Mise-en-scene : Stranger Things Analysis

Lighting :

Denotation - The video starts with a night sky and the camera rolls down down to a dark science lab. It then zooms into an aspect of the science lab in an abandoned corridor with flickering lights where a man then appears and seems to be being chased.There is a flickering light reflected on his face before the man is engulfed and the elevator shuts leaving the scenery to be dark and quiet. Then tension all disappears when the scene shift to a regular house at night time. The basemen where the boys are hiding seems was brighter but still a homely dim light which drastically lifted the tension.The house seems like a regular house at nigh time however when the boys leave the house the light at the front of the house flickering like it did in the science lab. When the boys cycle home alone it is dark and night time however the cycle light is extremely bright and contrasts with then darkness. Once the boy reaches home he runs to the back yard and get ready to shoot the creature but the monster can be seen peaking being. A bright , blinding  light then shines on the screen blinding the audience however when the light disappears so does the boy.

Connotation - The first few seconds seem to be calm and dark however the events suddenly change when the the lights are flickering in the corridor. This creates tension for the audience as they wonder what the man is running away from and whether he will get away or not. Once the man is engulfed , the flickering stops suggesting the monster has disappeared with the man which would obviously leave the audience traumatized. However this changes as the scene suddenly changes to a regular house and 4 young boys telling a story. The lighting is dimmer suggesting it is a calm and regular setting. The flickering in front of the house possibly could suggest the awakening of the monster has arrived and that his target will be one of the boys who have left the house. Right before the shadow of the monster is shown the boys bicycle light starts to flicker again. Once the young boy had reached his house and ran to the back into his dark storage room the monster appears behind him. When the boy disappears a bright light is shown. In my opinion I believe that the light suggests the presence of the monster which breaks regular stereo type that darkness brings destruction and light bring happiness and joy as whenever someone disappears there is always a light present (a light bulb or a flickering light).

Action/Actors :

Denotation - At the start of the of the video there is a man who looks as if he is in his middle age and seems to be running away from something. He then tries hiding but doesn't get very far before being captured. This scene then shifts to the next where 4 kids ( Mike Wheeler , Will Byers , Lucas Sinclair , Dustin) are playing a board game together. When Mike gets told off by his mother for playing with his friends we can tell they are still extremely young and playful. By this we can tell that they will be the main characters of this show. Then 3 of the boys leave the house by themselves in the dark however they play playful games. When Will hears the sees the shadow of the monster he falls onto the road and proceeds to run away leaving his bike on the ground. Once he gets home he locks the door whilst shaking and proceeds to scream for his mum an brother however there is no response. Then when goes to call for help the door lock falls off and Will proceeds to start running away in to the garage in his back garden. Until the last moments of the video Will is consistently shaking from fear.

Connotation - As it was a middle aged man running away from the monster at the start instead of a young child we can consider this monster to be more deadly and threatening and less likely to be a delusion making the audience more tense. However when the scene shifts from this gruesome scene to a group of children in a basement the level of tension in the atmosphere drastically decreases. It feels more homely and calming as the tension drastically decreases as we would think the first scene was just one of the boys telling a story. When the garage light flickers as specifically Will says his goodbye we can suggest that the monster had already planned out his target before he attacks. To ease the tension from the flickering light and make the dark seem less dramatic , Will and Dustin play a friendly game of racing with there bikes which makes the scene more humorous. Nonetheless when the boys part ways Mikes bike light flashes again when he sees and abstract figure in front of him. In horror he falls over an as he hear the sound seem to approach closer and closer he starts sprinting away because he wants to get away from the monster. When he starts screaming for his mum and brother we can start to sympathies with him more as we realize how young and helpless he is. As well as this the dog in the house also frantically starts barking making the scene more chaotic and increasing tension for the audience. When the door lock falls of by itself Will bolted in the the back in order to get as far away as possible from the monster. He takes out his little gun and looks as if he is ready to fight however this all changes when he heard the large inhales of the monster he instantly fear and feels helpless. The he disappears foreshadowing what he said to Mike when they left the house of how the 'demogorgan go him' As the monsters face has yet to be revealed the audience may ponder who or what the monster is or looks like, what its intentions are with humans or why it picked Will.

Setting :

Denotation - The beginning scene starts in a laboratory where a man in a lab coat is seen to be running away from something in absolute fear and horror. He finally feels safe once he reaches the elevator but he still ends up being sucked up by something. When the scene shifts we see a water hose spraying water and a regular house which is quite unexpected after such a deadly scene. We then see the 4 boys playing a board game in the basement. By the time the boys leave the house it is completely night time and the boys cycle back. However Will encounters a strange looking creature and drops his bike and beside him is a dark forest. He runs in and barges into his house which is dark and empty yet loud an chaotic. When he reaches his compacted garage area behind his hose we can hear the monster heavily breathing right behind him and he disappears.

Connotation -  As the beginning scene starts in a laboratory with a man in his lab coat we could suggest that there was a failed science experiment in a science lab or someone has broken into this confidential science lab. The man was clearly running away from something in the lab but we are clueless as to what it is. When the scene suddenly shifts to a regular water hose and a regular house the audience would be relieved but confused as to why the scene could change so drastically. The basement is a homely, comforting place where 4 boys are enjoying there time together playing  board game which makes the audience feel safe as they feel like the first scene was just a story. As it is pitch black dark and the young boys are going home on there own danger is more likely to strike as the scenery and setting (including the forest next to where the monster appeared) are more dystopian and dark. The darkness may be foreshadowing to when the man at the start was engulfed when it was night time to so suggesting even though there is a bright light shining every time the monster strikes he only appears in the darkness. The setting in the garage where Will disappeared was compact and tight leaving no space for him to escape or run away which therefore increases the tension.