LFTVD Media OCR: Stranger Things and Deutschland 83

ML: Genre

Neale argues that genre is created through generic codes and conventions that apply to a certain genre and are repeated until recognised.
ST: sci-fi, horror, thriller, family/friendship, romance, coming-of-age and police drama.
D83: spy thriller, romance, political satire and family.

ML: Intertextuality

ST: explicitly references Spielbergian 70s/80s cinema. ET: suburban America, boys on bikes, and gov officials in hazmat suits. Girl with telekinesis like Carrie. Star Wars just being released references.
D83: Ronald Reagan's speech, real footage used, Cold War tension, pop culture of 80s, and the western culture in the West.

ML: Ideologies

The key ones that influence LFTVD's are individualism, consumerism, patriarchal/feminism and ethnocentrism/multiculturalism.
ST: not individualistic as focuses of multiple characters and storylines, consumerism is incorporated by pop culture and consumer goods, mix of nuclear families and single-parent, housewives and working women, El is a feministic ideology, Lucas is an example of multiculturism or tokenism depending on viewpoints.
D83: focuses on Martin throughout so individualistic, consumerism is very prominent as a lot of focus is on the thriving West and the poor East, Lenora is a powerful female representation, primarily white perspective.

ML: Narrative

Todorov argues that most narrative follow a similar structure which includes the equilibrium, the disruption, then the new equilibrium.
ST: original equilibrium is suburban America then the break is Will's abduction.
D83: original equilibrium is Martin's job as a border guard and the break is Reagan's escalation of the Cold War which leads to Martin becoming a spy.

ML: Binary Opposites

Levi-Strauss says that binary opposites are used to exaggerate ideologies.
ST: good/evil, gov/citizens, monsters/ordinary, threat/love, violence/nurturing.
D83: state/family, manipulation/love, danger/safety, rich/poor, western/eastern.

ML: Semiotics and Realism

Baudrillard argues that the lines between media and real life have been blurred in postmodern society.
ST: does this by intertextual references and references films that have been released signifying that they live in our past society.
D83: uses real events like the Cold War and uses real footage like Reagans speech.

MR: Contexts ST

Social context - reflect 80's family and gender relations and is set within a White, suburban town, present fathers as absent/uninvolved/distracted, mothers as holding the family together, young boys as youthful/loyal/masculine, and Nancy in contradictory ways.
Cultural context: American dream/small town America, Eleven having supernatural powers reflects the cultural tradition of dangerous children in sci-fi, science going wrong like Frankenstein, complexity reflects the high standards of viewers.
Political context: anxiety about the power of the state, sinister agents, all-powerful secret state, humanised local police. Stereotypes to create intertextuality of 80s culture.
Historical context: 80s tech like walkie-talkies, arcades, bikes, radios suggest pre-internet age.
Economic context: complex characters and narrative reflects economic pressure to create flagship quality show.

MR: Contexts D83

Social context - divided 80s Germany, East socialist (gender equality) but very poor and state controlled, West capitalist Germany very patriarchal but flourishing and rich. Both predominantly White and racially segregated army.
Cultural context: neither East or West presented as the enemy as typically Cold War films the East is the enemy due to the Western ideologies, spy narrative is globally successful, and complexity reflects the high standards of viewers.
Political contexts: the concern for both Germanys reflect either a German political view or a liberal critique on American Republic politics.
Historical context: explores the German division, the Cold War politics and the problems faced by both sides.
Economic contexts: complex characters and narrative reflects economic pressure to create flagship quality show.

MR: Realism

ST: realistic historical depiction but the intertextual references to fictional products which lacks realism.
D83: very realistic - real events, not politically biased and plausible events which allows implausibility like Lenora hiring her nephew.

MR: Stereotyping

ST: studious-looking scientist in white coat, Mike's typical nuclear family, Nancy stereotypically teen girl gossiping and interested in boys, Hopper typical police officer with a traumatic past, Joyce being a poor, disorganised single-mother, agents are faceless, powerful and ruthless, and mothers hold the family together. Contradictions: deliberately stereotyped for intertextual/realistic reasons, scientist is fearful and vulnerable, Joyce's family struggling despite being in a m/c town, Nancy's educational success and the anti-patriarchal representation of father's being useless and insensitive.
D83: Walter is stereotypical ruthless spymaster, young people seeking pleasure through music and alcohol, Martin being uncommitted to his job as it would prevent him from seeing his girlfriend, General Jackson being authoritarian and unconcerned about local sensitivities and Yvonne is a troubled and rebellious teenager. Contradictions: in the socialist East women are more equal shown by Lenora being a powerful women who sets up the spy operation.

MR: Ideologies

ST: patriarchal order is presented by science, state, family and police however the audience are rooting for the underdogs; the single mother and gang of children. Pro-family and liberal feminist viewpoints. Inclusion of one Black family it may appear tokenistic or deliberate period reference. No evidence of anything homosexual apart from when Joyce suggests to Hopper that Will's father was homophobic to him which is relevant to the ideologies at the time.
D83: patriarchy in the West, equality in the East. Identify with Martin due to his flawed personality and sympathetic to Lenora in her patriotic duty but shocked by her manipulative tactics. The West have an ethnically diverse army while the East have a fully white one.

Media Industries

American media companies reflect the free market capitalism, unlike the BBC. Netflix produced Stranger Things and Deutschland 83 was co-produced by RTL and Sundance TV. Netflix is funded by subscription and RTL and Sundance are funded commercially. Stranger Things was created, written, and directed by the Duffer Brothers who were young creators when Netflix commissioned their show. Deutschland 83 was created by husband and wife, Anna and Joerg Winger. Anna, an American novelist wrote the script and Joerg, a German producer, produced it.

Media Audiences 1

-Netflix do not categorise their audience by class but by using algorithms which will offer shows based on their previous watches. Commercial TV will categorise their audiences to make sure they are reaching as wide audience as possible.
-High quality shows will attract an international audience, like Netflix which is available globally. Smaller companies co-produce to get high quality as possible to make it popular globally.
-LFTVD's use similar techniques to blockbusters to attract global audiences like using Hollywood stars (Winona Ryder), high budget and production values, mainstream genres, genre hybridity, and development of franchises (multiple seasons)

Media Audiences 2

-D83 was scheduled at 9pm on a Sunday night up against many 9pm dramas on Channel 4. It got 1 million live viewers on Episode 1 and 2.5 million overall on catch-up. Highest-rated foreign language programme on British TV.
-The Stranger Things trailer emphasised the social realism and contrasted it with the genre hybridity which ominous music.
-Using Hall's reception theory of preferred reading, negotiated reading and oppositional reading will show how audiences respond.
-Jenkins participatory culture theory goes very well with Stranger Things who have a very involved audience like creating fan wikis.
-Stranger Things will be interpreted differently depending on the audiences experiences of the 80s. D83 requires on German nostalgia for the old East Germany and key brands/locations.