Audience Profiling

Audience profile for Deutschland 83

D83 has a demographic audience of: ABC, middle class/upper class/working class. The demographic would have to be intelligent in a way, as the television series is in German and any non German viewers would need to be able to read the subtitles. The audience is very specific, as D83 is based on the cold war, therefore the majority of the audience (Psychographic) will be interested in history, particularly interested in the cold war, as well as those interested in 'action' television series or 'spy' television series.. D83 is not very popular and isn't advertised as much as stranger things is. It is shown on 'All 4', which isn't a very popular form of media outlet, whereas Netflix is a globally know television company that the majority of people have access to.

How does this affect it?

The type of advertising used needs to be related to the audience to ensure that the effectiveness is heightened. Due to the audience for Deutschland 83' being older minded, methods of advertisement wouldn't be social media for instance. Instead, methods such as advertisements on television would be used, but only on Channel Four to help ensure that even the advertisement is shown to the correct audience profile.

Media Theories

Theories of media language: 
-Barthes will be relevant to any connotative analysis.
-Neale will be relevant to any consideration of genre.
-Levi-Strauss and Todorov will be relevant to any study of narrative. 
-Baudrillard will be relevant to any intertextual product.
Theories of industry:
-Curran and Seaton will be relevant to the ownership and control of any media industry studied.
-Livingstone and Lunt will be relevant to regulation.
-Hesmondalgh will be relevant to the study of any cultural industry.
Theories of representation:
-Hall will be relevant to any representation in which power operates or to exploring how representations may be contested.
-Gauntlett will be relevant to any representations that offer complex and contradictory images.
-Van Zoonen, Hooks and Butler will be relevant to any representations of race, class, sexuality and gender.
-Gilory will be relevant to any representation of race and ethnicity (i.e. all representations of people) and of Western culture.
Theories of audience:
-Bandura and Gerbner will be relevant to any discussion of media effects .
-Hall will be relevant to any discussion of decoding 
-Jenkins and Shirky will be relevant to any online 'participatory culture' with amateur producers'. 

NEALE 
-genre is not fixed, but constantly evolve with each new addition to the generic corpus (the body of products in a genre), often playing with genre codes and conventions or becoming hybrids with genres.
Genre:
-Deutschland 83- drama,history,romance, thriller 
-Stranger Things- drama, fantasy, horror,mystery,sci-fi,thriller
-Limitations of genre theory- genre does not exist, it is irrelevant and people do not choose to watch TV shows because of the genre. There are other factors- such as actors, production companies and channels. -linked to genre in a way?

LEVI-STRAUSS
-the system of myths and fables was rules by a structure of opposing term, e.g. hot-cold, male-female, culture-nature, raw-cooked. 
Oppositions:
-Deutschland 83- East vs West, men vs women, domestic vs national commitments, young vs old.
-Stranger Things- men vs women, old vs young, rich vs poor.
-Limitations of structuralism theory- binary oppositions do not always apply, there is not always conflict in LFTVD- do you really need the opposite of something to understand the text? 

GILROY
-Britain expresses itself through criminalising immigrants and an 'us vs them' approach to the world founded on the belief in the inherent superiority of white western civilisation.
-There is a lack of ethnic minorities in both Deutschland 83 and Stranger Things.
-Limitations of ethnicity and postcolonial theory- does not consider other inequalities. 

CURRAN AND SEATON 
-Narrowing of the range of opinions represented and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity.
-Limitations of power and media industries theory- does not consider language or audience choices, but meaning is suggested to be completely determined by the producers.

LIVINGSTONE AND LUNT
-Traditional regulation is being put at risk by: increasingly globalised media industries, the rise of the digital media, and media convergence.
-Limitations of regulation theory- this study has based purely on OFCOM and therefore can only be applied to a British audience.

BANDURA 
-The media can influence people directly- human values, judgement and conduct can be altered directly by media modelling. 
Limitations of social learning theory- people are too savvy these days and do not get easily affected by the media. 

