D83

D83 Character Sheet

What was it like to live in East Germany in the early 80s? Deutschland 82

Historical:
In the 1980s in East Germany, there was an obvious increase in equality between men and women. From modern estimations it is said that the gender pay gap was only 8% where as it was 23% in the western part of the country, showing that east Germany was more modern. Alongside this, there was also a form to help women in the workplace -  the system was used to help women and mothers in the work place. In East Germany, they took stamp collecting very seriously, and was one of the most popular hobbies in the German Democratic Republic. There was a wall in 'little Berlin' which marked the border between the Americans occupying West Germany, and the Soviets over in the East. Another thing that showed East Germany was ahead of the time against West Germany was that they had created their own pedestrian traffic lights.

Economic:
In East Germany in the 80s, the German Democratic Republic made it a law that every city in the country with over 50,000 people had to have a breast milk bank for babies who needed them. This shows that the country was in a poverty stricken state as they need donations to cover the country for milk. Along with this, East Germany did suffer economically, and as certain technologies became commonplace in the west, the east was unable to reach the same state of comfort. There was no belief in unemployment in East Germany, however this meant there was also no unemployment benefits, but employees could only be fired due to misconduct.

Social:
As the two sides of the country were separated, naturally they developed their own dialectical differences, but in the East slang words were much more common. A black market developed in the 80s for jeans, as in the 1970s they were banned, which they then became a big fashion statement. As Coca-Cola was hard to be transported into East Germany, they created their own coke called Vita-Cola, and another thing relating to food and drink is that bananas were seen as a rare delicacy. East Germany often had a different concept of what a fashion model should be, and their female models were usually everyday women who promoted a healthy body and healthy living. Germanys magazines also were unusual, they based their articles and stories on party politics and healthy living, rather than celebrity gossip etc.

Regulation and Long Form TV Drama: Fact-finding

Learner Resource 3

Regulation and Long Form TV Drama: Fact-finding 

Regulation topic

Relevant information

Topic 1 - The regulation of global practices of production, distribution and circulation https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-netflix-comcast-and-others-are-saying-about-the-fccs-plan-to-end-net-neutrality-2017-11-22 https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelsongranados/2017/01/25/only-top-video-streaming-services-are-likely-to-survive-in-the-trump-era/#1cdb8af13319 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-netflix-asia/in-asia-netflix-trips-on-regulation-content-and-competition-idUSKCN0XJ0BZ

Those opposed to the reversal say getting rid of the protections will allow internet service providers (ISPs) to throttle the connection of some sites, giving preferential treatment to others at a price. Netflix Inc. tweeted on Tuesday that it supports strong net-neutrality rules, and that it opposes the commission’s proposal to roll back protections. In 2015, the launch of HBO Now opened the floodgates for all major players in media and entertainment to launch their own stand-alone video streaming service that is not linked to a cable subscription. Netflix continues to amass global subscribers to consolidate itself as a market share leader. Last week it announced that it garnered 7 million net new members in the fourth quarter of 2016. Netflix had 34.5 million international subscribers against 47 million in the U.S. at the end of the quarter. It is unclear how many of its customers are in Asia. Months after its global rollout, Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) is facing problems in several major Asian markets as it struggles to provide enough strong content to attract consumers amid tough local competition, and also faces many regulatory hurdles, underlining concerns about disappointing subscriber numbers reported this week. Months after its global rollout, Netflix Inc is facing problems in several major Asian markets as it struggles to provide enough strong content to attract consumers amid tough local competition, and also faces many regulatory hurdles, underlining concerns about disappointing subscriber numbers reported this week.

