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Media Studies - Mr Starkie Side > LFTVD - Stranger Things > Flashcards

LFTVD - Stranger Things Flashcards

1
Q

What are some key parts of media language?

A

Camerawork (Camera movements/Shots)

Sound (Dialogue, Diegetic, Speed/Volume/Pitch)

Editing (CGI, Cuts/Wipes/Fades, Montage, Pace, Aspect Ratio)

Mist-en-scene (Costume, Setting, Make-up, Lighting, Composition)

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2
Q

What is the intertextual relay?

A

Genre being presented in advertising and marketing as well as media products.

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3
Q

What are some examples of Stranger Thing’s intertextuality?

A

ET, Stand by Me, Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, etc.

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4
Q

What is the primary age demographic of Stranger Things?

A

18-49

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5
Q

What are some representations of women within Stranger Things?

A

CONVENTIONAL:
Joyce- Maternal and protective of Will, Emotional and hysterical with Will’s disappearance

Florence- Frustrated with male officers, secretary over policeman

Mrs. Wheeler- Housewife and homestead, frustrated with husband and lack of attention

Eleven- Young and victimised ‘damsel in distress’

Nancy- Princess, stereotypically beautiful, virgin and innocent

UNCONVENTIONAL:
Joyce- Strong against adversity

Nancy- STEM genius and academic

Eleven- Super powerful, super natural, shaved head makes her androgynous. Doesn’t follow usual genre roles/performances

Representations of women are mixed and diverse.

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6
Q

What are some representations of men within Stranger Things?

A

CONVENTIONAL:
Hopper- High status sheriff, lazy, disrespectful, distrustful

Other men- Several men in positions of power (Dr Brennan, Principal) and are also antagonistic

Fathers- Not a good connection with their children, absent physically or emotionally

The Boys- Immature, silly, fun

UNCONVENTIONAL:

The Boys- Being emotional about Will’s disappearance, caring personality

Hopper- Emotional and caring about Eleven and his daughter, similar representation from Bennie

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7
Q

What are some representations of race and ethnicity within Stranger Things?

A

-Several white characters represented as evil and antagonistic

-Several black characters, made in a more modern context

Lucas- Ethnic integration within the friendship group presented as a protagonist

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8
Q

What are some representations of age within Stranger Things?

A

CONVENTIONAL:
-Children not listened to by adults, still treated as small and immature

UNCONVENTIONAL:
-Heroic and brave, go out to save their friend. Alternative and challenges stereotypes

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9
Q

Who was Stranger Things created by and what were some of their inspirations?

A

The Duffer Brothers
-Grew up in the 80s and took a lot of inspiration from their personal life
-Massive fans of Spielberg, Kubrick, King and Shyamalan

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10
Q

Who are some of the big stars from Season 1 of Stranger Things?

A

Winona Ryder (Joyce) and Mathew Modine (Dr. Brennan).

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11
Q

How many viewers did Stranger Things get in its first 35 days of streaming?

A

15 million.

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12
Q

What are some of the advantages of Stranger Things streaming on Netflix over terrestrial TV?

A

-Distribution appeals to audiences who enjoy binge watching

-No need for ad breaks so the Duffer Brothers could be more creative and incorporate product placement

-Netflix allows for more flexibility with a requirement of only 8 episodes in comparison to the conventional 22 for US TV

-High initial budget of $48 million which allowed Stranger Things to have big set pieces,lots of practical effects and recognisable stars

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13
Q

What are some examples of industrial intertextuality with Stranger Things?

A

-Intertextual references within the show to things such as E.T, Alien and the Shining which add nostalgia and minimise the risk on launch

  • Partnership with Hasbro for a Stranger Things version of D&D, drawing in nostalgic audiences

-Promotion from Netflix through posters based on a classic film that has inspired Stranger Things

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14
Q

How does the genre Stranger Things participates in benefit the show industrially?

A

-The sci-fi genre has always been considered low risk as it’s proved very popular

-Hybridity with teen drama, coming of age, paranormal/horror, comedy helps maximise profits by overlapping with several audiences

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15
Q

How is Stranger Things regulated?

