FUNDAÇÃO ARMANDO ÁLVARES PENTEADO

FAAP

HEARTSTOPPER: THE BIG WHAT IF

Ana Laura Rodrigues de Araújo
Anna Beatriz Bacellar Loureiro
Gabriella Telles Siqueira Balotta de Oliveira
Gustavo Felipe Rodrigues Dias
Helena De Camargo Nogueira Dinamarco

CM1

São Paulo
2023
INTRODUCTION:
It has been some years since streaming started to see diversity as an opportunity to
make money. A lot of productions exploring themes of sexuality, genre and race have risen
approaching people who weren't able to see themselves on big screens or in the top of some
media as we can see by “Love Victor” (2020-2022) a gay spin-off from “Hulo + Star+”
continuing the history of “Love Simon” (2018); “I am not okay with this” (2020) a lesbian
story from “Netflix”; “Euphoria” (2019- ) from HBO Max; “Genera+ion” (2021) from HBO
Max; “Young Royals” (2021 - ) from “Netflix” and finally “Heartstopper”, also from Netflix,
and many others narratives.
Talking about Heartstopper, there is something about it that makes this story so much
loved in the entire world. The biggest reason for that is because it shows love in its pure form.
That is, it’s a TV Series based on the comic books which also have the same name, telling a
story of a relationship between two boys - Charlie and Nick - but not with a lot of drama,
involving the dark side of been gay - of course that appear in some part of the narrative, but it
is not the main plot - showing how this feeling of falling in love can be good when you are a
teenager.
Another point that explain this passion involving the production it's because it is
faithful to the original material which was already loved by the public since it's a narrative with
a lot of diversity and creates a reflection about important themes in a complex and careful way
, as eating disease, homophobia, transphobia, anxiety and others, but not with a lot of suffering
and pain, resuming all the characters by their problems - in this Tv show diseases it's just a
part of them, not them all. In addition, the little details of the production it's what matters too,
having some draws along the episodes that remember the Alice Oseman’s ones, being dynamic
and free to everyone including kids to watch it and being able to love the charismatic
characters cheering for their relationship.
Following this idea, the narrative is about Charlie, a gay guy who recently has told the
school about his sexuality - not because he wanted to, but he was forced to - and with his
self-discovery comes the bullying from others who are jealous by his courage. However, he
starts to go out with a boy called Ben, who has shame about his desires about liking boys, and
tries to make this relationship between them a secret, ignoring and making Charlie feel guilty
of not respecting the distance between them in public places, manipulating his feelings.
In this context, in the first English classes of the semester, Charlie meets Nick Nelson, a
football player- a classic romantic story of the American High School- but, different from the
other “straight” boys of that place, Nick is kind and open to start a new friendship with his
partner. Thereafter, they begin to see and greet each other not just in classes but outside of that,
a thing which Charlie wasn't accustomed to, once that Ben and the other guys just ignore or
make fun of him.
After a short time, they start to hang out and Charlie falls in love with Nick, but he tries
to hide this feeling from him, because he is scared to lose his friendship. At the same time, the
football player begins to defend Charlie of the other guys, specially Ben, finding a feeling
inside him that he already have met at some point of his life, but he wasn't certain about it -
Nick discover himself as bisexual, and his perspective are explored by the show, thing that isn't
very discussed in mainstream productions, in which just have an abyss between being gay or
straight. An example of that it's the classic scene of “Pirates of the Caribbean'', where the
football guy is watching the movie with his mom, and explores his attractive feelings about the
two main characters of that show,"Elizabeth Swan” and “Will Turner III”.
Finally, after a lot of time together, Nick and Charlie go ahead sharing their experiences
and thoughts of life, creating a Cultural Heat, especially when Charlie tries to understand the
world of football that Nick are in and has a passion about it, while, Nick tries to be able to get
into Charlie’s world and compulsions, forming an Expression of Deviation knowing how to
deal with problems and making possible a romantic relationship between them, changing their
perspectives of life.
Furthermore, the TV Show explores diversity not only with the main characters and
their relationship, but with the supporting characters too as a trans girl called Ellie, who has
just transitioned her self and changed to a school just for girls - one of the narrative's core with
Tara and Darcy, as well, a lesbian couple formed by a black girl and a white one, who hide
their relationship and discovers how to be proud of themselves -, a fat guy called Isaac and his
passion about books, an Asian boy called Tao, Charlie’s best friend, who have to deal with a
secret love with Ellie and at the same time protect his friend from a possible heartbreak
because of Nick Nelson.
Also, it is important to say that this show comes in an era of book’s adaptations to
streaming, where most part of the new and original stories are based on books with different
genres. The reason for that, more than just have a story with all the plot ready to be
transformed in a script, what makes possible an existence of “Narrowcastings”. It's because
many of these publications already have a passionate public who it's almost certain that will
watch the audiovisual adaptation, being a possibility of a trend production for the platform
which will grow the number of subscribers, as will be “Percy Jackson” to Disney +, “Daisy
Jones and the Six” and “The summer I turned pretty” to Prime Video, “Bridgenton” and
“Seven Husbands of Evylin Hugo” to Netflix, and so many others which will be released
soon.
Having said that, the fact that the productions already have a public audience even
before it releases, makes the marketing so much easier and economic, once that fans creates a
natural disclosure on social media sharing opinions about every single news that are posted.
For example, actors who will play the loved characters, locations, objects that will be used,
figurines and changes on the story as well. Seeing that, not just because the story already has
fans, but the number of spectators grew because of the curiosity created around all the
production too, once that it turned into a trend and exploded the previous bubble that the
adaptation was in.
Therefore, once that the news of the adaptation becomes a trend, everyone will want to
watch it, giving their opinions on social medias, which can be something good, when the book
is really well adapted, as “Heartstopper” that fans consider a masterpiece, or can be bad, when
the streaming change important aspects of the narrative to get into their formula- as
“Wednesday” (2022); “Love & Gelato” (2022)- generally it is what happened with Netflix. In
this context, it's important to say that, a TV Show - adapted of a book or not - would be
different depending on the streaming that will adapt, because every platform have their own
style and formula to do something, even the little ones - that is the reason which some fans may
be happy or sad when discovers who will make the adaptation of their favorite book.