Regulation topic	Relevant information
Topic 2 - The regulation of media and long form drama in the UK https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/14/video-on-demand-ofcom-atvod https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/advice-for-consumers/television/video-on-demand https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/25/netflix-and-amazon-must-guarantee-20-of-content-is-european http://www.chillglobal.com/blog/posts/netflix-and-the-eu-content-regulation	Video-on-demand services including Channel 4’s All4 and Sky’s Now TV will be regulated by broadcast and communications regulator Ofcom.  Currently TV-like services delivered over the internet are regulated by a separate body authorised by Ofcom, the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD), which follows similar rules. These rules will still apply but be overseen by Ofcom. Video-on-demand services include TV catch-up and online film services. The platform on which these on-demand services are delivered does not matter, so services on connected TVs, apps on mobile phones and programmes you view through set-top boxes may all be regulated. ·      Protecting under 18s ·      Incitement to hatred ·      Commercial references in programs In addition, platforms such as Netflix and Amazon will have to ensure that their services provide “good visibility” and prominence to European content in their digital catalogues. According to a study provided by the European Commission, Netflix and Apple’s iTunes already devote 21% of their film catalogue to content from the European Union. The European Union is laying out plans to enforce new laws that breakdown geographical barriers for online subscription services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple Music. When the new regulations come into effect in early 2018, online services must provide a service to its customers regardless of their current location, as long as they stay within the EU.
Topic 3 - The impact of new media technologies on regulation https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/08/new-eu-rules-will-remove-geoblocking-so-customers-can-use-online-subscription-services-like-netflix-abroad/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/26/the-eus-plans-to-regulate-content-on-streaming-services-are-a-mi/	The European Union is laying out plans to enforce new laws that breakdown geographical barriers for online subscription services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple Music. When the new regulations come into effect in early 2018, online services must provide a service to its customers regardless of their current location, as long as they stay within the EU. It will suffocate the fast-growing streaming industry under a blanket of regulation. It will fund lots of unwatchable, pretentious rubbish. Streaming will be a huge industry. But if we are force-fed a diet of dreary French drama it will quickly be killed off – and the destructive power of the EU’s misguided economic nationalism will have been demonstrated yet again.

Stranger Things Meanings Essay

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

There are many conventions in which allow you to identify a long form TV drama. Some of these include; cliff hangers, mystery and strong soundtracks. Within the sequence which we studied, these conventions are obvious along with others. You can identify these within the six-minute clip which was studied, and they allow the audience to entice themselves into the drama more, as the scene ends on a cliff hanger. The final scene in which the group of boys find Eleven, allows the audience to see the themes, see a development in the storyline and also proves the genre is sci-fi.

In the final scene of the sequence the boys are introduced to the character of Eleven. This creates a lot of meanings which develop the story line further and show the genre of the series. These conventions are shown in a range of ways; however, they are used here as it is the end of the episode which therefore creates a cliff hanger, and also so that the audience are shown that the storyline comes together when the two groups of main characters come together. The scene shows the boys running into Eleven and then a shot of close up level shots of the boys looking at her, with their torches shining on her. This is accompanied by loud sci-fi music, which created a sense of mystery and tension as the audience are yet to know who Eleven actually is and her background. Within this scene there are many hints of the genre within the scene. Firstly, the music is a typical sci-fi themed music. The music not only highlights the sci-fi theme, but also creates a lot of tension for the audience. The volume of the non-diegetic music increases when the boy’s torches shine at Eleven, which shows that this moment is of importance as it makes it stand out more. The level camera shot however, shows that the teenagers are equal. This tells us that the characters are equally important within the sci-fi themed long form TV drama, and the cliff hanger shows that the narrative is going to continue to develop in episode two.

Within the scene of Nancy and Steve there are many meanings. Firstly, you can see the development of not only their relationship, but also the development of Steve as a character, in which he becomes more likeable to the audience as he is helping Nancy learn her notes for her exam. Earlier in the episode, you see Steve as a stereotypical jockey who is obnoxious and arrogant – however in this scene he is presented as a more loveable person and you can see that Nancy see’s this too making the audience feel part of the scene. When Nancy and Steve are in her bedroom it is a typical 80s bedroom which shows the theme and genre of an 80s drama. There is an 80s diegetic song playing in the background of the scene at a low volume, however when Nancy pushes Steve off her, the music gets louder to show that it is a dramatic moment, as well as a jump cut being used to show the proximity between them after he moved closer. When he does this, it shows the development of their relationship as the audience are made aware of the intimacy within their relationship as it blossoms. One of the meanings that can be connotated through this scene is the idea of teenagers developing, which is important throughout the whole of episode one, as not only do you see the development of Nancy and Steve, but you can also see the development of the group of boys becoming responsible and mature when they decide they need to look for Will.

