Jean Baudrillard

Paul Gilroy

Representations of social, cultural and historical events can vary within long-form television dramas from different countries.(no intro or concl)

Representations of social, cultural and historical events can vary within long-form television dramas from different countries.’ Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret these representations differently.

Stranger Things reflect the continuing success of streaming services such as Netflix, who strive to maintain its brand with innovative and original programming, which is apparent through the episodes hybrid genre of action, sci-fi and horror, as well as their 1980's inspired nostalgia, attracting a range and wide audience. Netflix has successfully enabled immersive viewing, known as binge watching, which gives the audience the opportunity to consume a piece of media within a day whilst not having to wait for a new episode, therefore Netflix's viewers can watch when, where and how they want, which decreases the interest of linear TV. For example, Netflix generates on average roughly 38 minutes of viewing per day in households that have it, whilst linear TV generates 3.5 hours. It also has over 167 million subscribers and is available in over 190 countries, excluding China, North Korea, Singapore and Syria due to their privacy laws and government. Due to Stranger Things' success, it is now the most-watched Netflix programme of 2019 and has been released on Blue-Ray and DVD, as well as being available on the web, and on the app. Deutschland 83 reflects the highly competitive nature of US cable and satellite television in which channels such as Sundance Channel seeks quality programming to maintain the brand and the reliance of German commercial broadcasters on international co-productions for prestige drama.  

Typical of LFTVD, both Deutschland 83's and Stranger Things' narrative structure are novelistic; they show multiple storylines and characters that stretch over a number of episodes and seasons. D83's spy narrative is of global cultural resonance and helps explain the international success of the series, despite its poor audience figures in Germany. Additionally, both narrative's supports Todorov's theory of narratology. ST portrays an untroubled, quiet town with traditional families, but Will soon goes missing and disrupts the equilibrium. The discovery of Eleven further disrupts this separation of equilibrium and this problem is not resolved by the ending of the episode. In a similar way, D83 shows a character that lives a happy, normal life in East Germany but Lenora, who embodies this disruption, disturbs the equilibrium as she takes Martin away from his home. It is this theory and structure that entices the audience and enforces this process of binge-watching with unresolved endings and a disruptive atmosphere.  

Stranger Things intertextuality reflects the traditional 1980’s family and gender relations, set within a mostly white world of suburban family life. Mothers are represented as strong, yet struggling figures trying to hold their families together. Joyce Byers opposes to the typical, domestic role of a mother; she is over-worked and conscientious. She is represented as an emotionally unstable and vulnerable character after her son goes missing, and this weak state is represented through not only her emotive dialogue and characteristics but also by her clothes and home; she is dressed in dark and miserable colours and her house is cluttered. Supporting Van Zoonen's idea that a genders meaning can vary according to cultural and historical context, Joyce would have faced extreme judging due to her divorce, representing a broken family, adding extra weight to her stress, as it was unusual to be divorced in the 1980s. Moreover, during her screen time, the lighting of the shots is mostly dark and dim, and she is mostly placed in the background when with atypical male leader son, Jonathan Byers. To contrast to this, Karen represents the domestic role of a mother in this era – she cooks, cleans and strongly supports her family with strict responsibility.  During her screen time, Karen is positioned in the foreground and in strong lighting, signifying her importance and dominant role. However, whilst the females signify some element of control, the fathers are atypically represented as absent or insensitive through their out of focus camera shots, positioned in the background with little dialogue. Mike’s teenage sister, Nancy, is represented in contradictory ways: she anti-stereotypically excels at science while still fitting stereotypes of the girly teenager. Nancy, therefore, supports Gauntlet's theory that the media tended to convey singular, straightforward messages about the ideal types of gender identities, but now it offers a more diverse range of characters. This is also apparent through the contrasting mother roles and the disparity of the absent fathers with Hopper's dominant and supporting role as a police officer once realising the seriousness of Will's disappearance.

Showing signs of Gilroy's idea of binary oppositions, gender in Deutschland 83 reflects the social contradictions in the divided 1980s Germany, which is reflected through the Levi - Strauss' split screens and comparison of lack or extreme colour and choice. East Germany is represented as a rigidly controlled state that promotes women’s equality, with Leonora as the powerful woman, reinforced through the low angled close-ups, her serious body language and overpowering dialogue. Whereas in West Germany, which is less controlled, the military is represented as rigidly patriarchal, and the women, especially Ingrid, are represented as anxious and vulnerable.

