Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things Analysis

1. Mise-en-scene Analysis

Costume - At the start, the character is wearing a white lab coat. This suggests he is a scientist and    works in a laboratory. This could also suggest that the genre of the series is science fiction. The other characters wear outfits symbolic of the 1980s, which is the time period that the series is set in. This helps to make the series seem more realistic.

Lighting - In the laboratory scene, there are sterile, flashing lights. This could be an emergency alarm system, which suggests that something has escaped. Later on, the four main characters go down a dark road, creating a scary, mysterious atmosphere as the dark has connotations of the unknown. At the end, the light in the shed gets very, very bright. This contrasts the dark, creating unease.

Setting - The clip starts in a restricted government laboratory, suggesting a science fiction genre with monsters or superpowers. The other setting is a typical American house in the 1980s, making the time period the series is set in seem more appropriate. When the three characters go home, they are on an isolated, dark road, creating fear and suspense. At the end, the character is isolated in a small shed, creating fear as they are in a closed, tight area.

Props - Throughout the clip the characters use props that seem to be from the 1980s. For example, Nancy is holding a brick phone, suggesting that this is set in the past. The four main characters are also playing a board game called 'Dungeons & Dragons', which was published in 1974. This suggests the series is set in a time period before the internet or during the early years of it.

Actor placement/movement/expression - At the start, the character in a lab coat is alone and running away from something. They are afraid of something, and move frantically. This creates suspense and fear as the audience doesn't know what they're running from. During the middle, the four characters are grouped together, which contrasts when they go down the dark road later on and go their separate ways. At the end, the character is isolated and afraid, which is a common characteristic in horror media.

 2. Extension Tasks

The first 8 minutes suggest that the series is science fiction. This is because of the opening scene with the laboratory, the man in the lab coat and the fact that the character disappears at the end Furthermore, we can infer that this is a horror series as the clip contains many characteristics of horror media. For example, there are flashing lights and scenes with little to no light, and characters are isolated in enclosed spaces. We can also infer that the series will revolve around the characters against a monster, as the characters at the end and start seem to be running from something chasing them when something inexplicable happens to them. Namely, the character at the start is grabbed upwards against his will, and the character at the end disappears with a bright light.