Analysis of the opening to Stranger Things

Stranger Things Analysis on camera angles, movements, shots, sound and Mise-en-scene

The American TV series ‘Stranger Things’ is a web-based television drama produced and screened by Netflix. ‘Stranger Things’ is set in Indiana in 1980 where a group of young friends accidentally witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries. The 1980’s is an interesting era to set this drama in. Setting this new drama in the 1980s is a clever idea it allows the older generation who lived in this period to relate and watch this drama, the show uses popular music from the period to reinforce the connection to the era. The exciting fast paced storyline helps the show to appeal to younger generations. Indiana is also an interesting location to set the drama in as it is different to the usual American locations of L.A or New York where most TV dramas seem to be set. America has always been the center of conspiracies theories regarding aliens being real, and the US Government going to extreme lengths to cover up the truth about the visitors from other plants. This is another link for the audience to grab on to as it has lots of sub-genres and relates to many other forms of media which opens it a wider audience. In the opening of this new and exciting series it grasps the audience from the first shot of the sky and the stars (could be relating to star wars), this establishing shot has a serif caption saying ‘November 6th, 1983 Hawkins, Indiana’ this then prepares the audience and takes them back to that time period. The enigma then sets in when the establishing shot tilts down to show the laboratory this tells the audience that there is a connection between the stars and sky and laboratory. In the first scene it feels like a point of view shot walking towards a door and it tilts from up to down very steadily to focus on the door at the end of the corridor. The shot stays on the door for a couple of seconds with the sound building, before the a man comes crashing through the door as the sound explodes a siren then booms throughout the building. The effects of this is it hooks the audience and grabs there attention, leaving them asking questions and making them want to carry on watching so that they can find the answers to their questions. In the scene where the man with the lab jacket was being chased by a mystery figure down the corridor they use a reverse dolly shot to add effect, the other shots all focus on the doors which tells you that he is never going to escape giving a sense of entrapment. The corridor is lit with very high key industrial lighting which constantly fickler. The flicker is a common convention that horror films use as it helps to build up tension giving the audience a feeling that something is about to happen. In this scene they also use non diegetic sound effect which is the siren letting the audience know that something bad is happening. The scene then concentrates on the man very aggressively slapping the lift button which is enhanced by foley sounds. When the lift eventually opens he runs into it thus giving the viewers false hope that he might be able to escape. They then use a birds eye shot and overhead lighting when a strange sound of an alien like animal is played, this is as the man gets whipped up in a very inhuman like way, which tells the audience that the creature is not the same species as humans. A sound bridge is then used to switch between the scene where the man has been taken by the creature to an establishing shot of the exterior of a typical 1980s American house. The conventions of a typical American house from this period was that all the houses on the street shared similar features of the white wooden cladded top half’s and simple brown brick bottom. The houses almost give off a rural feeling which is what Indiana is known for as it has an agricultural past. The sound bridge is of the creature’s sound is to a water hose spraying water around in a front yard. The new scene then cuts to a close up of a young boy, and then passes over the boy’s shoulder to show the boys friends playing a game of dudgeons and dragons in the basement of the house. In this scene each of the boy’s hair styles and clothes represent the different groups of teenage American boys. You have the typical American with the baseball cap on showing off his nationality, there then is the geek with bowl hair cut which shows he isn't as much into his fashion or appearance he is also seen as a donor as he helps and gives the boys aids within the game. One of the other boys is wearing a jersey again suggesting his nationality and the fourth boy suggests the time period with his hair cut and clothing. This allows the audience the chance to try and to connect with the boys as they can try and relate to them as if they were young again. The game then suddenly builds as the Demi-Gorgon is placed down on the table and the sound of the game piece hitting the table is enhanced dramatically linking it with previous scenes in the opening. Once this has happening the serious of the game is more relaxed and the lights go warmer, this reminds you that it is only young boys playing a made up game. This is the turning point in the scene as it relaxes the audience and reminds them that they are only just watching young boys, it also sets a sense of equilibrium. In this scene the camera keeps cutting to behind the stairs where it looks like a point of view shot of someone (or something) watching the boys from the dark. This then creates enigma of who or what is watching them as it could the creature or anything. This pulls the audience in and makes them ask many questions. The mum then opens the basement door looking like an angelic figure and tells the boys to stop playing the game and to come upstairs. When the boys come up stairs into the kitchen the mum is framed with back lighting. This gives her a glow which could be seen as if she has rescued the boys from a dangerous game.