Finally, in the scene at Benny diner, which is a typical 80s diner, there is diegetic music playing. When the social worker arrives and is speaking to Benny, a high angle shot is looking down on her making her seem inferior, and a contrasting low angle shot is used to look up at Benny which connotes that he is more superior. When the social worker has arrived at the diner, the pace of the cuts increases, alongside the non-diegetic music. This is used to make the audience feel on edge and excited, and it gives an overall sense of panic as the officials look for Eleven. When Eleven uses her supernatural powers, this shows the theme of sci-fi to the audience. It shows meanings to the audience that you cannot judge someone on their appearance, as Eleven originally is a young child who looks scared, which connotes to the audience that she is innocent and then she turns into a child who has the ability to use superpowers to an extent that can kill or seriously injure people. This develops the narrative as it makes the audience question the TV drama, making them want to know what is going to happen in the second episode. It introduces Eleven as a character who is full of mystery, as well as making the audience feel empathy towards her. Again, this scene shows the genre of the TV drama as the use of supernatural creates the themes of sci-fi, as well as the murder of Benny showing a theme of crime. 

In conclusion, within the sequence there are many meanings which show the genre, development, characters and narratives. I think that the main scene is the end scene in which there is loud non-diegetic sci-fi music when the boys find Eleven. This adds tension and mystery, to then conclude the episode with a cliff hanger. Alongside other meanings which highlight the themes of sci-fi, mystery and crime throughout the whole episode which make the audience want to continue watching with hints of future themes and the mystery in which the audience want to find out what is going to happen. 

Stranger Things Fanbase

	What is the product? Give an overview.	Who is it by? What demographic/ psychographic can the fan be defined by?	Where can you find this product? Which platform?	Which features of the drama’s content does the product focus on? What does it suggest is the main appeal of the TV drama?	How have other fans responded to the content? Give examples of how they respond?	Are the fans targeted by the TV drama’s creators in any way?
Fan-made product 1	Instagram page made by fans called @netflixstrangerthings Posts images and memes from the series and characters.	It is created by a fan, but they do not disclose themselves as to who they are. However, the fan must be at a working class as they are able to access Netflix and images to post on their Instagram.	You can find this product on Instagram, so it is only available on one platform.	The feature that they mainly focus on is the characters, both the actor and the fictional person.  It suggests this is the main appeal as they relate to them on the page.	Lots of other fans comment and like the pictures.  They are able to DM and comment on pictures and the account creator will reply so they can have a conversation the program.	The fans are not targeted by the TV dramas creators as the account is created by a fan and is for fans so therefore the creators do not have any part of it.
Fan-made product 2	Official Instagram page for Stranger things @strangerthingstv Is an official page linked to a YouTube channel.	It is created by a fan or publicist; however, it does have links to the real actors etc. It shows a high demographic as they are in contact with the actors.	You can also only find this product on Instagram which is one platform. However, it has a YouTube channel which links it to another platform.	This Instagram page focuses mainly on advertisement and current things the actors are doing rather than on the storylines of the series.	Fans comment on the pictures and follow the page. They are often in easy access to the YouTube channel which they can also comment on. They ca ask questions on live videos and on questions on the Instagram stories.	They are not targeted by the dramas creators however they are targeted by the actors as they are able to speak to each other through posts and comments.
Fan-made product 3	Twitter Page for Stranger things @stranger_things The official page showing links, sneak peeks and fan accounts.	It is created by the promoters for stranger things.  The demographic is a wide range as although it is created by a higher class, it is produced for everyone.	This product is primarily based on Twitter; however, it is accessible via the internet. The social media platform.	The thing that it mainly focuses on it promoting the new series and also being able to keep their fans up to date and allowing them to interact.	Fans respond to the twitter page in a positive way as they comment and follow the page. They tag the page in their posts in order to get retweeted.	The fans are not directly targeted by the dramas creators, however they are a large apart of the page as they base their posts on what will interest the fans.

Industry Presentations

Circulation:

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


Production:

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


Ownership:

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


Distribution:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-1c6Ikuopbl7ItwvhWcHWAQfXHM3uzCAurdBLl_Wb08/edit?usp=sharing

Representation Essay Question Homework

How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifiers have in constructing and presenting these representations as real?

There are multiple social groups presented in episode one of Stranger Things including; mothers, teenagers and government. They are all represented through different ways of media language, which presents them in different ways. 

Looking at the social group of teenagers, there are multiple signs which show that they are teenagers, in the 1980s. The first, the bikes which they boys all own. The bikes are first just perceived as an object but looking further into this you can see that the boys depend on their bikes significantly. This connotes to the audience that the boys are quite mature as it shows their independence and their maturity, as they are able to make decisions which are important, especially when it comes to helping to find Will. The light on the bike is bright, which could relate to the idea that the children are intelligent, like a light bulb idea. Overall, teenagers are presented as mature within the first episode, as with signs such as bikes and their ability to create a dungeon and dragons’ game which lasts for ten hours, shows their intellect and concentration. When the boys go outside to cycle home from Mikes house, the flickering porch light continues the theme of bright lights, and the dark scene against this creates tension for the audience. When Mike see’s this he seems to be scared of this when he runs inside, which shows the representation of a typical teenager who is scared of the dark.

