Representation of age - Stranger things

Clip one


In the first shot age is primarily represented by the group of young boys. They are portrayed to be 'geeky' and intelligently obsessive with comics and board games. The scene begins with a shot reverse shot in media res as the game is fast paced and intriguing. The shot reverse shot camera technique is where the camera differs between typically two people to show dialogue. The clothing on the boys is very periodic of the 80s and creates a nostalgic emotion to the audience with the retro connotations which would appeal highly to young adults who would've been similar ages as the children at that time. Diegetic sound (which is sound in the scene and heard by the characters) is used throughout the majority of this clip with sounds of the dialogue, die rolling, banging on the table with the demagorgon and the tv noises. Low lighting is also used as part of the mise en scene to portray the darkness and possible fear of the scene, and also hints at the electricity mystery unfolding as the plot develops. The editing is fast paced and continual as the game develops, followed by a tense build up to the rolling of the die which is then interrupted by Mikes' mum.  Here we can see a low angle shot (which is a shot taken from a lower position than normal) being used where the mother is looking down on Mike which portrays the superiority and authority she holds, conventional of a mother figure. The representation of the children and their age is clearly shown here with Mike arguing with his mum, "Mom we're in the middle of a campaign! 20 more minutes!" which conveys the pre-teen argumentativeness stereotypical to the age range which is being portrayed. This is followed by an over the shoulder shot of the mother being authoritative and demanding Mike to end the game, which represents her age generation as a caring parent. In this scene we see the periodic furniture in the living room and kitchen with extravagant patterns and shades of yellows and browns which adds to the mise en scene of the 80s era. There is also the old box television being fixed by Mikes dad. Here the age is represented as the Father simple agrees with his wife showing again the authoritative power, "I think you should listen to your mum".

As the narrative continues we see the young boys packing up to leave after learning that the die rolled a 7 (not a 13 that was needed). Dustin (boy with curly hair) then takes pizza up to Mikes older sister. Here the representation of teenagers is shown to be anti-social, peer obsessed and idle. This is because the scene shows her on the telephone (again 80s esque technology) ignoring Dustin when he offers her pizza and slamming the door in his face. This attitude is picked up by the younger boys who remark "There's something wrong with your sister' 'Yeah, she's got a stick up her butt!".
Following this scene the boys leave for home. Foreshadowing is given in the dialogue between Will and Mike, 'It was a 7... the demagorgon- it got me' which references the game and the events which are soon to follow.
As the boys bike home age is represented through their immaturity with comments such as "kiss your mum goodnight from me" and colloquial language. The scene finishes with a tracking shot (where the camera tracks the object) following the bikes as the non-diegetic theme tune beings to play, showing a change in the narrative.

Clip two

The second clip begins with a establishing shot leading to the hung-over Police Chief. The mise en scene of the room is periodic to the 1980s with the old TV and the diegetic sound of the news in the background. Age here is represented atypically as he is a middle age man living alone with no organisation, extremely messy house and an appearance that suggests he is yet to get his life together. Stereotypically at this age an audience may expect a family and a headstrong leader yet they are presented with a drunken man with his trousers undone. The scene then cuts to him outside again with the same establishing shot mirroring the inside shot to set the scene and emphasise that the man lives alone in an isolated area. Following this an over the shoulder shot is used as he smokes in the mirror. This is periodic with the smoke filling the room as the norms have changed for the modern audience which portrays the 1980 setting. The chief is represented to be foolish as he takes a tablet with left over beer, again showing an atypical representation of his age.
The clip then cuts to another household belonging to Wills mum. The mise en scene implies that the family is not well off as the furniture is dated and resembles a more 1950s style rather than what would be considered modern in the 1980s. There is a panic as Will is not home in the morning which leads to a sound bridge being used as Wills mum rings Mike's mum where he was previously. A sound bridge is where the sound is carried on between two scenes that are happening at the same time but in different areas, it is used in this scene to show the telephone call. Diegetic-crossover is also used here following the dialogue. In the background of Mike's house Mike and his sister are arguing, "what the hell, Mike" which represents the teenage age as being argumentative and stubborn. After it is established that Will is not at Mike's house and the telephone conversation ends, there is no sound after the sound bridge which could portray the fear and worry of the mother. Age is represented stereotypically by the mother here as she is worried for her child and in a panic. The scene concludes with a shot of the mother and establishing shot of the house as the tension rises in the clip.