D83 Representation

D83 Character Analysis

Class Assessments

Deutchland'83

What meanings are created in the sequence you have studied and what do they tell us about narrative, character development and genre?

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:

1.           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.

Fandom Homework

 This product is  a variety of Stranger Things themed badges. They have different icons od ST on them. Badges like these are commonly worn on bags, jackets and top. From the shed is a company who hand makes badges, up cycled jewellery and art. Etsy, £4. Amber, 25th Jan 2019  "great, fast and efficient"  wide target audience ad younger audiences more likely to enjoy badges

Stranger things pendant necklaces that be personalised and customised. You can get demagorgon, fairy lights and alphabet and an 011 pendants. Handmade my ItsOKToBeHappy, who specialise in making fandom paraphernalia and merchandise. From £2.99 on Etsy. More targeted towards an older, more sophisticated audience, or as a gift for anyone!!

A card with a Stranger Things pun on it. This would be a could card to give to your significant other is you know they are a big ST fan. Alphabet with fairy lights and eleven are key icons of ST. £3.49 from Etsy. Handmade by PaperLanePrint who specialise in novelty cards, gifting and decor.

Netflix and Technologies

PESATA LFTD

KEY FOR LFTVD ANALYSIS: PESATA

Point
Evidence
Specific
Analysis
Theory/ terminology  
Answer the question

Industry Presenatations

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

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

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

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

Representations in ST essay

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?  

In the first episode of Stranger Things, there are plethora of social groups represented such as teenagers and the working class. For example, the typical angsty teenager stereotype is challenged by the introduction of Jonathan Byers. In this scene, he can be seen cooking breakfast and is responsible for waking up and looking after his younger brother. This is atypical as a 17 year old boy would generally not be taking up the duties of a parent, as his mum Joyce Byers is seen as unorganised and all over the place. This type of social group is under-represented in the media as this depiction of this family lay out is more common than portrayed in media. Jonathan is wearing dull, basic clothes in a dull basic 80's style home decor which suggest he find his life as being the caring support system for his family is hindering him from living his life. This is further insinuated by the change in Jonathan's personal change when he is with Nancy, as he becomes more of a shy teenager as he fancies her. This is also shown but the camera angles and shots used as when he is being hospitable and caring, the shots are long, middle angle and repetitive to show the mundanity. However, when he is with his friends, he feels a little more teenagery as his quoy side comes out, making him feel the emotions he is supposed to. TheSHOTS ARE FAST between CONVERSATIONS AND often zoom in on the characters faces in different angles, this is important as it shows the new emotions and sideof Jonathan the audience is being introduced to. The lighting is also high key as it shows how his life is brighter away from being the domesticated son who the family relies, coming back into the social norm and what is mainly represented of teenagers.

 Lucas, Dustin, Mike and Will are represented as nerdy and unpopular. Media language is imperative when it comes to enabling the audience to create this suggested representation of the boys through the use of mise-en-scene. The boys are all wearing clothing typical to the 80's and their personalities and riding bikes known as 'choppers' which were extremely popular amongst pre teens in the 80's, giving the episode a cultural zeitgeist, and have a real passion for the game they are playing, one that doesn’t appear to be played by the rest of the characters or teenagers, which divides the boys apart from the social norms.. The boys use derogatory terms to one another, such as “pussy”, which further communicates their age, as this type of language is not used by other characters in the first episode as well as signifying a close comradery between the characters. When to boys are confronted by the bullies, the shots are edited to make them longer to allow the audience to understand what is going on and how important the dialogue and facial expressions of the characters. This is then contrasted to short, close up shots of the bullies which insinuates how unimportant those characters are to the major characters. In addition, the use of the word “pussy”, used by Lucas, could support a stereotypical representation of the social group of teenagers as offensive to one another, yet as we see later on the episode, they actually support a representation of teenagers as loyal and faithful to each other as they drive the force to find Will.

Narrative Task

Narrative Notes

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) 

Stranger Things Representation Breakdown

Stranger Things S1 E1 Breakdown

Stranger Things Notes Temp

80's Movie Influences

The 1985 film 'The Goonies'  heavily influences Stranger things. It's both about a group of children going on an adventure, in aim to find something of great importance. They characters both cross over in terms characteristics and looks. Dustin is very similar to Chunk, Mike is very similar to Mikey the way that they are both the leader of the pack and very level headed and Nancy is very similar to Andy in the way that they both wear glasses, have a popular boyfriends and are quite girly, yet studious and determined. Also, the bikes theme is crossed over in both films as its both the group chosen mode of transport, creating it to be an icon for both film. Also, the film posters are similar in the way that they both display a sketched effect and a lot of the characters are in the centre bunched together, expressing different emotions and activities. 

  

Another 80's film which heavily influenced Stranger Things is ET. ET has many crossovers such as the consistent theme of bikes, lights, an extra terrestrial/superhuman creature entering a normal, suburbian world. Also, the protagonists in both films want to save and help the lost super powered creatures. They also use girly, second hand disguises to try and save them, this direct homage to ET shows that all things, actions and events have been carefully concidered with meaning behind it.

LFTD Vocab

Long Form TV Drama Vocab:

Easter Eggs: Hidden message or image.

Time shifting: Available to watch whenever you want to.

VOD: an stream content through either a set-top box, a computer or other device, allowing viewing in real time, or download it to a device such as a computer.

PVR: A personal video recorder is an interactive TV recording device.

Streaming: A user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Because the media is sent in a continuous stream of data it can play as it arrives.

Terrestrial: a type of television broadcasting in which the television signal is transmitted by radio waves.

Stranger Things Character Analysis