'Producers of Long Form TV Drama, construct versions of reality that target the viewpoints and ideologies of their audiences." How far do you agree with this statement?
All successful Long Form T.V. drama, must, on some level, construct versions of reality that appeal to their audience. However, in the case of ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘D83’ we might ask whether the global impact of U.S. television on cultural hegemony is more significant than the need to appeal to national audiences. We might also wish to consider whether genre has a more significant effect on representation than an attempt to appeal to the target audience on the basis of ideology.
Firstly, when considering the economic contexts of long form TV dramas, theorists such as Hesmondhalgh may suggest that producers rely on repeated narratives, ‘star power’, and the use of franchises to avoid financial risks that may arise from deviating from the industry norm. To a certain degree, Stranger Things aligns with this, evidenced by Winona Ryder’s (an actress with a respected film repertoire) prevalence in the shows early marketing, and critics consistently referencing to the show’s similarities to other sci-fi/horror/coming of age films and television. However, Stranger Things doesn’t entirely rely on these industry conventions as Hesmondhalgh might suggest. As The Duffer Brothers are part of the writing, directing, and producing team on ‘Stranger Things’, the potential conflict that could occur between ‘symbol creators’ and producers is mostly eliminated, allowing them to have almost full creative autonomy. Therefore, they were able to construct their creative vision to its full potential, creating a genre hybrid, nostalgia-inducing, hyperreal fusion of a serial TV drama. The show itself was an example of textual poaching – as theorised by Jenkins – often intertextually referencing famous films from the 70s and 80s through music, mise en scene, and lighting e.g. the teen bikeriding scenes that are reminiscent of ET. The Duffer Brothers even incorporated Spielberg’s Leica Simmilux-C lens into the filming process to mimic his style. The Duffer Brothers have not created a version of reality that is ‘real’, they have purposefully constructed a microcosm of the historical ‘American Dream’ myth that is echoed throughout the history of film, far preceding Spielberg, as Baudrillard theorised is often depicted. They construct an a-political universe that seems to exist isolated from its historical context. Gerber’s theory may suggest that the Duffer Brothers intended the show to target the ‘mainstream’, politically moderate audience of Netflix viewers, who may not have any specific loyalties to certain ideologies. However, it could also be argued that they may be intending to create this version of reality to focus on the supernatural elements of the show, as they create and drive the plot. Todorov’s theory of narratology suggests that the elements that alter the story, and lead to ‘solution’ of narrative tumult construct the ‘transformative values’ or viewpoints and ideology of a text. In the case of Stranger Things, it is the values of camaraderie and loyalty that shape the meaning of the story, rather than socio-political statements. It is a simple narrative targeted at a near-universal audience, allowing commercial viability.
Moreover, economic contexts can also shape the construction of reality and subsequent presentation of ideology in relation to audience tastes. For example, in the espionage-thriller, ‘Deutschland 83’, setting, music and mise en scene is utilised as a mode of signification to construct a diegesis that feels historically accurate. The programme had a small budget in comparison to Stranger Things – a total of 8 million euros for the first series – but still managed to amass global success and recognition, including winning the ‘International’ Emmy award in 2016. Theorists such as Gauntlett may suggest that people may seek media to shape their personal identity. In the case of D83, viewers would be seeking sophisticated, complex narratives and may have a personal interest in historical or espionage dramas. The producers of 83 have constructed ambiguity within their plot to attract an audience that seeks nuance and multiple viewpoints (the equally critical and sympathetic portrayals of both the East and West); its critical acclaim only helping to draw in a wider audience. However, this is not D83’s target audience. D83 is a German-language drama and had its launch in Germany. Yet, its initial release was not met positively by German audiences, with producer Joerg Winger believing audiences disliked the overly stylized look of the programme, though he protests they were aiming to encapsulate ‘psychological realism’ rather than ‘historical detail’. This messaging was received by international audiences (Hall’s theory would consider this the accepted ‘preferred’ reading), supported by the creation of (UK) Channel 4’s new foreign language sub-division of their VOD service, dubbed ‘Walter Presents’ where D83 was one of the first features. Overall, it seems that producers also construct versions of reality that may subvert the ideology and viewpoints of their target audience to reach a wider viewer-base, or even to implement viewpoint diversity to challenge increasing homogenisation of media messaging.
