How Is Media Language Used By The Duffer Brothers To Present Representations Of Character And Setting

Scene 1

Media language is used by the duffer brothers to present representations of character and setting in the opening scene when we see the lab man running down the corridor. He is represented to be weak and impotent. We know this man is intelligent and of importance because of his costume he is dressed in a smart suit with a lab coat showing he is a scientist and someone we would normally trust or be reliant on, because he is a scientist, we can infer that this is an experiment gone wrong. However, the use of lighting, flashing lights and alarms signals to the audience that something has gone wrong and it evokes a feeling of panic. The camera angle as the man is running around the corridors is a mid-shot to convey the emotion properly and we can see by his face he is worried and out of breath. We then get an over the should angle of him looking behind him this signify's that something if following him or he is being chased. A close-up shot is then used on the elevator button and the man pushing it repeatably emphasizing that he is in hurry drawing our attention to the fact that lives could be in danger as it is so urgent that he gets away from whatever is chasing him. Once the man gets in the lift, we see a point of view shot from the man's perspective looking down the corridor whilst he is potentially safely in the lift which heightens the tension because as an audience our instinct is to think that something is going to scare us by running down the corridor. This is subverted when we get a close up ariel shot of the man looking up into the elevator to signifying to the audience that something scary is above him. As he looks up, we hear monster like noises to show that whatever is chasing him is not of our understanding as it is not a familiar sound. We have another mid shot whilst the lift doors close and the man is lifted into the ceiling, but the doors are closed before we can see what it is taking him. The lighting throughout this scene is dark and low suggesting an element of secrecy and things that are trying to be hidden or concealed because of the use of shadows also. The setting implies that this is a government facility because of its basic minimal look with bare walls and floors making it look like lab corridors. This builds a representation of the scientist being afraid and panicked which subverts the normal power structure of society as it shows the people who we put in charge in the government to be weak and useless in a time of crisis making this scene a commentary on the government. 

Scene 2

Media language is also used to create a representation of Hopper. The first scene we meet Hopper he is represented as lazy and slobbish. The scene begins with an establishing shot of Hoppers house showing all he is unorganized and messy. We have a wide shot of him lying on his sofa in the morning asleep. We can hear the TV is still on playing from the night before showing that he has perhaps gotten so intoxicated he has passed out on his sofa unable to make it into his bed. The use of props such as beer cans on the coffee table imply that he is a heavy drinker as well as the ash tray imply that he is also a heavy smoker. Hoppers costume of jeans we can infer were worn the day before and he fell asleep in them with no shirt show a lack of hygiene or caring.  We the see a close up of him looking at his watch showing the importance of the time implying he is probably late to be somewhere. His facial expression shows that he is tired and disorientated probably because of a hangover. We then have another establishing shot of the forest which has connotations of health and freshness which is juxtaposed as it pans over to Hopper who is shirtless smoking on his porch when smoking obviously has connotations of disease and an unhealthy lifestyle.  The constant referral lot smoking and drinking could suggest that Hopper is under stress and that is his coping mechanism to relive. We also see a close up shot of his medicines and pills on the bathroom counter this draws out attention further to the idea that he is depressed or something traumatic has happened in his life which we later learn is his daughter's death. Next, we have a series of close ups that show him putting on his uniform emphasizing the gun and the badge to show that he is a police officer. This is not expected after we have just seen the state he has woke up in. This subverts the normal representations we have of police officers being strong and protective hero's when Hopper is represented to not even be able to look after himself let alone the town. This may foreshadow the fact that the adults in Hawkins will not be able to solve the case and it will be the younger generation who are ignored and undermined who are able to solve the case.

Scene 3

Media language is used to create a representation of Joyce byers in the firsts scene we meet her she is presented as rushes and stressed. The scene opens with an establishing shot of the Byers house, which in comparison to the wheelers house is quite small and run down implying a lack of income. One of Joyce's first lines is her calling out to Jonathan for help, her eldest son, showing her reliance on him for everything because she is a single mother. Joyce has Jonathan making breakfast, taking Will to school and making sure he came home the night before because she is always working and has no one else who is able to do it. This would explain the lower amount of income for their home. We can also infer this because Jonathan later reveals the reason he did not make sure Will was home was because he was picking up extra shifts showing he is also relied on for income in the house meaning that Joyce puts lots of responsibility onto him because Will has no father figure besides Jonatan. Throughout the scene there are wide/mid shots where we ae able to see the clutter in the house because no one has time to clear up as they are all always working because the most important thing will seemingly be having enough money to put food onto the table. We then see another juxtaposition between the Byers and the Wheelers when they are on the phone. The lighting in the Wheeler house is bright and sunny shining onto the table where as in the Byers house it is quite drab and dark. The Byers have a single mother with the older brother doing everything he can to help and they’ve managed to lose Will contrasted with the seemingly prefect family unit of mum and dad with 3 brothers and sisters all sitting around the table having breakfast together. All of this builds the representation that Joyce is a very busy, hardworking single mother who is struggling to stay afloat. She is constantly out of breath throughout the scene from rushing around and her facial expressions are always stressed signifying how much she has to do within the household. This almost makes it inevitable that something was going to happen to their son because everyone is so busy they forgot about Will. So busy they didn’t even realize until just before he had to go to school that he hadn’t gotten up yet.