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.