Timed Essay 4
'Long form television dramas lack originality; no matter which country they are made in, they all use intertextuality in the same way.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
In this essay, I will examine the view that long form television dramas lack originality; no matter which country they are made in, they all use intertextuality in the same way, using ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Deutschland 83’ in my answer.
Regarding originality in long form television dramas, Baudrillard’s theory of post-modernism can be applied. Post-modernism suggests that nothing is original anymore, as every media product is just a reinvention of an existing product. With this postmodernist perspective, every media text lacks originality, not just long form television dramas. ‘Stranger Things’ shows this lack of originality through its use of genre. The series is a hybrid genre of sci-fi and horror, and uses traditional codes and conventions of these genres, such as silence to build up tension, and a flickering lightbulb to indicate a supernatural presence.
Intertextuality is a key aspect of post-modernism, as it is essentially borrowing from other products, and reinventing them. ‘Stranger Things’ uses intertextuality as a homage to the pop culture in the 1980s, attracting an older secondary audience who will recognise these references, creating a sense of nostalgia and comfortability. A very prominent source of intertextuality is references to the science fiction classic ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial’. The set episode both begins and ends with almost direct replicas of scenes from the film – a starry night sky, and flashlights which shine directly onto Eleven’s face, similar to how Elliott discovers ET. The Dungeons and Dragon’s game scene uses mise-en-scene to mirror the one in ‘E.T.’ due to the pizza prop. The character of Dustin echoes the personality of both Mouth and Chunk from ‘The Goonies’, and similarly Eleven’s character echoes the personality traits of ET and Carrie. The opening score uses similar heavy synths to that of the ‘Halloween’ films, and the typography of the ‘Stranger Things’ title is like the font on Stephen King’s books, further establishing the horror genre. Arguably, this use of intertextuality allows ‘Stranger Things’ a degree of originality, as this use of bricolage means it is highly likely that these texts have not been used in this way before, creating a product which is new and engaging.
‘Deutschland 83’ doesn’t rely on intertextuality in the same way that ‘Stranger Things’ does, instead using it to create historically accurate representations due to the series being based on historical events. The long form television drama positions its western audience on the side of the socialist East, which makes the text original, as Cold War dramas are stereotypically represented through a western point of view. The show uses a montage to show the differences between the opposing sides: brands such as Puma and Adidas appear in relation to the West, which suggests that the West had a better standard of living. The soundtrack of the series is sourced from 1983 – from Eurythmics’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ to the main theme song ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’ by Peter Schilling – placing the audience in a setting that feels familiar and comfortable. The series uses mise-en-scene to emphasise this reflection of German society, such as the Trabant cars and Martin’s western clothing, and also utilises real footage from presidential speeches, such as Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire speech. Although the narratology of the series may be ‘true’ to history, the show is constructed to be engaging, so the use of these familiar items blurs the line between reality and the media.
In conclusion, it is agreeable that long from television dramas lack originality due to us living in a hyperreality, yet I disagree that they all use intertextuality in the same way. Although both long form television dramas use intertextuality to engage their audience, ‘Deutschland 83’ also uses it to establish the narrative, creating an accurate representation of 1893 Germany, whereas in ‘Stranger Things’ it is used simply to establish genre and as a homage to 1980s pop culture.
In this essay, I will examine the view that long form television dramas lack originality; no matter which country they are made in, they all use intertextuality in the same way, using ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Deutschland 83’ in my answer.
Regarding originality in long form television dramas, Baudrillard’s theory of post-modernism can be applied. Post-modernism suggests that nothing is original anymore, as every media product is just a reinvention of an existing product. With this postmodernist perspective, every media text lacks originality, not just long form television dramas. ‘Stranger Things’ shows this lack of originality through its use of genre. The series is a hybrid genre of sci-fi and horror, and uses traditional codes and conventions of these genres, such as silence to build up tension, and a flickering lightbulb to indicate a supernatural presence.
Intertextuality is a key aspect of post-modernism, as it is essentially borrowing from other products, and reinventing them. ‘Stranger Things’ uses intertextuality as a homage to the pop culture in the 1980s, attracting an older secondary audience who will recognise these references, creating a sense of nostalgia and comfortability. A very prominent source of intertextuality is references to the science fiction classic ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial’. The set episode both begins and ends with almost direct replicas of scenes from the film – a starry night sky, and flashlights which shine directly onto Eleven’s face, similar to how Elliott discovers ET. The Dungeons and Dragon’s game scene uses mise-en-scene to mirror the one in ‘E.T.’ due to the pizza prop. The character of Dustin echoes the personality of both Mouth and Chunk from ‘The Goonies’, and similarly Eleven’s character echoes the personality traits of ET and Carrie. The opening score uses similar heavy synths to that of the ‘Halloween’ films, and the typography of the ‘Stranger Things’ title is like the font on Stephen King’s books, further establishing the horror genre. Arguably, this use of intertextuality allows ‘Stranger Things’ a degree of originality, as this use of bricolage means it is highly likely that these texts have not been used in this way before, creating a product which is new and engaging.
‘Deutschland 83’ doesn’t rely on intertextuality in the same way that ‘Stranger Things’ does, instead using it to create historically accurate representations due to the series being based on historical events. The long form television drama positions its western audience on the side of the socialist East, which makes the text original, as Cold War dramas are stereotypically represented through a western point of view. The show uses a montage to show the differences between the opposing sides: brands such as Puma and Adidas appear in relation to the West, which suggests that the West had a better standard of living. The soundtrack of the series is sourced from 1983 – from Eurythmics’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ to the main theme song ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’ by Peter Schilling – placing the audience in a setting that feels familiar and comfortable. The series uses mise-en-scene to emphasise this reflection of German society, such as the Trabant cars and Martin’s western clothing, and also utilises real footage from presidential speeches, such as Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire speech. Although the narratology of the series may be ‘true’ to history, the show is constructed to be engaging, so the use of these familiar items blurs the line between reality and the media.
In conclusion, it is agreeable that long from television dramas lack originality due to us living in a hyperreality, yet I disagree that they all use intertextuality in the same way. Although both long form television dramas use intertextuality to engage their audience, ‘Deutschland 83’ also uses it to establish the narrative, creating an accurate representation of 1893 Germany, whereas in ‘Stranger Things’ it is used simply to establish genre and as a homage to 1980s pop culture.
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