Stranger Things Essay

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? In the middle-school drop off scene, there is a wide shot of dozens of students walking in the student-drop off area. The clothing worn is all 80s style and authentic. The vehicles in the scene are also from the 80s. Social groups such as white, black, disabled are all represented in this scene. The protagonists of Lucas and Dustin represent a form of minority. The background characters also show similar ethnicities. The bullies that appear in the scene also provide authenticity that schools were not perfect, and conflict was commonplace back in this time period. It also establishes Mike, Lucas and Dustin as the ‘freaks’ and out of place students. This reinforces the representation of them, as the ‘nerds’ of the class. The dialogue, which involves Mike complementing Dustin about his arm trick, saying it is a ‘superpower’ shows again how they are nerds and reference pop culture from the 80s time period. For example, ‘Mr Fantastic’. The chopper bikes the boys use, also provides authenticity to the scene. The sound design is also reminiscent of middle schools. Chatter is in the background. The school bell also rings to further show they are in a school and makes it seem realistic. The high school scene is similar to the previous scene however they are some major differences. The background characters are older than the middle school students, to show that this is a change of location to the previous scene which may have been seen as the same if the extras were the same age. The school bell rings like the previous scene to show the audience that Nancy is entering a school. The main hallway is identical to real 80s schools and the lockers have the same design. The clothing of the actors is again in an 80s style. The dialogue is also very ‘teenage’, for example ‘makeout’. This provides authenticity to the characters and reminds the audience that they are teenagers and shows what problems they face on a daily basis. The note than Nancy receives is also very high school and shows how messages were communicated without mobile phones. This reminds the audience what time periods the drama is set in. The hairstyle that Steve Harrington has also shows the style of the 80s apart from clothes.