Mise En Scene
Costume
Lighting
Acting
Make-up
Props
Setting
- Byers’ house
– dim lighting, brown clothes, 80s interior connoting poverty
- Yellow phone
contrasts and stands out showing it is important and for communication to Will.
- Benny’s
diner is where Eleven seeks shelter - is a stereotypical suburban diner.
- Woods is dark and raining with thunder showing pathetic fallacy that something bad may happen.
- Nancy’s
bedroom is stereotypical of a studious teenage girl in the 80s.
- Choppers,
torches, shine Eleven’s, theme of light within the final scenes.
Sound
Music
Contrapuntal
Diegetic/Non diegetic
Off screen/on screen
Voiceover
Emotion
Dialogue
- Off screen
sound of pot wash in Benny’s diner to on screen of Benny washing
- Off screen
diegetic knocking showing disruption in the narrative and raises alarm
- Diegetic
dialogue ‘you don’t sound the same as you did on the phone’ shows suspicion
- Non diegetic
contrapuntal song commences as soon as Benny is shot – White Rabbit Jefferson – volume and pace increase as Eleven runs away emphasising the panic and the disruption.
- Non diegetic
sci fi instrumental emphasises tension when the boys find Eleven
- Joyce on the phone with on screen diegetic sound of mysterious creature/ potentially Will.
- Nancy’s room
– Africa Toto is contrapuntal – romantic mood – 80s theme
Editing
Screen time
Transitions
Order of narrative
Pace
Special effects
- Many jump cuts in Nancy's room showing the close proximity between her and Steve and intimacy.
- Pace of cuts increase when Connie shoots Benny connoting danger and panic.
- Sound effect of electric bang when the phone cuts out showing that Will may be in danger. Sci fi.
- Shot reverse
shot during conversations between two people showing follow of dialogue.
- Order of the
narrative – multi stranded narrative underlines the LFTVD drama conventions.
- Most scenes happen simultaneously except Eleven’s escape and
discovery which links the characters at the end of the episode leaving on a cliff hanger for the next episode.
The term ‘fan’ is believed to come from the term ‘fanatic’
and refers to an audience member who has an intense enthusiasm and, often, an
uncritical devotion to a product, person or activity.
There are many ways in which a fan of a long form TV drama
can express their enthusiasm and interest for the show. Continuing developments
in technology have enabled the distribution and sharing of fan-made materials
and the development of fan made communities.
Fan-made Product 1: E.T. reference Poster
The maker of this poster is Will Varner, a fan of Stranger things, most likely an older fan. This product was found on buzzfeed and can be found online when typing in fan art of Stranger Things. The main features of this poster relates to the dramas intertextuality with E.T. and the comparison between the alien and Eleven. This is shown through the unity between the two characters by holding their hands together and it glows maybe portraying that they have powers. The poster also shows a link between the two through the use of the boys on bikes riding with the moon in the background which is a key scene from E.T. This suggests that the main appeal of the show is the intertextuality with 80s style films. This fan art particularly resembles the E.T. film poster especially since it has copied the set of the big moon
This piece of fan art shows a guide on how to hunt one of the monsters shown within the series including props that have been used throughout the season that would be recognizable. This has been drawn by Paolo Marcio, a fan of the drama. This suggests that one of the main appeals for the drama is the reference to demigorgans which is a direct reference to the game Dungeons and Dragons therefore the appeal would be the use of geek culture which would appeal to the nerdy, geeky audience. This poster also contains many icons from the series that were key when fighting the monsters as well as being recognisably related to the characters.
This piece of fan art focuses on the part of the story containing the upside down. This poster is by Joey Paur. The poster includes the boys and eleven in the real world with Will under them next to the emoji representing him saying 'holy sh**'
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?
Within the first episode of Stranger Things, there are a number of different social groups presented such as teenagers, mothers and the government. Some of these groups comply with stereotypical features whereas others portray themselves as countertypes as they don't fit the usual representation that we would expect to see.
A major social group that is presented within the first episode are teenagers. There are two groups of teenagers represented; the pre-teens (I.e. Mike's group) and the older teens (who go to high school). From the start of the episode, we see that the group of boys are typical nerdy type characters as they play the board game 'Dungeons and dragons,' a role playing game that includes quests, monsters etc. This signifies that they may not be the most popular kids at school as they would much rather stay in for long periods of time to play a board game rather than go out. Whilst playing the board game, we see how emersed they get themselves within the game by the slow moving panning extreme close ups of the boys facial expressions, completely concentrated in their role within the game. This representation is further shown with the boys knowledge of comic books, superheroes and sci-fi which are typically related to characters who are quite geeky. Stereotypically, a nerdy character is represented as quite weak and feeble however, the boys are portrayed as strong, confident and brave. Mike is portrayed as the leader of the group, making a majority of the decisions. For example, he is the game master, he is usually positioned in the front of the group when they go places (E.g. When looking for Will in the woods but find Eleven). Dustin is portrayed as confident as when faced with bullies, he stands up and defends himself. Will is also shown as brave when being chased by the monster, he goes straight to the shed to grab a shot gun to defend himself. All of these aspects of the storyline construct the representation that the boys are the protagonists of this story and will be at the forefront fighting the antagonists.
Another social group that we see a lot of throughout the first episode are the government and the police. Dr Brenner is the main portrayal we see of the government. When first meeting him, he is portrayed as quite mysterious, suspicious and authoritative. This is reinforced when he exits a car and the camera pans up slowly from his feet to his face therefore we slowly are introduced him but only see his face last. This also portrays him as quite important as it is a big introduction to him. There are also a number of low angle shots looking up to Dr Brenner representing his authority. Later in the episode we see that the government are portrayed as malicious and untrustworthy as we see that the kind caring social worker is actually from the government and kills Benny, an innocent humble man. We know that she is part of the government as we see Brenner walk in afterwards. They don't feel bad for murdering someone showing that they are villainous. The police force in the episode are portrayed as completely contrasting. To start with, they are portrayed as the stereotypical lazy cops who aren't good at their job. This is shown by their actions in the first scene, completely distracted by playing cards, dough nuts etc. Throughout the episode we start to see that Hopper, the representative of the police, is more caring and thoughtful that initially thought as we find out about his deceased daughter.
