Representation
Representation is a consistent issue you will have to continually refer to in most aspects of this course. Stranger Things, however, seeks to achieve two things. Firstly, it seeks to represent the place and time it is set (1980s) however, it is very much aware that its audience are a 2017-18 audience. This is important when you consider the following questions.
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REPRESENTATION QUESTIONS
How are the main characters represented through the use of media language? What social groups can they be seen to fall into?
Which individuals or groups are under-represented in the drama? How do you know? Why might this be?
Which individuals or social groups are mis-represented in the drama? How do you know? Why might this be?
What stereotypes are used? Are any of the main characters stereotypical and if so, why might they be represented in this way? How do we respond to them as a viewer as a result?
Are the stereotypes we see used in a positive or negative way?
How much influence will the producer have had on the way individuals, social groups or social identities are represented?
Why might the producer have decided to construct this representation? Which aspects of media language are used by the producer to help construct these representations?
How are events, issues and social identities represented?
What events or issues are represented?
Did you already know about these events or issues? Are they usually under-represented or not? Why might they be the focus of representation in this drama?
How true to their historical and socio-cultural contexts are the representations? Do they offer a realistic version of the events/ issues portrayed or a different viewpoint? Why might this be? How does it use media language to achieve this?
Do you feel the events or issues have been mis-represented in this drama? Is the representation positive or negative? If so, what reasons can you give for this?
How much influence will the producer have had on the way the events or issues are represented? Why might the producer have decided to construct this representation and what aspects of media language are used to create this?
Realism
REALISM QUESTIONS
What is realism and how is it different to reality?
How can realism be defined? What is realism and why it is used by media producers?
How conventional or important is realism in Long Form TV Drama and the drama’s success?
How is the drama constructed - how do media producers construct realism? Which elements of media language enable constructed realism to claim to be ‘real’?
How are the representations of individuals, social groups, social identities, events and issues constructed as real? Refer to specific examples.
Semiotics, Signs and Signifiers
What is semiotics and how does it help us analyse and understand representations in the media?
What are media signs and signifiers?
What key signs and signifiers can be seen in episode one of each of the set products?
How do these help to communicate messages and values about the individuals, social groups, social identities, events and issues conveyed in the dramas?
What are connotations? How do the representations offered connote the same or different values, attitudes and ideological beliefs about the world? Why do we recognise these connotations? Are they reinforced across a wide range of media representations or do the representations offer new messages and values?
How might audiences respond to and interpret these signs and signifiers?
How may audiences respond to associated connotations and interpretations represented in the episodes? What different meanings could there by and why? What is the impact of different social, cultural, political and historical contexts on the way we interpret meaning from the same representations?
Ideology and dominant ideology – Expressing viewpoints and values
IDEOLOGY QUESTIONSWhat is ideology, what is dominant ideology and who are the dominant group(s) within our society?
How do the representations offered in episode one of the set product reinforce or challenge dominant ideology? What messages and values are communicated by the representations offered in the drama?
Are these representations constructed as real and natural? If so, how is media language and constructed realism used to achieve these viewpoints as ‘truth’?
What is the effect of dominant ideology on industry contexts? How might the choices made by media producers regarding how to represent events, issues, individuals and social groups be influenced by dominant ideology and the values of the owner?
How can ideology influence audience response and the interpretation of meaning in the set products by audiences? Is the interpretation of meaning different for different audiences?
How important is the political, social and cultural context in which the set products were set and produced in communicating specific values, beliefs, attitudes and ideology through the dramas?