Stranger Things: Netflix and Regulation

Stranger Things Articles

Article 1: 'Will Netflix really steal traditional TVs crown?' - The Guardian

This article talks about the overall success Netflix has had in the past few years and the worry that Netflix will take over modern and traditional TV. However the article goes on to talk about how this is unlikely to actually happen as many people that are subscribed to Netflix are also subscribed to Sky and Now TV, neither of which who are losing customers. This means that most people that use Netflix see it as a compliment to what they already own rather than a replacement. Overall it seems Netflix's impact on traditional TV broadcasters is much more limited than many fear and less than Netflix hopes. 

Article 2:  

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/ways-watching-technology-television

Article 3:

https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/ready-set-binge-more-than-8-million-viewers-binge-race-their-favorite-series

Stranger Things: Industry

Stranger Things: Industry

Duffer Brothers - Born 1984

The Duffer brothers began making films in the third grade using a Hi8 video camera that was a gift from their parents.

• They relocated to Orange, California to study film at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where they graduated in 2007.

• After writing and/or directing a number of short films, their script for the post- apocalyptic horror film, Hidden, was acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2011.

• The brothers directed the film in 2012, which was released in 2015.

• Director M. Night Shyamalan read the script and hired them as writer/producers on the Fox television series Wayward Pines.

Production and Distrubution

• Produced by 21 Laps (TV and Film credits include Night at the Museum)

• Original Netflix series, so paid for by them and distributed by them exclusively

• Ranked as the most popular digital series in the US only after the week after its release on Netflix (3 x more viewings than OITNB) 

Netflix

•Has over 100 million customers world wide, all paying a minimum of £5.99 per month.

•CEO Ted Sarandos has championed the production house “Netflix Originals”, Netflix’ in house production company, by committing $8bn to original content in 2018

•This includes 30 new anime series and 80 new films.

•Double Oscar winning film Manchester by the Sea was a Netflix original production.

•This is a perfect example of vertical integration – i.e. Netflix do not need to pay any outside agencies to produce or distribute their products. All the money is kept in house.

  

Why Netflix?

•In large part, the success of Stranger Things can be attributed to its pacing and its binge-ability — a quality characteristic of Netflix. In its earlier iterations, the Duffer Brothers wanted Stranger Things to be a film. It wasn't until meeting with Netflix that they could decided not only their ideal format, but to also let their series play out without being restricted to a standard 13 or 22 episode run.

•Matt [Duffer]: The cool thing about TV is you have a lot more time. (But) you’re not stuck now with 22 episodes. It’s almost impossible to tell a cinematic story when you have that many episodes.

•Ross [Duffer]: This is almost really the first time that I can think of in history that people are able to come up with a story, and they’re able to go, how long should this be? Should this be six hours? Should this be seven hours? Should this be 11 hours? And Netflix is very good at not dictating how many episodes it should be. 

The Idea of Stranger Things

•After discussing the movie as a jumping-off point, the brothers began talking about what Matt describes as "bizarre experiments we had read about taking place in the Cold War," specifically Project MKUltra, a mind-control program the CIA led from the Fifties through the Seventies.

•That led them to placing the show in the 1983, a year before the Cold-War–hysteria epic Red Dawn came out, and it brought into focus the fantasy aspect of the story they'd wanted to include.

•"We wanted the supernatural element to be grounded in science in some way," Matt says. "As ridiculous as it is, the monster [in the alternate dimension] doesn't come from a spiritual domain and it's not connected to any religion. It made it scarier. I don't believe in ghosts, but I believe in aliens and alternate dimensions.

 

Genre

Genre

Stranger Things contains many different genres. This includes:

• Coming-of-age-story
• Thriller/Crime
• Sci-Fi
• Group/Buddy
• Romance
• Horror

Stranger Things is what is known as a 'Hybrid' which is a show or movie in which includes many different genres.

Intertextuality

Stranger Things is not only set in the 80's but also has many references to 80's movies. Movies like E.T, Alien and the Goonies are referenced heavily in Stranger Things. This is most likely because the Duffer Brothers grew up with these movies and because they had a lot of inspiration from these movies that helped them to create Stranger Things.

Stranger Things: Scene Analysis 1

Stranger Things: Scene Analysis 1

The use of digetic sounds of the crickets outside and the innocent actions in the mise en scene of Benny washing the dishes and 11 eating ice cream create a calm atmosphere in which is directly contrasted moments later with the digetic sound of a gunshot with a mid shot to show the woman murdering Benny. Benny is represented as being understanding at first however is represented as clueless when he is murdered by the woman. 11 is represented as worried through out the whole scene and the woman stays calm throughout. This shows us how the more adult characters are unaware of the dangers that the child characters have to face. It shows that the children in the show are unable to rely on the adults to protect them and must be prepared to protect themselves. 

1980's

1980's

Many things defined the 1980's such as music, movies, fashion, animation, gaming, science fiction and more.

USA

In the 1980's the USA had became a superpower and was rivals with the Soviet Union in the cold war. Both partook in huge space advancements in what is known as the space race. This led to a fascination with space and the fear of the unknown. This is why most of the entertainment in the 80's has a sci-fi theme. The USA was also making electronic innovations in the 80's and cable became mainstream. There were also many negatives in the 1980's with the war on drugs and the spread of HIV and Aids. All these things contributed to the themes of the American media and entertainment of the 1980's.

Common 80's Movies Themes

• Child protagonist
• Mystery and the fear of the unknown
• Freindship
• High school setting
• Aliens and creatures from outer space