A

-Streaming sites such as Netflix aren’t regulated by OFCOM, allowing for the Duffer Brothers to get away with more

-Child actors within a dark and controversial horror story as well as gory and scary effects isn’t something a regular TV company could do

-No watershed (not shown at a later time) which means very accessible to under 15s at any time of day

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16
Q

What are some of the conventional ways Stranger Things was promoted?

A

-Social Media through several platforms and pages aimed at 16-40yo

-Cast and crew on chat shows across the world, promoting the show and cementing them as stars

-Multiple magazine covers aimed at the +40 yo audience, comics and books

-Cast and crew attending the award ceremonies

-Super Bowl advertisement

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17
Q

What are some of the unconventional ways Stranger Things was promoted?

A

-Partnerships with Hasbro for a D&D set

-Fictional news report made about Barb

-Word of mouth promotion from celebrities and influencers

-The first 8 minutes of EP1 released on YouTube in order to tease the audience and create enigma

-Twitch game marathon with the cast and audience voting, aimed at young male target audience (aligned with the audience of sci-fi/horror/teen horror)

18
Q

What sort of audience does the historical setting of Stranger Things engage with? What within the series constantly supports this?

A

An American 30-45 yo audience, backed up with constant intertextual references to 80s classics which in turn make an audience feel clever.

19
Q

What engages a younger audience with Stranger Things? What doesn’t?

A

DOES:
-Protagonist being children, audience can literally relate on an age level
-Protagonists enduring school life, a shared experience which favours younger people who are actively in educational but is a universal experience
-Netflix exclusivity targets a modern audience who enjoy on demand media

DOESN’T:
-Arguably forced sexualisation of very young teenagers, audiences thought producers unnecessarily brought it in
-Intertextual references which a lot of younger audiences may not understand

20
Q

What engages a male audience with Stranger Things?

A

-Variety of strong male characters
-All the main characters in S1 are male apart from Eleven
-Offers role models
-For young males; the Twitch event, mobile game, Fortnite skins and Lego

21
Q

What engages a female audience with Stranger Things?

A

-Strong representations of women such as in Joyce and Eleven which are often underrepresented
-A hybridity of genres within the show which include romance and comedy

22
Q

What about the characters makes the plot easy to understand?

A

Simple stereotypes which help initially make the narrative understandable which develop into more complex characters.

23
Q

How does Shirky’s theory of audience interaction present itself when it comes to Stranger Things?

A

-Interactive 360 degree view of the boys bedroom
-Online interaction with the save Barb hashtag who fans sympathise with
-Online wiki pages created by fans as well as fan fiction, art and cosplay (backed up by producers sharing it)

24
Q

What was the difference in marketing when it came to targeting age groups?

A

-Online media such as Twitter interaction, Twitch streams, social media posts and special features such as Facebook lenses

-Traditional media such as chat shows and magazines targeted the older audience

25
Q

What are 2 ways enigma built within the audience?

A

-The YouTube trailer which has gotten over 8 million views to date and has been shared hundreds of thousands of times

-The first 8 minutes of EP1 being released on YouTube which was an unconventional move that kept audiences hooked for the shows release

26
Q

How does Gerbner’s cultivation theory present itself within Stranger Things?

A

-Constant repetition of negative representations, especially American issues
-Conspiracy theories, murder, violence, bullying and child victimisation
-It could be argued mean world syndrome could be cultivated through this repetition and mainstream audiences into thinking this is the norm

27
Q

How does Bandura’s social learning theory present itself within Stranger Things?

A

-Bullying and fighting within the show, with limited regulation it can be harsher than typical terrestrial TV
-Due to this same lack of regulation, younger audiences can be exposed to this
-It could be argued this behaviour could be learned within the audience and in turn lead to violence

28
Q

What elements support and counter Stranger Things being a risk?

A

RISK:
-Duffer Bros weren’t established
-Young cast of unknowns
-Not based on a book or film (no pre-sold audience)
-High budget ($6 million per episode)

SAFE:
-Produced by Shawn Levy (‘safe pair of hands’)
-Recognisable names (Winona Ryder)
-Intertextual references
-Hybrid genres
-High budget ($6 million per episode)

29
Q

How can you apply Curran and Seaton to Stranger Things?

