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. 

TV Drama: Media Language (Genre and Narratology)

1. What are the formal codes and conventions of long term TV drama?

• The codes and conventions of long form TV drama are episodes that are up to 40-60 minutes long. There are usually 8-25 episodes in one season. They will most likely be dramatic narrative story lines. Each character usually has their own story line. They usually have expressive lighting techniques dependent on sub genre. They usually have exaggerated, hyper real representations of characters- cultural stereotyping for entertainment values. 

2.  How similar or different are the formal conventions used in Stranger Things? 

• The main conventions that appear in Stranger Things is the soundtrack, it is usually usually slow and quite eerie which can made through the use of classical instruments or  a synthesiser. Long shots are used to show the audience the setting which is usually quite an isolated atmosphere. Close-ups are not used as often because they convey emotions of the character, the close-ups will usually be of objects, not people, to show their significance to the story line. The setting in the show is usually dark as it creates a feeling of terror of the character, which the audience can sympathise with and feel the tension it causes. Also, the weather is usually stormy or raining, like when they first found Eleven. Jump cuts are very common, as they change shots very quickly which creates tension. When these type of shots are edited together, it causes he audience to feel confused which leads to them being scared at he necessary time. The sci-i conventions is very futuristic even though it is set in the 80's and it has a parallel universe or even a different dimension. There is a invasion from extra-terrestrial beings. Sci-fi is used to make the audience believe in the images they see on screen an they use quite familiar elements of technology to help the audience make that connection between fiction and reality. 

3. How does the first episode start and finish?

• In the lower levels of Hawkins National Laboratory, a scientist in a white lab coat runs down a dark hallway, frantically looking back behind him and trying to operate the elevator. When the elevator doors finally open, the man enters and feels like he safe, but then we hear a growl coming from above him, which is a diegetic sound as the audience and the scientist can both hear it. Terror fills the man's face, his eyes widened. As the elevator doors close, he is violently pulled upwards.

• While there is a search party for Will, his friends go out to look for him as well. There is hesitation of whether they should carry but they decide to carry on moving. While they are moving, they hear rustling in the bushes thinking that it is Will. But they end up finding a girl who is soaking wet and who looks afraid. 

pushing buttons and looking

The Cold War Research

The Cold War...

• From 1945 and 1989 the world was divided by the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. It was an ideological war: U.S. democracy and capitalism versus Soviet Union communism. The Cold War was an indirect war, the U.S. and the Soviet Union never fought it out on the battlefield or in the air because to do so would have been utterly Mutually Assured Destruction; both countries had nuclear warheads that would deplete an entire county of it's population in a nanosecond. 
• The Cold War lasted for about 45 years.
• For ordinary people living in Communist Eastern Europe during the Cold War era, a great part of everyday life consisted of searching and waiting for basic material goods, including food. Women with families, standing hours per day in long lines to purchase meat and potatoes, also shortages of personal hygiene and health items, including toilet paper, feminine products and medicine. Children and teenagers often saw little of their parents, who were away from home each day for long stretches of time as they worked and shopped for basic necessities. 
• The Cold War touched many aspects of American social and cultural, from the civil rights movement survivalism, from Hollywood to the universities. The nuclear threat- and the Communist menace lurking behind it - brought the National Defence Education Act, the interstate highway system, and growing mistrust of government by both liberals and conservatives. 
• After the defeat in World War II, Germany was divided into four zones under the control of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union .
• Because East Germany was inland, they did not have the access to imports that West Germany had. This resulted in different produce being available in one and not in the other. 
• The East was also largely communist as the USSR had control over it, whilst the West was capitalist. This meant that people would have been generally poorer in the East as wealth is shared equally in communist states, whilst the West would have been quite prosperous. Also, the East would have been under the dictatorship whilst the West would have been democratic.
• ABLE ARCHER- in November 1983, Soviet nuclear forces went on high alert. After months nervously watching increasingly assertive NATO military posturing, Soviet intelligence agencies in Western Europe received flash telegrams reporting alarming activity on U.S. bases. In response, the Soviets began readying their nuclear forces in preparation for a Western nuclear attack. Just as nuclear tensions escalated, the threat of war abruptly ended as the buildup was revealed to be vast NATO conflict simulation named Able Archer 83.