GERBNER
-Heavy users of television were more likely, for example, to develop 'mean world syndrome'.
-Limitations of cultivation theory- people are too savvy these days and do not get easily affected by the media. -also, Stuart Hall's Theory

HOOKS
-Black women should develop an 'oppositional gaze' that refuses to identify with characters.
Limitations of feminist theory- this is a general theory and does not specifically apply to LFTVD. -like most of the theories.

TV Drama:Context

• Society is a community within which people live and interact with one another. 

• Social refers to the people who live in a specific place and interact with one another within the social environment. Social context refers to these people and the structure and function of institutions that operate within a society such as family, education, religion, communications, government etc... It also helps us to understand social conflicts that may arise as a result of the structure, functions and interactions of the people who live within it. We all live our day to day lives in the same society following the same structures and functions. Social context focuses on the relationship between media products and the society within which they are made in relation to social groups, attitudes, changes, conflicts and inequalities.

• Culture is the way the different people who live in that society behave - you can have one society or social structure (American, British, Swedish, German) but many cultures or sub-cultures within that society. 

• Cultural refers to what creates the identity of the people who live in any given society. Culture refers to the beliefs, meanings and practices that guide the shared behaviour of individuals within a group in any given society. This includes the attitudes, values, habits, customs and traditions of the shared culture. Culture can be seen to include all aspects of ‘life’ including language, the products we make, the things we do and how we do them. There can be lots of different cultures and sub-cultures within a society, which is why we might all behave, think and act a little bit differently even though we are all living our day to day lives in a similar way.

1. 1. In which country is the drama set? 
2. Hawkins, Indiana

1. 2. In which country is the drama made?
2. America 

1. 3. What is the social identity of the people in the drama? 
2. Suburban American families 
3. Small town
4. White middle class (mainly)
6. 4. Who makes the drama?

• The Duffer Brothers

1. 5. Are they a small independent organisation or a large multi-national / global conglomerate? 

• Netflix is a multi-million company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. It specialises in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail. In 2013, Netflix expanded into film and television production, as well as online distribution. As of 2017, the company has its headquarters in Los Gatos, California.
  The Duffer Brothers also directed the series as they have with other productions of theirs. So Netflix are a large multi national business. 

1. 6. How is the social identity of the country of production reflected in the drama? 

Its a suburban town and the people are suburban
The social classes are varied- Joyce Byers works, whereas Mike mother is a house mother
The sheriff represent a country if production
High budget, dramatised, researchers so probably more realistic.

1. 7. What aspects of social and day to day life are reflected in the drama (being with families, going to school, legal and political systems, being religious etc.)? 
2. 8. How are these structures reflected in the drama – as usual or to be questioned? 
3. 9. How does the drama influence our own participation within the social structure (confirms it as the right thing to do or questions it?) 
4. 10. Is there any social conflict apparent in the drama? 
5. 
   
6. Is there any social conflict apparent in the drama? There is only a slight social conflict presented in the drama through two instances; Will's family and the two bullies at school. The lack of a nuclear family creates social conflict as Will does not appear to have a dad who is around and the family is therefore troubled for money. The school bullies cause social conflict through name calling and possible racism as they refer to Lucas as 'Shadow'. 

1. 11. How does the drama represent social changes?
2. 
   
3. Social changes are barely represented in the first episode however from a feminist perspective the characters of Nancy and Joyce represent social changes as they go against stereotypes of the time. Nancy represents a strong willed character with a strong  moral compass. Joyce represents a single mother who despite her struggles provides for her family. 

Representation & Realism

REPRESENTATION QUESTIONS...

How are individuals and social groups represented?

In the first few minutes of the show, we immediately see the different lifestyles the characters have and how it impacts their lives. In this episode, we see that the stereotype of the weird, poor kid is being enforced. Jonathan and Will Byers are growing up with a single mother who is probably working class. We can see this because of when we see the house that Mike Wheeler lives in compared to the house that Will lives in. The Byers boys, especially Jonathan, is portrayed as the social outcast who no one wants to be friends and people make fun of.  Another representation is Lucas, who is the only character of colour that we have seen. He is a rare representation of colour who is enjoying an all-American boyhood, just like his other friends, who are white. Karen Wheeler is shown to be a stereotypical mother, who is concerned about her Nancy and Mike, following the disappearance of Will. Mike is shown to be an optimist, morally compassionate and highly committed to his friends, in the first episode he goes through great lengths to find Will. His Dungeons and Dragons role as the master suggests that he is a creative thinker. Dustin is represented as an observer and a protector of the unity within the friendship group.    