A

-Internet doesn’t challenge dominance of established industries but Netflix has proven otherwise (competing with terrestrial TV)

-Streaming services are dominated by a small number of large companies (Netflix, Amazon, etc.) can be seen as an oligopoly

-Netflix is a gatekeeper for content, determining which can and which can’t be released on their platform

-Netflix offers a platform for media products with diverse cultures with a massive investment in original content

30
Q

What media language is seen within the first laboratory scene?

A

-Slow track into a door with a quiet soundtrack, jump scare from the man running through with alarm sounds and flashing lights
-Scientist frantically pressing buttons and looking behind him
-Entering elevator, hearing the growling and looking up with an overhead shot

31
Q

What is some of the media language seen in Will’s kidnapping scene?

A

-Chaos of Will’s crash connoted through fast cuts and unclear movement
-Suspenseful orchestral music
-Dog barking and monstrous noises in the telephone
-Tracking shot following Will to shed
-Craning high angle showing Will’s terrified face (similar to laboratory)

32
Q

How can you apply Livingstone and Lunt to Stranger Things?

A

-Netflix has to abide EU regulations but not Ofcom’s

-Contains scenes potentially distressing to youths that escapes watershed

-Regulation up to account holder

-Ofcom recognises this and plans on working with streaming platforms

33
Q

How can you apply Hesmondhalgh to Stranger Things?

A

-Reduced risk through genre, actors and intertextuality

-Increased surveillance has led to Netflix’s algorithms for recommendations

34
Q

How can you apply Hall’s representation theory to Stranger Things?

A

-Predominantly patriarchal, heteronormative society with absence of other representations

-Preferred meanings within EP1 such as vulnerable child, harassed mother, eg.

-Preferred meanings neglect evolution through narrative

35
Q

How can you apply Gauntlett to Stranger Things?

A

-EP1 depicts patriarchy and strong gender roles but contradicts with Hopper v Jonathan v Will

-Fan culture allowed self expression with characters, fan art, fiction and memes

-Emphasises audience, overlooks media producers, genres and narrative

36
Q

How can you apply Van Zoonen to Stranger Things?

A

-Representation of patriarchal 1980s America with female characters typically subordinate

-Empowered representations of Eleven, Nancy and Joyce.

-Useful when considering gender roles but neglects class and power relations

37
Q

How can you apply hooks to Stranger Things?

A

-Patriarchal social order (men in charge and women not) with eventual empowerment of some women

-Intersectionality seen within Joyce vs Mrs Wheeler

-Lack of ethnicity with empowerment existing only for white women

-Helps identify ideological messages through intersectionality but overlooks how audiences may respond to representations of social inequality

38
Q

How can you apply Butler to Stranger Things?

A

-Eleven doesn’t conform to gender norms, mistaken for a boy but increasingly conforms to social norms while Will stays more sensitive and feminine

-Butler calls this ‘gender trouble’ and other characters police this (eg. Will being bullied) but this all overlooks how people experience gender

39
Q

How can you apply Gilroy to Stranger Things?

A

-Colonialism influences the predominantly white worlds with a minority of black characters who are represented positively

-Story is driven by white characters

-Shows how media representations are addressed to a white audience (marginalising others) but overlooks the intersection of these systems

40
Q

How can you apply Jenkins to Stranger Things?

A

-There is extensive evidence of fan culture for ST through participatory culture and textual poaching

-‘Justice for Barb’ meme demonstrates convergence culture

-Social media allows audiences to interact with cast, writers and producers

-The success may be down to spreadability but this theory overlooks meaning constructed by the producers

41
Q

How can you apply Hall’s reception theory to Stranger Things?

A

-Preferred reading can be identified, elements used to encourage audiences to sympathise with Will

-Hall overlooks the fact that a media text may contain multiple/contradictory messages

Media Studies - Mr Starkie Side (6 decks)

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