LFTVD - Stranger Things Media Language

Question 1

How would we describe the narrative?

Answer 1

Complex and ambigious

Question 2

Intertextuality: ST is explicitly a recreation of what?

Answer 2

1970s-80s cinema especially Spielberg in style and tone

Question 3

What is a serial narrative?

Answer 3

A narrative in which the story develops from episode to episode leading to a narrative conclusion in the final episode

Question 4

What are multiple narrative strands?

Answer 4

A narrative with several parallel storylines progress that may or may not affect one another.

Question 5

How is the Barthesian myth of small town America constructed?

Answer 5

The juxtaposition to the opening sequence, the white picket fences and houses, close up of a sprinkler

Question 6

Give examples of how the Duffer Brothers use props to create a 1980s America.

Answer 6

Cathode ray tube TV with indoor aerial and record player

Question 7

How would we describe the genre of ST?

Answer 7

Hybrid genre or generically complex

Question 8

Give examples of the genres that are alluded to. There are 7!

Answer 8

Sci fi- the disruption emerging from the science lab, Horror - the monster, Conspiracy Thriller - sinister agents, Family Drama - relationship in the families, Romance - Nancy and Steve, Coming-Of-Age - boy gang, Police Drama - Hopper’s investigation

Question 9

How does it link to ET?

Answer 9

A suburban location, boys on bikes, missing fathers and ambiguous government agents in hazmat suits

Question 10

What other films does it link to?

Answer 10

Jaws (peril implied not seen), Carrie (girl with special powers), Stand By Me (boy gang), Close Encounters (an adult obsessed)

Question 11

What film does the title of Stranger Things play homage to?

Answer 11

The Dead Zone

Question 12

What perspective is the narrative from?

Answer 12

Multi-perspective narrative

Question 13

What does the multi-perspective narrative suggest in terms of ideologies?

Answer 13

A less individualistic ideology as there is many voices and the boys are a gang, which drives the narrative

Question 14

What lone perspectives are there in the narrative?

Answer 14

Hopper and Joyce’s

Question 15

How is consumerism represented?

Answer 15

Through references to popular culture and consumer goods

Question 16

How is the ideology of pro-family represented?

Answer 16

Through the social realism and the narrative disruption being the loss of a family member

Question 17

How is the anti-authoritarian ideology represent?

Answer 17

Ruthless violence of the state is defeated by a small girl

Question 18

Todorov: what are there three parts?

Answer 18

Equilibrium: settled and safe suburban lifestyle (albeit with inadequate fathers)
Narrative disruption; monstrous event at the start and Will’s abduction
Narrative drive; search for Will, the monster and Eleven’s powers

Question 19

How does ST start?

Answer 19

Opening sequences starts with a tilting exterior establishing shot then as a series of interiors.

Question 20

How does the opening sequence connote the Barthesian myth of The Monster?

Answer 20

The animal noises in the soundtrack, a striking overhead shot connoting the immense size of the attacker (as it’s from the attackers point of view) and the attacker is UNSEEN

Question 21

What 1960s track was playing when Eleven escapes the Diner?

Answer 21

White Rabbit

Question 22

What is the enigma at the end of episode 1 in place of a resultion?

Answer 22

Where is Will

Question 23

Levi-Strauss: What are the binary opposites?

Answer 23

Monstrous vs ordinary, violence vs nurturing etc

Question 24

Boudrillard: how is ST hyperreal?

Answer 24

Through intertextual references referring to representations of the 80s but also films that are representations of other times eg The Thing which was a remake of a 1950s film

Question 25

How do we describe the m-E-s in the opening sequence?

Answer 25

Expressionistic - oppressive corridors and flashing lights

Question 26

The next scene is shot at night with low-key lighting in naturalistic Suburburban m-E-s. What does this connote?

Answer 26

A sense of security and threat at the same time

Question 27

How do the Duffer Brothers create a “gang of individuals”?

Answer 27

Through the physical dissimilarity of the four boys, emphasised by their constumes

Question 28

How does ST meet the contextual requirement for high production values?

Answer 28

Consciously emulating the lush cinematography and use of enigma characteristic of Spielberg films such as ET

Question 29

How does it explicitly link to The Thing?

Answer 29

The poster in the basement and the sound effects

Question 30

How does it explicitly link to Poltergeist?

Answer 30

Plot that suggests being sucked into another world

Question 31

Why do LFTVD delay the narrative resolution?

Answer 31

This creates anticipation by combining multiple narrative strands

Question 32

What other narrative strands are there?

Answer 32

The romance between Nancy and Steve