How are the main characters represented through the use of media language? What social groups can they be seen to fall into? 

Jim Hopper is represented as if he lives a carefree existence, but is still haunted his past. We can see this through the first time we are introduced to Hopper, we are shown a drawing which is drawn by a kid, which makes us think if he has child. Then the camera pans around the room, showing us a table with beer cans and pill. This might suggest that he is probably struggling with mental health. The camera continues to pan around the living room, showing us that he is a messy person. We finally see him sleeping on a couch with no top but with jeans on, this probably suggests that he is a lazy person. Throughout the episode he is represented as emotionally reserved  and cynical. As a police chief, he doesn't really care about his job, as he regularly sleeps in and shows up work, and he has an indifference to the cases that are brought to his attention. Such as, Joyce Byers' calling about Will's disappearance.I believe that he is an expect in numbing pain while pretending it doesn't exist. 

When we are introduced to Joyce Byers, the camera pans down from the sky to her house, showing us her son and we can hear her shouting and rushing as if she in a hurry. Joyce is represented as a single mother, who is probably working class. She is represented as vulnerable and fragile, yet so fierce and determined. 

Which individuals or groups are under-represented in the drama? How do you know? Why might this be? 

The setting is Hawkins, a small Indiana town in the 80's, which would have realistically have a white majority and a few black families. So it is not surprising that there is only one coloured main character. Lucas is represented as an negative person who does not really like that Eleven is part of their 'party'. 

Which individuals or social groups are mis-represented in the drama? How do you know? Why might this be? 

What stereotypes are used? Are any of the main characters stereotypical and if so, why might they be represented in this way? How do we respond to them as a viewer as a result?  

Are the stereotypes we see used in a positive or negative way? 

How much influence will the producer have had on the way individuals, social groups or social identities are represented? 

Why might the producer have decided to construct this representation? Which aspects of media language are used by the producer to help construct these representations? 

How are events, issues and social identities represented? 

What events or issues are represented? 

Did you already know about these events or issues? Are they usually under-represented or not? Why might they be the focus of representation in this drama?

How true to their historical and socio-cultural contexts are the representations? Do they offer a realistic version of the events/ issues portrayed or a different viewpoint? Why might this be? How does it use media language to achieve this? 

Do you feel the events or issues have been mis-represented in this drama? Is the representation positive or negative? If so, what reasons can you give for this? 

How much influence will the producer have had on the way the events or issues are represented? Why might the producer have decided to construct this representation and what aspects of media language are used to create this?

REALISM QUESTIONS...

What is realism and how is it different to reality? 

How can realism be defined? What is realism and why it is used by media producers?

How conventional or important is realism in Long Form TV Drama and the drama’s success? 

How is the drama constructed - how do media producers construct realism? Which elements of media language enable constructed realism to claim to be ‘real’? 

How are the representations of individuals, social groups, social identities, events and issues constructed as real? Refer to specific examples.

SEMIOTIC QUESTIONS...

What is semiotics and how does it help us analyse and understand representations in the media? 

The study of signs/signals and their significance of understanding what they represent within a media product which helps us to analyse and understand why certain things are put in place.

What are media signs and signifiers? 

In semiotics, a sign communicates a meaning that is not the sign itself to the interpreter of the sign. The meaning can be intentional or unintentional. The sign is the object or thing being seen. The signifier is the physical existence (sound/word/image) and the signified is the mental concept.

What key signs and signifiers can be seen in episode one of each of the set products? 