Another representation in Stranger things is the authority of the police and government. The episode represents a shadowy world of possibly sinister enforcement agents, suggesting an all-powerful secret state. Silver Fox (Mathew Modean) is represented as a masterful and powerful character, represented through the low angles, and smartly dressed costumes. When on-screen, foreboding, non-diegetic sounds appear. He also creates a sense of nostalgia for the older audience as he was a well-known actor of the 1980s. Whereas, the local police, by contrast, is represented in a humanised way – they are good-natured but made lazy and complacent until forced into action. short cut shots between Joyce and Jonathon are interrupted by tracking and panning shots when Hopper arrives representing how Hopper is taking control of the case and is attempting to eliminate panic amongst his town’s citizens, especially the traumatised family of the Byers. Their cream boiler shirt and trousers along with a sheriff hat, police badge, walkie-talkie and police car all represent Hopper as an authoritative member of the town.

In Deutschland 83 complex, diverse and ambiguous representations are used to reflect the difficulties faced by Germany incoming to terms with its divided past and the political and military tensions of the early 1980s. For example, this episode shows diverse characters within authority; Wolfgang Edel conforms the stereotypical role of a general – he shows signs of leadership and the direction in a fatherly manner, showing support and assistance, whilst Walter Schweppenstette is presented as  conceited, arrogant and selfish.

To conclude, representations of social, cultural and historical events can vary within form television dramas from different countries due to the audience and the effect it has on them. 

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

What Netflix, Comcast and others are saying about the FCC’s plan to end net neutrality The FCC simply would require internet service providers to be transparent so that consumers can buy the plan that’s best for them. And entrepreneurs and other small businesses would have the technical information they need to innovate.” Netflix Inc. NFLX, +0.99%  tweeted on Tuesday that it supports strong net-neutrality rules, and that it opposes the commission’s proposal to roll back protections. “Comcast does not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content,” wrote Comcast Cable’s Chief Executive Dave Watson. “We will continue to make sure that our policies are clear for consumers and we will not change our commitment to these principles.” 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, beating its record for quarterly growth and smashing expectations thanks to its international expansion. Currently at 94 million subscribers, it is only a matter of months before it reaches 100 million subscribers worldwide. 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. State telecoms company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (Telkom) (TLKM.JK) will continue blocking Netflix until it adheres to regulations, Arif Prabowo, vice president for corporate communications at the carrier, told Reuters, declining to give details. “Korean Netflix’s library in terms of content is pretty thin,” said Jung Dong-yoon

Regulation topic	Relevant information
Topic 2 - The regulation of media and long form drama in the UK 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	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. What rules do on demand programme services have to follow? Regulated on demand programme services must ensure that: Protecting the under-18s: "specially restricted material" (which has been or would be classified in the R18 category by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), or material which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of under-18s, is made available in a way which secures that under-18s will not normally see or hear it; "prohibited material" (which would be refused a classification by the BBFC) does not appear. Incitement to hatred: they do not contain any material likely to incite hatred based on race, sex, religion or nationality; and Commercial references in programmes they comply with rules about product placement and sponsorship. “Currently, European TV broadcasters invest around 20% of their revenues in original content and on-demand providers less than 1%,” said the European Commission. “The Commission wants TV broadcasters to continue to dedicate at least half of viewing time to European works and will oblige on-demand providers to ensure that at least 20% share of European content in their catalogues.”
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/	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. For example, this means that a person from the UK (pre-Brexit) could buy a Netflix subscription in their resident country, and then go abroad to Spain for holiday. Netflix would then have to allow the customer to use their same subscription in Spain with access to the same content that they get in the UK …  The new policy would allow customers to keep using their subscription anywhere in the European Union. It gives customers more flexible about when and where they can use music and video subscription services.

LIVINGSTONE and LUNT

LIVINGSTONE AND LUNT 

Some ideas of how to apply: 

 • Look at the age rating on DVDs for it. Why it got this etc... 
• Where it was shown in the UK and how that might fit into PSB regulation (giving choice to consumers) under OFCOM. 
• Linking content to post-watershed scheduling, but how scheduling is not a relevant system of regulation in the contemporary media landscape of place and time-shifted media. If it was available on Iplayer which as a BBC service, it is regulated in a similar way to a standard TV, so it is less of a risk. 

What is Livingstone and Lunt's theory? 

