The Duffer Brothers

1980's films Stranger Things have referenced:

Ghostbusters (1984)

The most obvious link is their costumes for trick or treating, the reference shows the boys in their proton packs biking and singing to the movies theme. "If there's something strange, in the neighbourhood" is the tag line of Ghostbusters which represents the story of Stranger Things perfectly as a strange creature terrifies the neighbourhood. Also, in Dustin's bedroom he has a ' 'Ghostbusters Certificate of Anti-Paranormal Proficiency' hanging on his bedroom wall.




Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Hopper's outfit clearly portrays Jones especially focusing on his iconic hat in which he actually goes back to retreat which Jones would always do as well as shots that match directly to the movie including the one above and the image of Hopper's silhouette in the underground tunnel. The Duffers also stated the scene where Max drives to the pumpkin patch is a shot for shot remake of Short Round in Temple of Doom.















Firestarter (1984)

Stranger Things focuses on a young girl 'Eleven' who has superpowers which resembles Charlie in Firestarter who has pyro-kinesis powers that is hunted by a secret government agency. The scene is Eleven crushing the can with her mind is a shot for shot remake of a moment in Firestarter- both monitored by a science lab. In addition, one of the movie posters directly copies the Firestarter one with Elevan being the key focus like Charlie both with their hair appearing to float up.

Big Six

Twenty                     Purple                 Unicorns            Walk             Sausage               Dogs
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 20th century fox          Paramount             Universal       Warner bros    Sony                   Disney

Theorists

STEVE NEALE- Genre Theorist "Genre relies on repetition and differences"

Language
Industries
Audience
Representation

STUART HALL- Reception Theory
How audiences read a media text; dominant; negotiated; oppositional

ALBERT BANDURA- Effects Theory
Media can implant ideas in the mind of the audience directly, idea that media representations of transgressive behaviour.

• Hypodermic needle

CURRAN & SEATON- Industry Theory
Media controlled by small number of companies driven by profit and power
Media concentration generally limits or inhibits variety, creativity and quality

ROLAND BARTHES- Language Theory
Focus on looking how connotations and denotation have an effect

BARTHES- Narrative theory
Suggested there will be one or more of the 5 codes that describe the meaning of a piece of text

• Hermeneutic/enigma code, clues are dropped but no clear answer given, makes reader want to read on
• Proairetic/action code, uses sequential elements and adds suspense
• Semantic code, refers to additional meaning (an extra layer)
• Symbolic code, symbolism within the text, uses opposites to show contrast and create greater meaning
• Referential code, an external body such as scientific, historical and cultural knowledge

GEORGE GERBNER- Cultivation theory
States that high frequency viewers of television are more targeted to media messages and they will eventually start to believe that they are true, their main focus is on the effects of the viewer to create a behaviour. The more people who are exposed to long term effects of media the more they will be effected by it.

Audience

Audience: The type of person you want to target a product towards.

Demographic profile:

A- Bankers, Lawyers, Doctors                                                                      
B- Teachers, creative and media people
C1- Office supervisor, junior management, nurse
C2-Plumbers, builders, decorators
D- Semi/unskilled, Manuel workers
E- Unemployment, students, pensioners

Psychographic Profiling:

Mainstreamers: People who seek security, conformists and domestic. Family brands/largest group.
Aspirers: Seek status, are materialistic and focus on appearance and image. Typically younger people
Succeeders: People with strong goals and confidence. Seek control and have a high work ethic. Typically higher management and professions.
Resigned: Seek survival, rigid and interested in tradition. Usually older people.
Explorers: Seek energetic experiences and discover individualism. Typically students
Strugglers: Seek escape, disorganised and alienated. Typically spends money on alcohol and junk food. Usually lower demographic
Reformers: Seek enlightenment, freedom and personal growth but aware of good taste.


        Stuart Hall Reception theory         /   --------------------------> Dominant
                                                             /                                           "Completely agree"
                                                           /
Intended message-----------------------------------------------------> Negotiated
                                                           \                                             "Yeah ok, kind of agree"
                                                             \
                                                               \  ---------------------------> Opposition
                                                                                                         "Don't agree"

Audience research

MORAL PANICS

Moral panic is used to describe media presentation of something that has happened that the public will react to in a panicky manner. Moral panic usually exaggerates statistics to create a bogey-man (known as a folk-devil in sociological terms). Used commonly in newspapers to attract attention and interest to the audience.

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY

The Hypodermic needle theory talks about media’s power on audience. The message in this theory is said to be like a magic bullet which enters the minds of audience and injects a particular message. The theory explains how media controls what the audience views and listens to and the effects, which can be immediate or later in future. Social media is a clear example of how easily brainwashed we can become as a result of the hypodermic needle theory due to us believing most things we see or read.