Long form television dramas (LFTVDs) are influenced by
social, cultural, economic, political and historical contexts. Social contexts
include such factors as changes in gender roles, inequalities based on gender,
race and ethnicity, and social attitudes to sexualities. Cultural contexts
include the influence of national cultures on television programmes. Political
contexts include the influence of political debate on regulation of television;
how television programmes can reflect and comment upon national political
institutions given the freedom of Western programme makers to criticise and
satirise their own political systems. Economic contexts include the competitive
nature of the television industries and influence of high budgets on flagship
television programmes; the disparity between production budgets for US
television dramas and European television dramas and their sources of funding
and how budget can influence representations.
In Stranger Things, we see the influence of social contexts.
The episode reflects the influence of social anxieties, brought about by the
consequences of scientific experimentation. The suburban family life is
represented, alongside the representation of individual family members: mothers
with the inability to maintain a secure and held together family; fathers who
are absent and incompetent; and young boys who, in the hostile world they live
in, embody elements of camaraderie. In the opening scenes of the episode the sound bridge connecting the laboratory
with the sprinkler outside Mikes house could indicate that the supernatural
presence is becoming a part of society. Sound is balanced, and not too loud,
representing normal home life. The dialogue that soon follows this scene, where
by Will says ‘something is coming’, imposes a sense of foreshadowing of what is
to come later on in the episode. This further creates tension and worry for the
audience, which could reflect the anxieties that the boys have in society,
alongside many other kids in the 1980s. However, Nancy’s character subverts
social stereotypes- excels at science and rebels at the same time- which
creates an atypical role for the genre of the drama, but to also represent
female empowerment and feminism that a modern day audience would be more
inclined to watch and show an interest in.
In Deutschland 83, another LFTVD set in the 1980s,
represents and reflects the social divide and opposition between East and West
Germany during The Cold War; the East is a rigidly controlled state that
promotes women’s equality, whereas West Germany is shown to have free movement
and is less controlled. The representation of Lenora as a strong, powerful
woman who has the ability to set up the spying operation in the West reflects
how East Germany were in acceptance of women being of a higher power.
In Stranger Things, the audience also see the influence of
cultural contexts: the episode shows the influence of the iconic American small
town community, a cultural setting that is seen and created in a lot of
Hollywood tv dramas. As a result of the global recognition this representation
has achieved, there was a success of Hollywood cinema during the 1980s. The
Duffer Brothers (writers of Stranger Things) depict 80s America in a way that
creates nostalgia. The Spielbergian references and intertextuality of other 80s
movies such as ‘The Goonies’ and ‘E.T.’ brings about not only a nostalgic
audience-one that attracts an 80s audience-, but also a contemporary one. In
addition to this, the advancements in technology over the years and Stranger
Things’ $6 million budget per episode, allows for audiences engage with more
enhanced readings. This allows for streaming services such as Netflix to be a
success, who take risks and provide content that is different.
In Deutschland 83, representations also reflect cultural
contexts: the episode reflects the way in which German culture was repressed in
the East, whilst being more expressed in the West. The representation of East
Germany having their own cultural identity, failing to provide Western products
or products from other countries is shown through the significance of the
Nescafe coffee given by Lenora to her sister. It highlights the strict regime
that the East in under, and the admiration that a simple branded product had.
This is further shown in the scene where Martin enters the supermarket in West
Germany-an array of vibrant products highlights the wider variety that was
allowed at the time. The contrast between the wide camera frame, displaying an
array of colour, and the more monotonous, lack of colour seen in Martins home,
further represents the East as a repressive society. The cross-cutting between
both sides of Germany throughout the episode also inform the audience of the
social division.
Moreover, in Deutschland 83, as an audience, we can identify
that the historical context has an influence on representation. Anna Winger,
the writer of Deutschland 83, was influenced by the true events that occurred
during The Cold War in Germany, which had led to the build of the Berlin Wall
in 1961; it further resulted in the division between East and West Germany. In
order to create a realistic representation of what life was like in Germany at
the time, she referred to historians (Klaas Voss), as well as people who had
experienced the Cold War at the time. In addition to this, the episode title
itself ‘Quantum Jump’ refers to a real NATO military exercise; Anna Winger
intentionally titled each episode after a military exercise to reinstate a
sense of war and create a link between historical events. All of which offer a
realistic representation of characters and represent to the audience the key
German ideologies that have been encoded throughout the episode.
Conversely, In Stranger Things, the historical context behind
the development of the episode is not based on true events, creating a
fictional representation of characters and representing stereotypical social
groups and genders. The drama refers back to other American 80s movies, whereby
the main focal point and representation is on the same decade and focuses on
families and stereotypes/archetypes during that time.
