Deutschland 83 scene by scene walk through

Deutschland 83 character analysis

Narrative essay

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

Long form TV drama (LFTVD) follows a set of conventions which entice an audience to continue watching the show through long periods of time. To do this, dramas use multi-stranded narrative structures which interlink and cross over, characters the audience can build a relationship with and various locations. To keep audiences engaged and left wanting more, the dramas include many plot twists, cliff hangers and lots of creativity when characters and themes change and develop to keep audiences invested in the program. This is highlighted when at 45.50 we are introduced to the three boys Dustin, Lucas and Mike who are searching for Will, the diegetic sound of rain pelting on to them in a dark, spooky woods with the only source of light being that of their flashlights helps build up the tension in the atmosphere for the audience as the mystery continues that keeps the audience gript. To accompany the cliff hanger for the end of the episode, the use of slowly panning, jump cut shots between the boys and Eleven are used. Allowing the audience to see their full facial expressions as to what they are feeling in the moment; scared and confused. This is another example of building the tension and leaving the audience questioning what will happen next. It is also an example of a multi stranded narrative used different story lines have been brought together to link the characters and leave the audience feeling enticed to know the significance to why.

Characters are a main LFTVD convention that are extremely important for shows such as stranger things to succeed in keeping the audience engrossed. This is because viewers want to engage and relate with the characters to create a relationship which will keep them gripped to the show and fandom. A character who is an example of this is Benny who at first we question if to like him or not due to his dirty and ragged appearance which is a complete contrast to when he begins to care for Eleven and wants to help her seek shelter and stay safe. However, the mood quickly changes as at 39.54 as long shot of Connie the social worker is used when we see her shot Benny. The effectiveness of this shot is so the audience can see the picture as a whole including their body language and Elevens facial expression as to what she has just witnessed. Elevens facial expression is shown to be frightened and shocked before she makes a quick escape. To accompany this there is the sound of diegetic radio background music of the song ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson, the volume is increased as soon as Benny is shot which builds up the tension in the atmosphere for the audience. The song now becomes a non-diegetic sound which adds a fast pace dramatic as to when Eleven runs away to escape the authorities. This leaves the audience feeling confused, questioning why Benny was shot and who Connie really is and who does she represent. This is an example of a LFTVD story line which entices the audience to continue watching so they can piece together what is happening in the story line and ensure there is greater audience engagement with the show.

In addition, genres is  used in LFTVD to attract a bigger demographic of audience. The more genres a TV series has the more likely it is that it will gain more viewers due to he wider variety. Stranger things includes genres such as romance, thriller, sci-fi, action to cater to most and bring in a wider audience. The genre of sci-fi is used in a scene right at the beginning when we see a scientist be snatched away by a unkown creature. Although we do not see what takes him there are slimey sound effects which sound inhuman accompanied by red flashing sirens indicating danger which are all witness by the long shot used to capture all elements to allow the audience to piece together an idea of what they believe could have happened. Mise en scene is highlighted in the Byers home to help show 80’s intertextuality such as the dull coloured clothes Joyce and Jonathan wear which accompanies the dark and muted tones from the interior of the house. This helps reflect their mood of sadness and despair as they have lost someone who is extremely important to them and who they dearly love. Their mother son relationship is interrupted when the diegetic sound of a bright yellow 80's style wall phone ringing is played. This is an important element as it stands out so clearly against the dark, dull colours of the room and atmosphere. In the moment, the audience get there first glimmer of hope as to Will still being alive and in existence. The diegetic sound of the unidentifiable creature is played through the phone which was first heard at the beginning of the episode when the scientist was captured. This further helps piece together the story plot showing the significance of the multi stranded narrative. An electric shock through the phone is created through SFX which hurts Joyce suggesting that supernatural forces have great power emphasizing the sci-fi genre to the audience.  

Deutschland 83 analysis

Life in East Germany in the early 80s

It was a dictatorship in which there were no free elections, no division of powers, and no freedom of movement. Millions of Germans lived in Communist East Germany for 40 years, full of greyness like you was stepping back in time by a few decades. The culture of East Germany varied throughout the years due to the political and historical events that took place, especially because of Nazism and Communism. In four decades, East Germany developed a distinct culture and produced works of literature, film, visual arts, music, and theatre of international acclaim. Popular culture specialities included among others a high popularity of nudism in Eastern Germany.

Rock bands were expected to sing in German only. This seemed a logical constraint to party leaders but was somewhat unpopular amongst young people, a problem for the authorities was having to check song texts very carefully for anti-state tendencies. The band Renft, for example, fell foul of the authorities, which eventually led to its being banned and disbanded. Furthermore there was the possibility of a limited musical exchange between East and West Germany, nevertheless the bands and musicians had to fear censorship and the state influence.  Many young people joined youth groups were they would come together to learn socialistic views and organise events for younger children. Others enjoyed going out to theatres and watching movies. Instead of being taught English as it is a world language that is usually taught in schools across the world, students were taught Russian. Many classes included socialism views which taught children basic etiquette and how to work together. Etc, pioneer classes where each child would bring in something like show and tell which gave them the opportunity to talk to each other about their lives. Political propaganda shaped GDR - monuments of Communist leaders including Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, banners with political slogans. Furthermore, due to censorship, many creative artists left the GDR from 1975 onwards. A parallel development was that some artists moved out to small city theatres, to create theatre beyond Berlin. In East Germany the movie industry was very active. Besides folk movies, the East German movie industry became known worldwide for its productions, especially for its children's movies, movies about the persecution of Jews in the Third Reich and the resistance against fascism became internationally famous. Movies about problems of daily life were also very popular.

Many East Germans were put under surveillance if the stasi thought that they were being rebellious by associating themselves with Western culture. East Germany regarded the west as being run by old fascists and corrupted by big, international companies- they suspected the west to prepare for WW3. The west stated that the east deprived citizens of their human rights such as freedom of religion, speech and ability to leave the country. The East was heavily run by the government which meant that people had a lack of freedom in how they lived their life, everything was controlled, their social life, their work, what they said and what they did, people wanted to escape the East in order to have more freedom and the ability to express their views without being scared of being imprisoned or punished. There was no unemployment as they didn't believe in the concept therefore there was no benefits and workers were afforded the safety of their jobs as they couldn't be fires unless they committed a serious offence. They helped women in the workplace as they thought the patriarchy was viewed as a symptom of capitalism. They implemented a strong foundation of laws to protect mothers and distribute childcare services. There was more equality as there was a smaller gender pay gap than in the West. They offered free health care, free places to kindergarten and school and had affordable housing. The stasi, which was the largest network of secret police in history were able to infiltrate every facet of society and it is estimated that one in five adults in the country were directly connected to them. Some citizens were happy in their living standards as there was benefits such as more quality, more work, free health care etc however a majority started to get rebellious as more people were being put under surveillance and being punished for the smallest things as the country was over-dictating. Therefore, this led to citizens tearing down the Berlin Wall by hand in order to get their freedom. 

The impact of digital technologies

Long form TV drama and fandom

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-stranger-things-fan-art

https://www.self.com/gallery/stranger-things-gift-guide

LFTVD terminology

How to write an essay:

Point
Examples
Specific
Analysis
Theory/terminology
Answer the question


VOD: Video on demand
Horizontally integrated: Consolidation of many firms that handle the same part of the production process
Vertically integrated:
Above the line: Paid advertisement
Below the line: Free advertisement

Water cooler: Small conversation
Shared universe: Everyone talking about it
Easter eggs: Hidden message/ secret feature of work
State of nation TV: Long form shows challenge the simpler storylines and stereotypical characters dominating TV in the US
Foreshadowing: Indicating a future event
Beyond the binary: Constantly changing your opinion on something
Systematic change: Changing one person changes other things

Linear narrative: Clear beginning/ middle/ end- follows chronological timeline
Fragmented narrative (non-linear): Disrupted narrative, don't have clear steps and shows events out of chronological order- helps show parallel stories within a story (replicates how human mind works)
Restricted narrative: Experience the story through senses and thoughts of just 1 character- narrative cannot tell audience things the main character does not know.
Omnipresent narrative:  A panoramic view of the world of the storyline- point of view of many of the characters and helps audience see a broader range.

Closed endings: Traditionally one characters story that comes to a resolution- sometimes unique storyline per episode that is brought to a conclusion
Open endings: Ends on a cliff hanger, story line unique and can be unsatisfying for the audience.

Distribution of Stranger Things

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

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

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

Scene by scene- social groups

Conventions of LFTVD- Stranger Things

How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed?

Two different groups of teenagers are represented as a social group in the the first episode of Stranger Things: this includes the boy group who are seen as pre-teens and the high school teens including Nancy, Jonathon and Steve. The difference between the two groups are evident in the way they are portrayed. The first time we are introduced to the boys ( Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas) they are playing Dungeons and Dragons in Mikes cellar. The scene consists of lots of quick changing long shots of the boys as they speak very loudly and overlap each other. This highlights to the audience the boys age if they are playing board games, especially due to them taking it so seriously highlighted by the concentration in all of there faces and the stress expressed. This is supported when Mikes mum interrupts to tell them to go home showing they are still kids and not old enough to be able to do what they want. The omnipresent narrative allows us to view the narrative from all the boys point of view and see their individual outlook which supports their characteristics therefore helping the audience understand from a broader range. This therefore shows the audience what the boys are like from the nature and maturity of their age and helps them understand through the use of omnipresent narrative the social groups represented in Stranger Things.
Whereas, the high school teens are shown from a different perspective to that of the boys as they are much older and more mature in the world. The scene in which Nancy and Barb are walking along the school corridor talking about how Nancy and Steve's 'date' went foreshadows the next scene in which we are shown a close up shot of Nancy and Steve kissing in the bathroom. The way Nancy is dressed in a long skirt and cardigan shows her to be a conservative type of character in comparison to Steve who is presented as the popular, charming player of the school through his language stating about "going on a long drive" and his body language. Their characters are pushed through in Stranger Things through the use of 'beyond the binary' in which our opinions on Steve especially is constantly changing as we start with thinking he is bad but slowly begin to see he is actually interested in Nancy. This presents a stereotypical story line of the popular boy going for the 'nerdy' girl and representing the high school teens in a classic American way.

Another social group represented in Stranger Things episode one is the government and how the people we are supposed to 'trust' we do not. The scene in which the social worker arrives and shoots Benny highlights the distrust the audience have for the government. The softness of the camera shots between Benny and Eleven just before the shooting highlights the innocence of the characters especially Elevens yellow top which represents happiness and purity in contrast to the harsh outfit of the 'social worker'. The quick tracking shot of Eleven escaping the diner shows the fear the government have put Eleven in and how calculated and ready they are. The producers have used constructive realism to allow the audience to instantly be wary of the government due to the way they have been portrayed so quickly into the beginning of the sequence. Therefore, the government are represented as a untrustworthy social group which keeps the audience grip as to why they are acting so erratically.

Stranger Things scene by scene

Stranger Things poster analysis

((DISTINCT, CLAMPS, analysis, mise-en-scene))

• The whole poster is dark and mysterious, especially with the black outer box surrounding the poster which draws your attention to the centre. This emphasises silhouettes of a forest highlighting the theme of mystery and danger. This subtly indicates where Will went missing as they try to uncover the truth of what happened in the forest. 
• The moon draws your attention due to its brightness indicating most of the events occur and are set at night- also may be the light at the end of the tunnel. The lighting reflects the mood of being quite dark and eerie.
• The contrast between red and blue are completely opposite with red being evil, representing fire and danger whereas blue symbolises faith and truth- similar to ice. it could also be seen as the different between heaven and hell- hell being where the upside down world potentially is.
• The bright red title is similar to the title for Star Wars- the last Jedi which has a similar storyline due to a supernatural sci-fi style world- easily recognisable.
• The floating dotes in the sky appear to represent the speckles seen in the upside down world later in the series highlighting how they are almost trapped in this world in which they need to escape.
• The letters in the background also represents a scene from within the show in which the 'Demogorgan' communicates with the Byers to free Will. This indicates the importance of what appears to look like an alphabet which represents the younger characters in the show who are still learning. 
• Also in the background there is a creepy unidentifiable character who looks like he is watching/chasing the main characters. The outfit seems to mirror the same one worn by the government as they enter the upside down world. The character in the building also looks like he is emerging from the government building which almost looks like a prison due to the barbed wire surrounding it which emphasises the need for escape.
• The characters all appear to have a scared and frightful look on their faces accept the main character in the middle Eleven. She appears to be concentrating with a determined look across her face with her hand out as if she can control everyone and everything surrendering her- her body language indicates she is the one with the power. She is also wearing a hospital gown which questions the audience why she would be wearing this when everyone else is wearing normal outerwear.
• The 3 boys below represent the E.T scene of them riding their bikes through trouble with the iconic headlight on. This image is repeated throughout the series and almost becomes associated with the boys. They are looking directly at the audience almost as if they've come face to face with the danger they are about to uncover. 
• Above is a sheriff indicating danger occurs in which authorities presence is needed. The 80s style uniform and walkie talkie shows evidence for the time period.

Stranger Things characters

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.

Introduction to Stranger Things

The series is set in 1983 surrounding the story of a group who kids searching for their missing friend. Along the way, they meet an unusual girl with supernatural powers. Throughout the series, they u unravel extraordinary mysteries surrounding their small town including government secrets, supernatural forces and Eleven, a girl with powers.

- The 1st season had 8 episodes, costing $6 million per episode.
- The show was created by the Duffer brothers (Twins). Ross and Matt (Born in the 90s)
- The show pays homage to E.T
- It debuted in July 2016
- represents 1980s nostalgia
- The shows resembles many other 80s films such as Gremlins, the Goonies, Ghostbuster etc.
- Winona Ryder, a famous 80s actress, plays Will's mother. This further links the show to the 80s
- The show increased in marketing through online buzz and fan artwork.
- It was also the little things in the background of scenes that referenced the 80s. E.g. Trapper Keeper
- When looking for a broadcaster/platform, the show was rejected by most mainstream.
- Netflix accepted as they were known as 'rebels' showing TV that was risky and different.
- The 1st series finished with unresolved issued meaning that they could be resolved in the 2nd series.
- Series 2 was set in 1984 and focused on the theme of video games whereas the first was boardgames
- The show references the work of Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King (Who liked the show)
- The show contained weaponized intertextuality due to fan service
- Stranger Things is a Pastiche (Opposite of parody)
- The character Eleven is compared to the characters E.T., Carrie and the girl from fire starter
- Creative misprison is used.

Introduction into TV drama

LFTVD- Long form TV drama

• 2 questions: 30&15 marker
• Stranger Things and Deutschland 83
• Long series narrative- Tv drama series with a number of episodes to create a narrative

Network TV:

• US network broadcasters must satisfy their advertisers and hold market share. They are controlled by federal regulation.
• The impact of this on content is a reliance on highly formalised genre conventions and normative values which meet mainstream audience expectations but generate conservative drama. 

Cable Television: 

• Launched JBN in the 1970s, HBO was the first US national subscription cable TV channel. 
• Other US players include FX, Showtime, & AMC. Many are subsidiaries of media conglomerates (HBO/Warner, FX/Fox)
• These subscription based cable channels can take more risks with what they produce. 
• By early 2000s The Sopranos and The Wire won awards, audiences creating 'water cooler' TV.  

UK TV Drama:

• UK broadcasters have failed to meet the challenge of the US cable channels move to long form with their risk. 
• BBC and ITV 90s- relied on genre-based, formula drama.
• Sky co-opted success of US long form with Sky Atlantic however, commissioning remains tightly controlled with a conservative outlook

Subscription VOD (Viewing on demand)

• Content viewing via a TV still dominates in the UK.
• 3/4 UK households have PVR (Personal video recording) uptake but it has plateaued 
• Use of timeshift is increasing (You can watch whenever)
• Growth of SVOD (Streaming video on demand). Web based channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV is considerable. 
• Netflix dominates with 24% of UK market & 5 million subscribers. 10% growth 2015-16

Audiences:

• Rise in binge watching started with DVD in late 90s/early C21. Partially due to syndication problems in the UK.
• A move from 'Water cooler' to 'Shared universe' fandom (as with cinema)
• US long form drama often uses Easter eggs, and mid-season breaks to generate fan intensity and maintain a media profile. 

Why audiences love LFTVD:

• High quality drama
• Multiple episodes, hours, years
• Content can be dark and difficult but innovative 
• It now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors
• Time shifting, easily accessible 
• Keeps people invested due to lots of creativity 
• Characters and themes change and develop
• Lots of different networks compete
• The show can cater to specific taste

'State of Nation' TV:

• LFTVD challenged the simply story lines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in US.
• CULTURAL ZEITGEIST

- Genres: LFTVD fits most: etc comedy, horror, thriller, mystery, drama, crime

- Themes: Any: etc relationships, murder, power, war, coming of age, family

- Narratives: Variety of all different worlds which are different to normality

- Characters: Interesting to watch and engaging so they are watched over long periods of time

- Production Values: Usually range from 4 million to 5 million per episode. 

- Methods/Platforms: Terrestrial TV, Cable TV, Subscriptions, Streaming 

- State of Nation: Escapist for the viewers, different to their everyday life.

- Memes/Accessories: Depends how popular the series is, especially the newer, more modern ones