Filmmaking 101: Directionality in Easy Rider & Stranger Things 4
Whenever I see Stranger Things fans on Reddit, or anywhere for that matter, try to argue that the show has no deeper meaning beyond what's shown at face value, I seriously want to scream into the abyss.
To put into perspective just how wrong they are, picture this:
I'm taking my first ever film class in 10th grade. Within the first couple of days, we were introduced to the very basics. So this is concepts that are integral to film. It's not like this was something mentioned on page 700 in chapter 20... No, this was like the 2nd page of the very first chapter.
This concept we were introduced to, was the directionality of a character/camera movement and how that direction can affect the way a viewer interprets the character(s) and/or the story itself.
Our textbook used an example from the film Easy Rider (1969), and how something as simple as the direction the characters were driving in at the beginning of the film, and even a majority of the film, foreshadowed their ill fate in the end.
Basically, studies done have proven that viewers often associate movements from the left to the right more positively, whereas we often associate movements from the right to the left more negatively.
To understand this better, think about how when you write your name for example, you're very likely to start from the left and go to the right. A lot of us do everyday movements this way without even realizing it (reading is another basic example). This is why our brains often associate movement going from right to left, as negative. (There are of course exceptions to this in the real world! But this is film, where everything is intentional/by design, not natural/by chance.)
At the beginning of Easy Rider, the protagonists start their journey driving from right to left. Although this trend isn't by any means consistent 100% of the time (as that would be nearly impossible, excruciating for everyone involved, and a little too on the nose), it is a vast majority of the time.
A technique like this, used in this way, may cause the viewer to feel unease about what is yet to come without them even realizing it. That's sort of the whole point.
At the end, we see this same technique being presented to us, with the protagonists once again driving from the right to the left, which leads directly to their inevitable, doomed fate.
Now, this doesn't mean that the movement here, from right to left, is what in and of itself doomed these characters. This is just one of many stylistic choices a writer/director can make if they want to hint to the audience what to expect subconsciously, a feeling they want to evoke at the very least, without outright telling us, ie. subtext. And this film embodies this concept of directionality in a way that makes it a perfect example for this specific technique in action.
Does this mean that any and every time a character, car or anything on screen, goes from left to right or vise versa, that there is for certain an intended significance, always? No, not necessarily.
However, if we are seeing something more predominantly than the opposite, then yes, it's very possible there could be some intention there, as these are again, the basics.
I remember learning this, amongst other things and thinking, "That's kind of absurdly stupid... But I... love it." Stuff as random as this is what can make cinema almost poetic. When there's meaning being created and combined, coming from all different directions, in ways that can be noticed, only if one is willing to look 'behind the curtain'.
So, upon coming across others in this fandom, who insist that the most basic of the basics: lighting, music, set-design, costuming, cinematography, etc., has no greater significance than what is outright stated and/or acknowledged, I mean, it's been dreadful tbh.
What makes film so incredible (in my opinion), is that there is almost always intention going into the details, especially when the filmmaker is keeping in mind how it's going to make us, the audience, feel.
Anyone who knows film, and I would argue that the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy and a lot of the people involved with Stranger Things, are well versed in the basics, knows about all of this, to the point where I would honestly say they are undoubtedly experts.
They know how to convey meaning beyond just what is outright stated/shown to the viewers, but also through techniques that, yes, may seem absurd to a casual viewer, but is actually the backbone of filmmaking. Like this is filmmaking 101. Literally.
Although I haven't rewatched the entire show since being reminded of this (very basic) technique only recently, I did however rewatch the end of season 4, just to humor this theory of directionality and whether or not the finale followed this formula.
And it did not disappoint.
Knowing what we know about directionality and now watching this scene, I have to say, this scene from 4x09 might be an even better example than Easy Rider when it comes to showing what this technique looks like in action and just how effective it can be.
There very well could be a significance to the shot of people leaving Hawkins: driving from the left to the right = safety/survival vs. the Surfer Boy Pizza van entering Hawkins: driving from the right to the left = danger/death.
What I find interesting, is that this entire scene is showing us right to left, until the very end, when we get El from left to right.
Which reminds me of the literal last shot of season 4, in that I think no matter what it comes down to, El is still going to play a major role.
I think because she's always been the person to fix things every season, is why it won't be as simple as many might predict. But I also don't think having her fail like she did at the end of season 4, means she's just out of commission forever, like a lot of fans also predict.
If anything it probably means that El is going to continue having some doubts going forward, about her abilities and even her self-worth, but ultimately that's what will likely make her comeback that much more important to the overall story, in order for them to defeat Vecna and the upside down once and for all.
Or it could all just be one massive coincidence. I mean after all, I am just a delusional *gunshot*