Another social group which can be presented in episode one is the police force and government. The government science lab is identifiable immediately as the first character that you see is a scientist in which you know this as he is wearing a lab coat. This connotes as he a scientist to the audience as he is wearing a stereotypical outfit for this, which also shows that he must be intelligence as you need to be clever in order to be a government scientist. The direct mode of address used shows that the audience are level with him. The use of this along with the bright flashing lights, which also links to the lights on the boy’s bikes which can hint at intelligence and also danger, show that something is wrong. When the monster takes the scientist, it connotes to the audience that something bad is happening and the use of loud noise and flashing lights makes this more tense making the audience want to continue watching. The police in the first episode however, are represented opposingly to the government scientist. In the first scene of when Hopper walks into the station and meets with his co-workers, Hopper is at a different level to them which makes him look on a higher platform to them, which shows the audience that he is the Sheriff and they are general police officers. This makes the representation seem real to the audience as it is typical that there is officer who is of higher power. The use of looking up to Hopper shows the audience that he is an important character, and when constructing the scene the producers do this in order to present the social group as having platforms. 

Stranger Things Timing Narrative

Stranger Things Narrative Task

Stranger Things Representations Paragraphs

Teenagers:

In Stranger Things, teenagers play a big role in the story. Firstly, there are the main group of boys; Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin. These are the boys who continue the story and are the main basis of it. Also, Jonathan, Barb, Nancy and Steve are a slightly older group of teenagers, who have their own storyline within the story. The role of teenagers is important in the show as they show the difference between them and their parents. The teenagers being able to solve problems, show to the viewers that they are able to do the same thing as adults. There are examples of the teenagers acting as adults, for example Jonathan has stepped up and acts as the man of the house as their dad doesn’t live with them, so Jonathan is in charge of looking after Will, and also has to work in order for them to be able to afford their house etc.

Family Life and Relationships:

Relationships is a very important aspect in Stranger Things. Not only romantically, but also friend relationships. Without the friendship shown in the series, they would not be able to discover what has happened to Will. Friendship is used to show that sticking together can be used as a strength in order to save Will. Family life is also a very prominent theme within the first episode. Families are created within the series, not only by blood but with strong friendship bonds. Family life is highlighted when eleven is abandoned and has no family to look after her. She is taken in by Mike and he and the boys become a family to her as she has no one else.

Mothers:

Wills mum is one of the most important characters as she is a huge part of the main storyline. The theme of mothers is shown almost entirely the way through between Will and his mother when he goes missing and she goes through anything to get him back. Joyce is presented at the beginning as a careless mother, however as the episode progresses you see that she cares deeply for her children. The theme of mothers is important as they are often represented as being weak and soft. In Stranger Things, especially the first episode, you see a countertype of this immediately from Wills mother. As a single, working class mother she shows that she is strong willed and focused on finding her son, she doesn’t come across as weak, and she shows this through her actions when searching for him. 

Absent Fathers:

This is an important theme as it is represented by several characters. Firstly, from the first scene of Joyce and Jonathan when they realise that Will is missing, you can see straight away that there is no father figure in the house. This is important when it comes to searching for Will, as when Hopper queries if Will could be with his dad, Joyce is confident that he won’t be there as he has no part in Wills life, as Jonathan is the father figure for Will. The other main way this is shown is through eleven. Although she knows her father (‘papa’), he is not acting as a proper father figure towards him. He is keeping her locked up like an experiment, even though she persists to call him papa. Finally, Mikes dad shows absenteeism even though he is present in his day to day life. He shows lack of care and consideration to his children.

Police:

Police is a key theme. One of the main characters, Hopper, is the police sheriff. Hopper begins as a stereotypical police man, however as his concern grows for Will, he turns into a countertype of a policeman going above and beyond for his job. Police are important in this as they usually work for the government, where as they work against the government as they are the bad people. Without the police Will would not have been able to be found.

Government:

In the first episode of Stranger Things, the government is a main theme. This is shown straight away as the first character to be shown is from the Governments lab. The government have control over everybody, and this is shown when the lady from the government shoots Benny when looking for eleven.