One signifier is the use of darkness which can be interpreted into the horror genre in which there are 3 key scenes. One being where Will gets taken by the 'antagonist' which sets the scene for a horror genre. Another scene is the opening with the stars and dark science lab where the lights are flickering which creates a mysterious tone with underlying tension from the unknown of the darkness which emphasises evil, mystery and fear. Other signifiers in Stranger Things include the different houses, for example, Will has a small bungalow type house with little luxuries which can be interpreted into the idea that Will's family is quite poor, emphasising the reason for being in an 'outcast' group with his friends as they play dungeons and dragons which is seen as geeky as well as their clothing. This, as well as other signs such as the bullies at school, clearly shows that the main group that the audience follows are unpopular which is clearly established. In contrast to Will, Mike

How do these help to communicate messages and values about the individuals, social groups, social identities, events and issues conveyed in the dramas? 

What are connotations? How do the representations offered connote the same or different values, attitudes and ideological beliefs about the world? Why do we recognise these connotations? Are they reinforced across a wide range of media representations or do the representations offer new messages and values? 

Deutschland 83

In a divided Germany in 1983, naive 24-year-old East German soldier Martin Rauch is pulled from his benign post as a border guard and given a new assignment: undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service in West Germany. Hiding in plain sight as Moritz Stamm in the West German army, Rauch must gather NATO military secrets. As he veers between father figures, love interests, and East and West Germany, nothing is quite what it seems and everyone he encounters is harbouring secrets, both political and personal.

How does the opening to the drama start?- establishing shot, office, high angle, building- Are title credits used?- colourful, upbeat, we are shown who the major actors are during the title credits, there are things related to the Cold War and how Germany was split into East and West Germany.- What and who are we introduced to? (locations, characters and settings)- we are introduced to the protagonist who is Martin, we are also introduced to 3 other characters who are part of the title credits; Lenora, Walter and Annett. There are workplace and home settings.- What themes are introduced?- we are introduced to the themes of family, love, hate, war, conflict and an urban environment.- Is a story or plot set up in the opening episode?- war (The Cold War), multiple mentions of an evil empire, spying (trying to get information by stealing or taking pictures)- What does the drama look like?- a few diegetic sounds (TV playing, radio in the supermarket), cigarette (mise-en-scene), little use of electronics/technology (this makes the drama look more realistic as it is set in the 80's during the Cold War. 

Stranger Things Characters

Dustin Henderson

Major character, he is one of the four main young characters. He is in one of the first scenes of the TV series. he is seen playing a board game (dungeons and dragons) with the rest of the kids, in Mike Wheeler's house

• Conforms to the stereotype of a young boy, as he is curious and adventures and brave. He wants to find Will Byers and does not think that the adults have done anything.
• He is young,brave and follows what the rest of the boys do. He is worried about what consequences of the actions will have. However, he still wants to find Will and make sure that he is okay.
• He is one of the five main kids in the television series, who is trying to find out what happened to Will Byers and why he is missing.


Lucas Sinclair






Major character, he is one of the four main young characters. He is in one of the first scenes of the TV series. he is seen playing a board game (dungeons and dragons) with the rest of the kids, in Mike Wheeler's house
Conforms to the stereotype of a young boy, as he is curious and adventures and brave. He wants to find Will Byers and does not think that the adults have done anything.
He is young,brave and follows what the rest of the boys do. He is worried about what consequences of the actions will have. However, he still wants to find Will and make sure that he is okay.
He is one of the five main kids in the television series, who is trying to find out what happened to Will Byers and why he is missing.

Will Byers

• The main character, the whole television series is based on Will Byers being missing, therefore he is a major character and one of the most important. He is in one of the first scenes of the TV series. he is seen playing a board game (dungeons and dragons) with the rest of the kids, in Mike Wheeler's house.
• Conforms to the stereotype of a young boy, as he is curious and adventures and brave. He also cycles home by himself, which again shows that he is brave, even though he manages to go off of the road and run home, when something was following him.
• He is quite unique and mysterious. He also does not have much of a background, which is why it is confusing and mysterious why he was the only boy to have gone missing.
• He is the boy that went missing and everyone else is trying to find where he is and why he has gone.

Joyce Byers

• Joyce is a major character, she is Will Byers mum who reports her son missing to Jim Hopper
• She conforms to the single parent stereotype, as she has to work long ours to support her family, as well as her eldest son having to work, to also help pay for things.
• Erratic, wants to find will, doesn't sleep, works hard
• She is Will's mum and reports him missing. She is constantly looking for him and doesn't stop until she finds him.

