Stranger Things Sound and Editing Notes

Here are my notes which I have created to put into our TV Theory presentation for the Netflix show 'Stranger Things':

Stranger Things sound:

The sound in Stranger things are usually used to accompany dramatic events which occur on screen and within the narrative of the show, putting emphasis on key moments and often reflecting on the emotions felt by certain characters.

For example, the opening scene to the first episode features a presumed scientist running in panic from an unidentified entity. The ambient sound is high pitched but also with a very low droning in the background. The low drone reflects on the danger being brought towards the character on screen while the high pitch ambient sound is a reflection on the character’s alarm and scared emotions.

An quiet ambient soundtrack plays throughout the episode, heightening suspense, allowing audiences to anticipate the eventual climax. At some points, usually before the climax, the sound stops completely, leaving viewers in a subtly uncomfortable position.

The first scene ends with a loud crash, the sound usually used to define the climax. This usually is used as part of a jump scare, a rather generic horror device, which allows audience relief after the climax. However, a negative f this could mean that the viewer is momentarily taken out of the narrative to reflect on their own emotions and so the bond between viewer and film is broken.

A synth soundtrack can also be heard in the background, usually during scenes of dialogue between friends or when some mysterious event is taking place. The soundtrack reflects on the time frame which the show is set, in the 1980 s. The main title also reflects this.

Also sounds from off screen can be heard such as fighting, leaving power of suggestion without explicitly showing the audience what is happening.

Editing:

The editing in the show is rather generic in terms of horror film/ TV show making.

There are shot-react shots, which includes a shot of a character, then something they are looking at/ suddenly appears in front of them, and then showing the characters facial/ vocal reaction to this.

Another form of generic horror editing are in the titles themselves. The font included bears resemblance to Gothic text and has a very close resemblance to the titles included in ‘Halloween’ (Carpenter, 1978).

I have also included video clips to back up my ideas. The picture and sound quality is quite poor due to capturing the footage on a mini video camera.

The Theme from Stranger Things: