NEWS ASSESMENT 1

Deutschland 83 Walkthrough

Deutschland 83

Season 1, Episode 1- Quantum Jump

• It was released in Germany in October 2015, and released in the UK in January 2016.
• Media language- Dark side - the East, Uniform, communism
•  Light Side - colourful, love, fruit.
• Grass and Concrete on floor, gives a rigid structure.
• Character- one side is in uniform, shadows on face, dull colour. Other side- bright, warm expression. 
• There is yellow writing on both sides show each side is happy the way they are.

         

Essay Stranger Things

What meanings are created in the sequence you have studied and what do they tell us about narrative, character development and genre?  1000 words

The sequence I have studied is the first episode of the Sci-fi series Stranger Things. Stranger Things is a long form TV drama which pays tribute to many 80s films, such as E.T, Alien and The Goonies as well as many other films from the 80s, giving the series lots of intertexuality. This long for TV drama includes many cliff hangers, multiple narratives and also stock characters, which are some of the conventions for a TV drama. 

Stranger Things use multiple parallel plots throughout the series, as well as the first episode I have analysed. Some of the plots include Will going missing, Nancy and Steve's romance, the science lab as well as the young girl Eleven running away from the government. By using parallel plots, they tend to cross over throughout, and the audience get ideas of this through enigmas in the story. As the episodes are only 45 minutes to an hour long, the story lines are able to develop slightly but then are left on a cliff hanger at the end of the episodes, just like the sequence I studied. In this sequence, we see Eleven, who has been running away from the government being discovered by the three boys who are looking for Will. As all these characters are seen as major by the audience, it suggests they are going to be even bigger as something has brought them together.

The sequence I studied had a variety of different genres. Some of these genres included sci-fi, adventure, mystery, romance thriller as well as family values. These are all included as the film was set in the 80s and the creators wanted to pay tribute to this time period. The scene where the Byers' phone rings, relates to the sci-fi genre as it has on screen diegetic noises of supernatural forces whilst Joyce speaks into the phone. Soon after this, there is an electrical spark which cuts off the mysterious call. It suggests the force doesn't want Will to have communication with his mother, so the audience are left wondering why. The use of contrasting genres, makes it appealing to all audiences. The romance is between Steve and Nancy. This is shown through the jump cuts whilst the teenagers are in her room. This shows the proximity between her and Steve and the intimacy of their blossoming relationship. Then there are also thriller scenes such as when Will is running away from the mysterious figure he saw on his way home from Mike's. This is just before he is taken. The use of different genres caters to different audience's needs and although there are some genres bigger than others, each one contributes to the story and the plots.

Throughout the sequence, there are many social groups being represented.  These different characters are intertwined in the multiple plots, which allows their character to develop. One example is Benny who owns the diner. When we first see him, he is angry as someone is stealing his food, but then understand it is Eleven who is rough looking. Slowly, the audience learns to like Benny throughout the sequence and when he is suddenly killed for no reason, it is saddening to the audience and a shock. The main group we see is the teenagers, both the younger age (Mike's group) and the older ones (Nancy, Steve and Barb).  The younger boys are the stereotypical elementary school boys, they get bullied and picked on, but towards the end of the sequence, we understand they are brave whilst going to search for Will. As for the older group, there is the two girls who are focused on their studies as well as gossip. The older teenage boy, Steve, is the typical jock who loves himself a bit and is obsessed with girls. It shows how there are different groups within the different social groups who do and represent different things.

Overall, the sequence I have analysed uses parallel plots to add to the intensity of the story line, as well as the use of multiple genres to capture all audiences. Representations are heavily being portrayed by an aray of characters who are all being developed slowly in the first episode.