Jim Hopper

• Jim is a major character, as he is the sheriff of the town. He is in charge of the missing persons case (Will Byers).
• He conforms to the stereotype of the male gender.. lazy, negative, not emotional however, on the other hand he is the stereotype of a sheriff and initiates a search party for Will.
• Lazy, Does not look after himself, alone, want to find will, messy
• He is the sheriff in charge of Wills missing person case and has to use all methods to find him (that are in his power).

Mike Wheeler

• Major character, as he is one of the four main young characters. The TV series starts at Mike's house and they are playing a board game (dungeons and dragons).
• Conforms to the stereotype of a young boy, as he is curious and adventures and brave. He wants to find Will Byers and does not think that the adults have done anything.
• He is brave, young and wants to find out what happened to his friend, Will Byers.
• He is one of the five main kids in the television series, who is trying to find out what happened to Will Byers and why he is missing.

Eleven

• Major main character, at the end of the episode the boys find her running though the forest and then it ends there,on a cliff hanger. 
• Counter-stereotype , shaved hair, perceived masculine 
• Supernatural, quiet, mysterious, scared, powerful
• Secondary story line for the narrative, eventually helps to look for Will, but only later on in the series.

Johnathan Byers

• Secondary main character 
• Stereotype of an older brother, out working, however emotional and concerned when Will disappears 
• Worried, helpful and sorrowful
• Is a secondary character to the narrative in relation to the main character.

Nancy Wheeler

• She is not a major character in episode one, as she is part of a sub-plot
• Stereotype of an older sister and also a stereotype of a girl, wearing light colours, focusing on her education and not as much on boys (Steve Harrington).
• Rude to Dustin, kind to the people her age, has arguments with her brother.
• Her younger brother is Will Byers friend. Throughout the series she becomes more of a major character, than a secondary main character. Nancy contributes to the narrative more during the television series, rather than in the first episode, she becomes more involved with Will's missing persons case further along in the television series.

The Scientist

• They play a minor role in the first episode as they only really appear in the opening scene, but do play a big part in the way that they know what the audience don't in terms of the unknown being that has escaped.
• Yes as they are very stereo-typically 'scientists' as they even wear the white lab coats and identification cards, and the only setting they really appear in in the first episode is a lab/government facility, which makes the audience recognise that they are scientists. 
• We only briefly see them so only get to see the stereotypical scientist persona of them all, but see them mainly as very smart and intuitive. 
• They set out the opening scene by showing a scientist running from the unknown monster and it leaves the audience in a position of ignorance as we don't know what this scientist is running from. This monster then goes on to abduct Will Byers which is the main story line of the episode.

Ted Wheeler

• He is a relatively minor character and only really appears in the scene of the family dinner where he plays the character of the disinterested father.
• He conforms to the Stereotypes of a father during the 80's due to his professional attire and big round glasses, but also holds the stereotype of a father in the 80's as he has little interest in anything but his life and tries to ignore what is going on in his children's.
• He comes across as a very self oriented person, who lacks interest in his family and the events that are happening around him. Physically he looks like the average father at the time, with the big round glasses and shirt and tie.
• He only appears in two scenes in the first episode, where he ignores his family both times, and it sets up the idea that his son has a relatively sad home life.

Karen Wheeler

• Minor character, she only really appears in the first episode for about 3 minutes, and acts as the authority figure whilst the boys are playing D&D.
• She acts as a stereotypical mother from the decade as she worries about her daughter getting involved with boys and is very protective of her children.
• She has a classic 80's hair style with the big round curls and dresses in what would have been considered appropriate for a housewife.
• She is the one that reveals to Will's mother that he didn't sleep round their house that night and so tells the mother and the audience that Will is really missing. She also tells her son Mike that he should not be worried about Will and that he is probably perfectly safe, where as he audience knows he isn't which is a use of dramatic irony. 

Benny Hammond

Benny Hammond is a minor character in the first episode and is portrayed to be a typical well-built and protective male American. He first appears when Eleven walks into his diner and he shouts at her for stealing fries. 

