pptx, 4.88 MB
pptx, 4.88 MB

A focused OCR A-Level Media Studies theory lesson applying David Hesmondhalgh’s Cultural Industries Theory to Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 1.

This fully editable PowerPoint (.pptx) lesson is designed as a stand-alone theory, recap or revision lesson for OCR A-Level Media Studies Paper 2: Evolving Media, Section B – Long Form Television Drama.

The lesson focuses on how Stranger Things supports and partly challenges Hesmondhalgh’s theory of cultural industries, particularly the idea that media companies try to reduce risk and maximise profit by using familiar, commercially successful ideas. Students begin by considering why a streaming platform such as Netflix may prefer familiar ideas over completely new ones, linking this to risk, genre, audience appeal and recognisable conventions.

Students then explore Hesmondhalgh’s key ideas, including how cultural industries use familiar genres, stars, narratives, formulas, branding, marketing and distribution to reach large audiences. The lesson applies this to Stranger Things, considering how Netflix uses familiar sci-fi, horror and mystery conventions while still adding originality through 1980s nostalgia, coming-of-age elements and a distinctive ensemble cast.

Students analyse how Episode 1 reduces commercial risk through its dark lab opening, unseen monster, suspense, 1980s nostalgia, Dungeons & Dragons, bikes, friendship group, child protagonists, mystery hook and broad audience appeal. The lesson helps students understand how Stranger Things is commercially safe for Netflix while still feeling fresh and memorable.

The lesson builds towards an exam-style response: To what extent does Stranger Things Episode 1 support Hesmondhalgh’s theory of cultural industries? It includes sentence starters, a word bank, model response, judgement prompt and success criteria. This links clearly to OCR A-Level Media Studies LFTVD 30-mark questions, especially where students need to apply theory to industry, audience appeal, genre familiarity, risk reduction and Netflix’s streaming model.

This lesson covers
OCR A-Level Media Studies
Paper 2: Evolving Media
Section B: Long Form Television Drama
LFTVD
Stranger Things
Stranger Things S1E1
The Vanishing of Will Byers
David Hesmondhalgh
Cultural Industries Theory
Risk reduction
Profit maximisation
Netflix
Streaming platforms
Commercial appeal
Familiar genre conventions
Originality and innovation
Sci-fi
Horror
Mystery
1980s nostalgia
Dungeons & Dragons
Audience appeal
Broad audience
Binge-watching
Cultural industries
30-mark exam preparation
What is included?
Fully editable PowerPoint (.pptx) lesson
Do Now industry/audience recap task
Teacher feedback/model answers
Lesson objectives
Hesmondhalgh theory explanation
Turn and Talk task on familiarity and originality
Task on how Netflix reduces risk through Episode 1
Printable analysis table
Teacher feedback/model examples
Theory in action tas

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A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

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OCR A Level LFTVD Theory Bundle

A complete OCR A-Level Media Studies LFTVD theory bundle for Paper 2: Evolving Media, Section B – Long Form Television Drama, focused on applying key media theorists to Stranger Things and Lupin. This bundle contains 6 fully editable PowerPoint lessons designed specifically for the LFTVD section of the OCR A-Level Media Studies specification. The lessons support students with applying, analysing and evaluating theory in relation to the set texts: Stranger Things, Season 1 Episode 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers and Lupin, Chapter One. Each lesson is focused on a key theorist and includes clear theory explanation, retrieval tasks, application to the set texts, structured analysis activities, printable-style tasks, word banks, sentence starters, model responses, judgement prompts and exam-style writing practice. The bundle is particularly useful for preparing students for the OCR A-Level Media Studies Paper 2 LFTVD 30-mark question, where students are expected to use relevant theory to support analysis of media language, representation, audience, industry and contexts. Suggested teaching order 1. Steve Neale – Genre Theory Students begin by exploring genre conventions, hybridity, repetition and difference across Stranger Things and Lupin. This is a strong starting point because it helps students understand how both LFTVD texts use familiar genre conventions while also offering fresh elements to appeal to audiences. 2. Claude Lévi-Strauss – Binary Oppositions This lesson focuses on how binary oppositions create meaning, particularly in Lupin. Students analyse contrasts such as rich vs poor, justice vs injustice, appearance vs reality, past vs present and power vs powerlessness, linking these to narrative, media language and audience engagement. 3. Stuart Hall – Reception Theory Students then move from how meaning is constructed to how audiences interpret meaning. This lesson applies Hall’s preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings to character representations in Stranger Things, including Mike, Eleven and Chief Hopper. 4. Albert Bandura – Media Effects Theory This lesson explores whether audiences may learn behaviours or attitudes through observation and imitation. Students apply Bandura to Lupin, focusing on Assane Diop as a charismatic anti-hero who is presented as intelligent, confident, successful and morally complex. 5. George Gerbner – Cultivation Theory This lesson develops audience theory further by considering long-term media influence. Students explore cultivation, mean world syndrome and mainstreaming, applying these ideas to repeated messages in Stranger Things and Lupin around danger, authority, social roles, power, class and mistrust. 6. David Hesmondhalgh – Cultural Industries Theory The bundle finishes with industry theory, linking Stranger Things to Netflix, commercial risk, familiar genre conventions, nostalgia, originality, audience appeal and profit. This supports OCR LFTVD industry and audience discussion within the Paper 2 specification. What is included? 6 fully editable PowerPoint lessons OCR A-Level LFTVD theory lessons Steve Neale Genre Theory lesson Claude Lévi-Strauss Binary Oppositions lesson Stuart Hall Reception Theory lesson Albert Bandura Media Effects Theory lesson George Gerbner Cultivation Theory lesson David Hesmondhalgh Cultural Industries Theory lesson Do Now retrieval tasks Teacher feedback/model answer slides Key theory explanation slides Application tasks for Stranger Things and Lupin Scene and extract analysis tasks Printable worksheet-style slides Word banks Sentence starters Exam-style questions Model responses Judgement prompts WWW and EBI reflection tasks Self-assessment success criteria Key topics covered OCR A-Level Media Studies Paper 2: Evolving Media Section B: Long Form Television Drama LFTVD Stranger Things Stranger Things S1E1: The Vanishing of Will Byers Lupin Lupin: Chapter One Steve Neale Genre theory Repetition and difference Genre hybridity Claude Lévi-Strauss Binary oppositions Stuart Hall Reception Theory Preferred reading Negotiated reading Oppositional reading Albert Bandura Media Effects Theory Observation and imitation George Gerbner Cultivation Theory Mean world syndrome Mainstreaming David Hesmondhalgh Cultural Industries Theory Netflix Audience theory Industry theory Media language Representation 30-mark exam practice This bundle can be used as: A complete OCR A-Level LFTVD theory teaching sequence A Paper 2: Evolving Media LFTVD theory unit A Stranger Things and Lupin theory application pack A 30-mark exam preparation bundle A Year 12 or Year 13 LFTVD revision resource An intervention pack for theory application A structured sequence for improving exam writing A recap sequence after teaching the LFTVD set texts This bundle includes fully editable PowerPoint (.pptx) lessons. This resource is independently created and is not endorsed by OCR.

£19.99

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