D83 - ST LFTVD Essay

Representations of social, cultural and historical events can vary within LFTVD from different countries.

Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret these representations differently.

In your answer you must: 

·         consider the contexts in which long form television dramas are produced and consumed

·         explain how media contexts may have influenced different aspects of realism and audience response in the set episodes of the two long form television dramas you have studied 

·         make judgements and reach conclusions about the differences in realism of social, cultural and historical circumstances between the two set episodes.

Shown by Deutschland 83 and Stranger Things, the representations found and the reactions given from audiences within LFTVD's can differ, determined by the country of release. Two evident representations found in both D83 and ST are 'Gender' and 'Relationships' portraying social and cultural verisimilitude.

Stranger Things, being an American Sci-Fi horror aimed at 15-49 year olds, inhibits historical gender norms yet complies with the stereotypes of age and class within the narrative. As Netflix is regulated by a Dutch based company, the usual standards of OFCOM do not apply to Stranger Things audiences (being a Netflix production). This ultimately affects how audiences will interpret representations found within the show as they contrast to representations found in shows regulated by OFCOM, which oversees a much larger proportion of popular shows aside from Netflix (Channel 4's D83). Due to the ability to binge watch Long Form TV dramas, audiences are more likely and more capable of piecing together the narrative as they are watching a larger portion of the show at once. This means that target audiences in countries that have a lower ease of access to Netflix (for example) may interpret a particular representation differently than those who can instantly watch what happens after the current episode.

Deutschland 83 was originally written by German and American couple Joerg and Anna Winger, resulting in a hybrid like layout of representations within the show. Germany and America held contrasting contextual elements during the set era for the story, yet were both engaged in the nuclear cold war. This leaves audiences with various representations of social and cultural aspects which in turn may have affected the realism to the show and its premiere success. To appeal to target audience, the producers of the show took inspiration for content and episode titles from NATO experts and included cross culture features such as brands, fashion and music to contain a sense of real representations. A good example of a representation that may been viewed differently in different countries within episode 1 of D83 is the scene in which Martin is walking through a supermarket in the West side of the Berlin Wall (as opposed to the East). His reaction is that of surprise at the variety of choice, colours and quantity - to a German viewer, this representation may be very realistic and possibly frowned upon after experiencing the historical period for themselves… however a viewer in America may question this cultural/historical representation as the audience may not have been aware of these conditions.

OFCOM however have no power to issue sanctions or sensor content within Stranger Things as it is overseen by the Dutch Regulator company. This means that the representations found in ST would portray the American point of view from the 1980's, which is commonly the most sought after version and would provide a newer take on the sci-fi thriller genre for England and other major consumer countries for Netflix as it doesn’t abide by the usual OFCOM screenings - resulting in a brand new LFTVD. ST leaves audiences on a cliff-hanger at the end of most episodes - especially episode 1 which doesn’t reveal too much about Will's disappearance but provides enough information for the audience to attach and become familiar with the character and historical representations.

In both TV dramas, it's obvious that audiences from different countries will respond differently to representations made, simply because of the contrasting ways in which media has fed cultural news to them under their set regulations. Furthermore, the viewers of D83 are much more likely to take offence or mis-read the historical and cultural representations made as the story is based upon real historical events, leaving OFCOM to limit the extent of realism - whereas Stranger Things is based purely upon fictional events (inspired by other fictional popularities) leaving it less likely for audiences to respond negatively… whoever the regulator.