On the other hand, social and historical contexts also seem to have impacted how producers construct versions of reality. In the first season of Stranger Things, the town of Hawkins, Indiana exists in small-town America in the 1980s, where there were still – to a certain extent – social restrictions for groups such as women. For example, the character of Mrs Wheeler is simply represented as a stay-at-home wife and mother, only shown in the first episode from the confides of her own home, assisting her family in their day-to-day lives. She is given a passive role in a patriarchal society. However, her daughter Nancy subverts this traditional representation, presented as an intelligent, motivated student, intent on reaching academic excellence. Throughout the first episode, we see her determination to study for a chemistry examination despite continual distractions from her boyfriend Steve. The producers of Stranger Things seem to have created Nancy’s character to subvert negative, stereotypical, aged stereotypes of women, adhering to the critiques pioneered by media theorists such as Laura Mulvey and Liesbet Van Zoonen who resent men and women being presented far differently in the media. Nancy actively shapes and progresses the plot of Stranger Things (helping defeat the government and monster antagonists later in the season), countering typical representations and appealing to the modern, progressive viewpoints and ideology of the youthful target audience of Stranger Things. Though it is difficult for us to say whether this is a realistic representation of 1980s American teenagers, the construction of reality is appealing to – and gratifies – its audience nonetheless.
Furthermore, the social and historical contexts that exist in D83 have impacted the versions of reality constructed by the producers, though there are a varying number of ways we could interpret this. Firstly, West Germany is depicted as a traditional, patriarchal society – evidenced by the structure of the Edel family, with the father overseeing family events and determining his daughter’s education- reflecting the context of the 1980s. Yet, there is also the depiction of Lenora, a woman in power in a male-dominated field, portrayed as ruthless and influential. The creators of D83 have created a representation that would appeal to modern audiences due to its (somewhat) feminist ideological implications, possibly subverting Liesbet Van Zoonen’s ideas that women were, and are often, depicted as overly passive in media texts. However, it must also be acknowledged that this could also simply be a generic trope and, as Neale suggests, could be repeated characterisation to reflect the spy genre (e.g. ‘M’ of the Bond franchise) rather than the producers intentionally subverting historical contexts and media traditions. Additionally, we can also apply Todorov’s theory once again, to understand that a text needs to undergo a ‘transformation’ in order to shift from one equilibrium to the next, and demonstrate the text’s narrative values. Yet, in D83 these values seem to be fairly ambiguous. In episode 1, Martin continuously faces new disruptions, such as his kidnapping and coercion into espionage, yet they are resolved messily. Martin realises he must remain in West Germany to ensure his mother’s surgery, but he is aware that in the process he partakes in an activity (the HVA agency) which is not fully morally sound e.g. the murder of ‘Moritz’ so Martin can steal his identity. The audience may not fully agree with Martin’s actions, but are led to hold him in a somewhat sympathetic view despite his questionable actions. The producers of D83, Joerg and Anna Winger, seem to have intentionally created a nuanced perspective (supported by their German and American heritage) in their construction of reality to invite audiences to question their own viewpoints and ideologies. Interestingly, this appealed to their international audience much more than their targeted, German one. German audiences initially rejected the show for its tired and outdated marketing, over- stylised look, and sympathetic representation of East German spies. This may suggest that the Winger’s constructed this version of reality for its ‘new’ appeal to the wider world, than simply just Germany, where it is likely this concept has already been explored due to it being their own national history; international audiences are far less likely to have been exposed to these perspectives, making its ‘unique’ factor very marketable (evidenced by its feature on US subscription service Sundance TV).
While it is clear that both TV shows construct versions of reality that appeal to the viewpoints of and ideologies of their audiences, we can see that both ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Deutschland 83’ demonstrate U.S. cultural and economic dominance over the TV industry, with international audiences comfortable with accepting a hyperreal diegesis built around U.S. TV and Film, and foreign language TV prioritising its U.S. audience over its domestic audience. Furthermore, it seems more likely that appealing to a shared understanding of genre conventions may be more influential over representation, than a desire to appeal to the target audience at an ideological level.
