Netflix Questions

1.     What happened to Netflix in April 2017? 1

100 Million subscribers

2.     Which companies does Netflix now have more subscribers than?

Amazon Prime and Hulu

3.     How many countries is Netflix available in?

190 Countries

4.     Which countries is Netflix not available in and why might this be?

4 Countries

5.     Where do half of Netflix’s subscribers, 50 million, come from?

US

6.     When was Netflix founded, who by and where?

Reed hasting and Mark Randolph in California.

7.     What did Netflix begin as and how did it change the service?

Delivering movies to your door.

8.     When did Netflix expand?

2007

9.     What was revolutionary about the way they offered viewing?

Watch the whole season in one go.

10.  How did this new model of viewing (Binge-watching) help shows that may have otherwise struggled to be aired?

People stay interested.

11.  What has helped Netflix’s growth?

Rise in use of hand-held devices.

12.  What were some of the problems of Netflix had?

None of the content belonged to Netflix.

13.  What was Netflix’s solutions to these problems?

Create shows instead of streaming.

14.  What was Netflix’s first original show and when was it launched?

House of cards in 2013.

15.  How did House of cards make History?

Only show to get an Emmy.

16.  What else did the drama show in terms of cast and crew?

Have high profile casts.

17.  By 2016, how many original programmes a year was Netflix producing?

126 original programmes.

18.  How many awards have they won?

147 awards.

19.  How are competitors trying to address Netflix’s place in the market?

Have their own shows.

20.  How does Netflix plan to stand out from the crowd?

Doubling the titles, unscripted shows.

Representation Essay

Different social groups are represented in Stranger things with the use of the media language, signs and the signifiers. These methods help to construct the representations which help people view Stranger things as real.

This is done by the use of references to the 80s. This helps people emote with the characters as the audience recognises some of the brands and the ways of living which the characters do and helps to draw them in as they are looking out for things they recognise. This helps build a representation of the older audience through signifiers because when the kids are riding their “Chopper” bikes the audience will see the bikes as a salute to their childhood and bring in a watercooler effect as they are more likely to go to someone and talk about that moment from the show.

Also, the use the sound in the show such as when the “Demogorgon” is chasing Will the sound goes very loud and bellowing. This has the effect of horror and supernatural which is the genres which Stranger things can be categorised into. This is done because it complements the opening scene of the man running through the lab where the audience is confused about what is going on and the loud sounds help build suspense. This helps build representation for different social groups because a younger audience likes to be scared and this show fits into the category of being able to scare people.

To conclude Netflix’s Stranger things represents different social groups with the use of signifiers and different editing techniques such as putting in loud, scary noises which help to build suspense and appeal to all the different types of people who would be watching the show.

Scene by Scene analysis

Scene by Scene representation

LFTVD Intro

US network television-

US network broadcasters must satisfy their advertisers and hold market share. They are also controlled by federal regulation.

The impact of this on content is a…

Luther- Instagram story (Alice calling).

PVR- Personal video recorder.

SVOD- Subscription video on demand.

So, why do audiences love LFTVD-

High quality drama

Multiple episodes, hours, years

Content can be dark and difficult but innovative

It now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors

Time shifting, easily accessible

‘State of the nation” TV

·      Long form shows challenged the simplistic storylines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in US e.g. CSI.

·      HBO (Time Warner) launched the Sopranos in 1999 (to 2007), which was a huge commercial and critical hit. Increasingly these shows were about the crisis of US identity and hegemony.

·      Other shows followed including the Wire (2002-2008) which won awards and turned US TV into a medium for serious subject matter and critique.