• A key aspect of the theory is the underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens on the other hand, and the need to further the interests of consumers on the other. 
• This is shown through Ofcom which regulates UK media. The main regulatory duties of Ofcom appear to address the needs of citizens while others seem to address the needs of consumers. 
• Livingstone and Lunt argue that the interests of citizens and those of consumers cannot be easily reconciled. This suggests that there is an increasing tendency in recent UK regulation policy to place the interests of consumers above those of citizens. 

Both Stranger Things and Deutschland 83 is rated 15: 

- strong language (ST + D) 

- sexual nudity 

- sexual activity 

- threat and horror (ST + D) 

- violence without dwelling on the infliction of injury or pain (D)

- drug-taking 

- verbal references to sexual violence 

Traditional television - after 9pm (9:10) regulation is minimalised, however Ofcom has no power to issue sanctions on both Netflix and Channel 4, as it is regulated by the Dutch regulator.  

The idea that the rise of convergent technologies puts traditional regulation at risk. 

OFCOM rules:

• Protect under 18s
• Prohibited material doesn't appear
• Don't insight hatred
• The commercial reference needs to be regulated

What are the pros and cons of regulating online media and streaming services? 

- Protects younger children 
- Enables the parents/carers to have power/control over what their children watch 
- Some streamers require passwords/information to access 
- On-demand reduces the regulation - can watch any time, any place 
- Can lie about age/who they are to watch
- Ofcom has no power to issue sanctions 

Deutscland 83 notes

Deutschland 83:

The episode reflects the social contradictions in divided 1980's Germany: East Germany is represented as a rigidly controlled state that promotes women's equality, with Lenora as the powerful woman who sets up the spying operation, where as in East Germany, which is less controlled, the military is represented as rigidly patriarchal.

Both Germanys are represented as a white and the representation of the racial integration of the American military appears to add to their 'otherness'. The episode shows the influence of social anxieties about facing up to Germany's divided past.

Netflix plans to get everyone watching foreign language TV:

- company's bid to fund high-quality foreign-language content and promote it to audiences around the world. They'll also help Netflix thrive if Europe enacts a new law stipulating that 30% of content on streaming services must be created in European countries.

Narrative structure:

- Novelistic - multiple storylines and characters that stretch over a number of episodes and seasons. Cross cutting between East Germany and West Germany as well as individual character arcs for Alexander, Yvonne, Martin.

- The spy narrative is of global cultural resonance and helps explain the international success of the series, despite its poor audience figures in Germany.

West Germany	East Germany
- Similar to the US as under US influence - CAPITALIST ECONOMY.  - Department stores, restaurants, cars, highways, Western Entertainment - television, films etc   - Fashion was less conservative and more radical due to access to pop culture - Vibrant music scene - Free movement - Large discrepancy between rich and poor	- Under USSR control - COMMUNIST - No billboards, neon signs or advertisements - Very little choice of product - State department stores were stark and was hard to find a variety of supplies - No entertainment that wasn't politically altered or focused - Secret police were very observant and had many informers - Strict curfew

It is a co-production of AMC Networks' SundanceTV and RTL Television

International distribution by RTL Group's Fremantle Media International and North American distribution by Kino Lorber.

Budget of £35 million

What is Channel 4? - it is a publically-owned and commercially-funded UK public service broadcaster, with a statutory remit to deliver high-quality, innovative, alternative content that challenges that status quo.

Walter presents is a video on demand service of channel 4

Production: created by Anna Winger and Joerg Winger.

premiered on Channel 4 on 3rd January 2016

- Direct synergy with programme and 1980's soundtrack

Intertextual link to The Loves of Others and Run Lola Run 

Stranger Things audience notes

• 15-49 year olds
• Why they love it- 80's nostalgia
• How is the audience been targeted
• Synergy with Netflix
• Extensive Narrative Enigmas- Always wanting to know more about the story
• Emotive representations
• Realism- Friendship/loyalty, young protagonists, collective identity
• Retro styling- Nostalgia, soundtrack, hybridisation- sci-fi, thriller
• Must see appointment tv 

Gratifications theory- Personalisation (identify with characters), Information (anything that it teaches you), Entertainment (what viewers want), Social interaction (water cooler chat)

• Escapist, non realist entertaining drama- Diversion
• Discussed, written about, hyped and virally sold- Social interaction
• Identity is key appeal e.g. Personal identity with notions of difference
• Information is given on 1980's cultural history- Surveillance culture