Easter Research

Easter Research

Stranger Things

Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, who are twins and were both born on February 15, 1984. The brothers being born in the 80s is vital to the success of Stranger Things, as it helped them incorporate features in this time period to the show. This led to adding 80s nostalgia to the show, which eventually brought in a secondary audience for the show; those who were born in the 80s. 

The shows primary audience consists of teenagers and young adults, and is able to maintain this by being a Netflix Original, a streaming service which is popular with this age group.

The show has several main characters, each of which was made to have a certain appeal to the audience of Stranger Things. Below is a list of each character, characteristics about them, and who they are played by. (partly taken from a previous lesson!)

Mike is a blank state protagonist, is loyal, and likes to play Dungeons and Dragons. He is played by Finn Wolfhard, and is young, being born in 2002.

Will is a nerd, is loyal, is foreshadowed to be gay, and is missing. He is played by Noah Schnapp, and is young, being born in 2004.

Joyce is Wills mum, is protective, is working class, is resourceful, and is determined. She is played by Winoda Ryder, and was born in 1971, and therefore grew up in the 80s. She was a famous actress in the 80s ontop of this, which has helped draw in the secondary audience of people who grew up in the 80s to Stranger Things.

Eleven has telekinesis (a story promise), is non-verbal, has come from a testing facility, and is resourceful. She is played by Millie Bobby Brown.

Hopper is a police officer, has lost his daughter, and has substance abuse. He is played by David Kenneth Harbour, and grew up in the 80s, drawing in the secondary audience.

Dustin is comic relief, and illustrates a theme of friendship. He is played by Gaten Matarazzo, and is young, being born in 2002. His character is liked by many as he usually makes the plot less tense at times, and adds comedy to the show.

Lucas illustrates a theme of friendship, and is the straight man. He is played by Lucas McLaughlin, and is young, being born in 2001.

Nancy is Mikes sister, is spoilt, is middle-class, is smart, and is dating Steve. She is played by Natalia Dyer, born in 1995.

Johnathan is Wills brother, is a social outcast, and works whilst in school. He is played by Charlie Heaton, born in 1994.

Steve is a jock, is arrogant, and is in love with Nancy. He is played by Joe Keery, born in 1992.

In order to make Stranger Things hyped and have a higher initial audience, they released the first 8 minutes of the first ever episode to YouTube, before the season has even aired or been released. This was a strange move, but it seemed to have worked, with the show receiving over 15 million viewers within its first 35 days on Netflix. It would go on to be the most watched show on Netflix!

Stranger Things has an age rating of 14, which is due to the amount of violence that is showcased in the show, which makes it unsuitable for those that are very young; it is very scary. This however is advantageous to the franchise as it allows for a wide range of audiences to still be allowed to watch the show. This includes the main audience of teens and young adults, and the secondary audience of those who were born or grew up in the 80s, who can fully appreciate the nostalgia of the 80s the show provides.

Netflix is not bound by the rules OFCOM, and can offer more daring content as a result, shaping the messages in its shows, so that they appeal to the audience more.

The show benefited from being marketed on social media, reaching its main audience more effectively. This global reach and the dynamic nature of social media contributed significantly to the shows success. Media platforms used include Youtube, which was key for its success.

In it's first season, Stranger Things was a big success and attracted many people, with a popular opinion growing within its audience that the show was good, unique, and interesting to watch. It did, however, have some flaws which were noticable and would be later fixed in season 2.

I wasn't here for the last few lessons so I can't offer much more.


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