Theories- ST & TK

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Theorists:

Semiology- Barthes
  • meaning is communicated through signs which are made up of the signifer (the thing itself) and the signified (the meaning). The process depends on the connotations of the sign.
    • These signs may neutralise dominant values and ideologies.
    • ST- to introduce hopper, the signs they use are a police badge, gun and uniform which all communicate meanings in relation to the character but they also suggest values and messages around power and masculinity.
  • Power without responsibility- Curran and Seaton
  • Powerful media institutions have the power to send out messages to make us think in a particular way
    • TK- women can be just as good as men in the same job
    • ST-crazy people are actually telling the truth and police are lazy until forced to do something
Cultural industries- Hesmondhalgh
  • producing a media product in the industry is a huge risk because it is difficult to measure success, expensive, low reproduction costs
  • Cultural industries rely on big hits to measure success: repetition of stars, brands, genres, franchises
    • Stranger things has multiple genres to appeal to most audiences
    • Killing has controlled its distribution carefully
Narratology- Todorov
  • Equlibrium (normal) and then something comes along and dismisses it (disruption) which then makes a new equilibrium
    • Equilibrium- 4 boys playing in basement
    • disequalibrium- wills disappearance
    • no resolution of the main narrative- disappereance not solved till final episode of season 1
Genre theory- steve neale
  • genre codes and conventions are not fixed but are constantly evolving through repetition with media products and intertextual replay
    • ST demonstrates a generic hybridity , blending a range of elements from genres  such as horror and science fiction.
    • A range of generic conventions  are used including character types, settings and lighting.
Structralism- Levi strauss
  • binary oppisites in media products e.g. good vs evil
  • they are opposed forces
  • can determine the ideological messages within a text
    • Adult vs child, male vs female, power vs weakness, middle class vs working class, nuclear family vs single parent family

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