Stranger Things overview

The first episode of Stranger Things was written and directed by the Duffer Brothers and streamed on Netflix in July 2016. All 8 episodes were released in the summer and were potentially aimed at younger audiences. The series was produced by 21 laps and released as an Netflix original series, Netflix having sole distribution rights.

Audience
Stranger Things is a long form television drama marketed by a successful online campaign employing traditional film marketing techniques, that is promoting genre, stars, writers etc using new media technology. The marketing of the series relied on word of mouth and the following methods to make its release visible to Netflix's online subscribers and to a targeted range of viewers:

1. A four hour live twitch stream with promoted players playing games in the studio build of the stranger things basement
2. A cinematic trailer of the first 8 minutes
3. an interactive VR 360 degree video of the basement set
4. Dedicated twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts
5. widespread of sharing memes and gifs online, promoting a fan community who are 'textual poachers' wishing to use the products to create their own culture e.g. fan sites

This extensive marketing technique of stranger things is evidence of how US long form tv drama and substantial financing and the backing of TV production companies and online technology companies looking to distribute their product globally via the internet. Netflix' strategy for marketing stranger things needs to be understood in relation to the dramas style and form, in particular its use of intertextuality, its ability to trigger engagement with its audience and Henry Jenkins theory, the ability to interact with fans.

Intertextuality

Set in the 1980's, Stranger Things makes plenty of intertextual references to a range of texts from this era, such as Stephen King novels and the game Dungeons and Dragons being played in the first scene. The drama also makes reference to past films such as Steven Spielberg ET 1982 with the camera panning down from the sky at the start but also because of the genres of horror and science fiction which connects ET and Stranger Things. This connection provides familiarity and a starting point for audience interest and engagement.
Episode 1 of Stranger Things allowed the drama to introduce the characters and settings within the 1980's america era- styling them with a sense of nostalgia that older and younger audiences would recognize. For example, the opening sequence of Wills disappearance and his encounter with the creature, toys with the idea of a mysterious creature that can consume humans. This plot also sets up a sense of genre- the monster provides a horror/sci-fi genre for Stranger Things. This playfulness with genre is evident as although it is like a teen movie (set around high school students and friendship groups), it is also serious and scary, dealing with children's sensibilities.

Genre and Narrative
Usually, in most movies, after the monster is introduced, the film producers wouldn't go into depth of characters however the duffer brothers defies this and enables the writers to establish setting, character, genre and motif in the first episode within a crime drama context as well. The day after the disappearance of Will Byers, the writers introduce the community and questions are raised about Wills whereabouts- but not straightforwardly.
Rather than an immediate plot about Will's disappearance, the episode then cuts to a scene at Hawkins lab. A team of scientists including Dr Brenner put of protective suits entering a quarantined underground subsystem. There, they find a strange biologic grown spreading originating from a mysterious fraction in the wall.
This exemplifies the flexi-narrative used in the episode- with different strands of the story plotted in the lab, the high school and Benny's burgers where a girl with a shaven head appears and steals burgers. This plot is interwoven as the story of the community unfolds and at the same time introduces a range of characters. This narrative is important for long form tv drama because its serialization provides the audience with multiple entry points to the text and means the story can told over a period of time.
The cinematic look and detail to set design are important for producers and audiences of the long form TV drama. In Stranger Things this is an eclectic mix of horror meets teen movie that appeals to the audience, as does the ability to get to know the characters on a weekly basis. Introducing the monster early in the narrative helps the programme makers set up seven further episodes and gives them time to build characters and develop the narrative. 
In his study of genre, Steve Neale recognises the importance of intertextual relay (genre codes and conventions established not just in media products but also in products that rely to or promote these products such as marketing material) in media texts generating extra generic functions. This is evident in how ST was marketed as a long form TV drama, recquiring an intertextual relay of pre-publicity and reviews to attract large numbers. For example the font in the title as sci-fi/horror elements.

Audience and Fandom
Henry Jenkins investigates the ability of media users to construct meaning via communications among fans- a form of spreadable media. Jenkins sees the act of media consumers spreading content as active not passive. He believes that audiences play a crucial role in the dissemination of media products in the online age and states, 'if it doesn't spread, its dead'.

• Jenkins believes that this sharing is an act of participation and catogerises it as collective intelligence.
• He explains that this act leads on to deeper levels of particpation; the initial sharing can be described as preparing to participate 
• He describes media products that provide audiences with deeper layers of engagement as doing so not just to attract the maximum number of viewers but also to retain the audience for longer and engage them in more meaningful ways