Benny Hammond is a minor character in the first episode and is portrayed to be a typical well-built and protective male American. He first appears when Eleven walks into his diner and he shouts at her for stealing fries. He then portrays a more parental persona as he cares for Eleven and attempts to ask her questions. He is arguably stereotypical of a middle aged American man as he is harsh in initial appearance yet his caring side is shown as he rings social services to help Eleven. His contribution to the narrative is cut short as he is shot by the 'social worker' and subsequently dies. 

Mr Clarke

Mr Clarke is a minor character as he features as a science teacher at Hawkins Middle school. Though initially he is presented to be authoritative and superior to the class whilst he teaches, his persona changes as the bell goes and he is left with Dustin, Mike and Lucas. He then adapts to a more friendly personality and appears to be on the same level as the boys as they share in excitement with the radio. In the first episode his sub-plot is not major as we only see the character for a few minutes as he is teaching and showing the boys the international radio. He is stereotypically 'nerdy' and enthusiastic about his position as a teacher and carries the caring and helpful personality as he talks to Hopper about how good of a student Will is during his search party.  

Connie Frazer (social worker)

Connie Frazer is prentend to be a contrasting character who subverts feminine stereotypes; especially of the 80s. Though she is a minor character she appears to be fairly important towards the end of the lesson when she shoots Benny Hammond. She subverts female stereotypes of the 80s as typically a male would have held such a violent role.  

Theories

Steve Neale's Theory of 'Repetition & Difference'...

• "genre is a repetition with an underlying pattern of variations. This difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre". 
• Genre is defined by two things:

how much it is conformed to it's genre's individual conventions such as stereotypes.

how much a film subverts the genre's conventions and stereotypes. 

• Plot= everything visibly and audibly present in the text; what the readers observes
• Story= all events of the narrative, both explicit and implicit- what readers understand.
• Narrative= Plot+Story- a chain of events in a cause and effect relationship in time and space- the manner in which the story is revealed- telling of stories. 
• A chain of events with a beginning, middle and end that embodies a judgement about the nature of events. All media products have a narrative.

Todorov's Theory of Narrative...

• Tzvetan Todorov suggested that conventional narrative are structured in five stages:

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset; 
2. A disruption of the equilibrium;
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption
4. An attempt to repair the disruption;
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium (new equilibrium)- equilibrium does not return to the original one.  

Stranger Things

In a small town where everyone knows everyone, a peculiar incident starts a chain of events that leads to the disappearance of a child, which begins to tear at the fabric of an otherwise peaceful community. Dark government agencies and seemingly malevolent supernatural forces converge on the town, while a few locals begin to understand that there is more going on than meets the eye. 

Cultural References...

Stranger Things contains many references to popular 80's films to add to the mise en scene and to achieve a nostalgic emotion from the audiences. This includes things such as: 

Alien (1979) and (1986) 

The faceless creature in Stranger Things combines design elements and traits from Predator and the first two Alien movies.

Carrie (1976)

Ellie is a hybrid of two Stephen King stories about girls with telekinetic powers, Carrie and Firestarter. 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 

Stranger Things and Close Encounters both feature parents whose obsession with the supernatural looks to everyone else like madness. 

The Empire Strikes Back (2980)

The Empire Strikes Back was released three years before Stranger Things' story begins, so it makes sense it would be a primary obsession for adolescent boys. Mike shows Ellie his Yoda toy and later reveres her for her Jedi-like powers. 

E.T. (1982)

Stranger Things owes its greatest debt to Steven Spielberg's classic story of a lonely suburban boy who befriends an alien in need. Hawkins, Indiana, is not quite the California suburb of E.T., but the physical and emotional terrain is similar: a sprawling town nestled against a forest; boy dashing around in packs on their bikes. 

Title Sequence

There is a sense of unease, the music informs the movement of the type as the letterforms slide together to form the title. The Stranger Things title mimic an optical look which reflects the time period of the show, it also seems as if light is passing through the film, creating a lush haptic quality. The colours that are used are red and black, which both connotate danger and horror. As the letterforms slide together, we are shown the lead actor's names, all the executive producer and the creator or the directors.