"HEARTSTOPPER" THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF EDGAR MORIN

Going beyond everything that was already put into perspective, it is now possible to
look inside the story, and through that, a lot of the theories of Edgar Morin can be seen in
"Heartstopper".
Since the beginning of the show, we can see that Charlie's friends have already formed
impressions about Nick's personality and sexuality; they see Nick Nelson as part of the
"football team" stereotype, which is something that was able to be seen with the progression of
the narrative, showing how much the people around Nick had an influence on how he sees
himself and how he thought he should act. This point was put into words in a dialogue between
Nick and Charlie, where Nick wonders who he would be if they had met earlier. Edgar Morin's
"cultural imprinting" comes across in these moments, where we have this culture that is already
printed into our brains and how everything around us will define the way that you see the
world and how your habits are based on it.
 Nick Nelson, in the beginning of his trajectory on the show, was in a group of friends
where they shared an interest (football), but he didn't feel like himself, which is something that
he only notices when he meets Charlie, and there is our cultural heat. Nick's journey with
himself starts when he meets Charlie, a gay boy, and through his perspective as one of Charlie's
friends, he starts to question his friend's actions that he never noticed before.
Through this reflection, we have the moment where Nick punches Harry, the boy who
used to be his best friend, because he was being homophobic, and there is when we can see the
expression of deviations, the action that causes an effect, when the conflict is generated and the
knowledge is created, expanding thoughts and consolidating a different version of yourself
with another way of thinking. The expression of deviations is also seen at the end of the show,
when Nick leaves his game to talk to Charlie, holding his hand in front of the whole school.
Another situation that is interesting to point out is the relationship between Nick and
Tara. They shared their first kiss when they were kids but went on a completely different
journey in their own lives, discovering their own sexualities, which is something that is
inevitable to see and has a lot to do with the people around them. Tara, after being scared for a
long time about her sexuality and the reception of it, starts to accept and allows herself to love
who she loves, and that is pretty much related to her around, which is something that is very
different when it comes to Nick, whose fears come across in a more internal way; he doesn't
understand well what he is feeling because he never felt that before for a boy, and his around,
his friends, don't make things easier for his own acceptance, different when we look to Tara,
who already knows her feelings and have supportive friends, but fear the reaction of the other
ones at school. We can see this cultural heat on the party scene, where Nick sees Tara kissing
her girlfriend in the middle of the dance floor, and we can see in his eyes that he wants that
too—that freedom and that acceptance that Tara has with herself, changing all perspectives on
love and falling in love that he had before making possible a break and an “Expression of
Deviations”.
Ellie's coming-out journey is also another great example of cultural break. Ellie is a
trans girl who is the new kid in the only girls school (in the show they have the "only boys
school" and the "only girls school"), and we can see how much her group of friends celebrated
and supported her into her journey with herself, but not everyone respected her, as we can see
when Tao (one of her friends) says that there was one teacher who refused to call her with the
right pronouns (Cultural Heat), because of the ideas that he already had imprinted on his mind ,
so the question here would be: How much the way that he was raised, his surroundings, his
environment, affected the way that he acted with Ellie?
 It is also inevitable to point out the importance of cinema and TV shows as a form of
cultural breaks, since cinema often brings us new ways of seeing the world, making us question
what we believe in (Expression of Deviations) , and with "Heartstopper," it couldn't be any
different, like when Nick looks at the screen and realizes that maybe he has feelings for both
main characters, initiating and planting new questions in Nick's head, impacting the rest of his
journey of understanding who he is.
Consolidating everything that has already been said in this reflection, it is irrevocable
to see how much Edgar Morin's philosophy can apply to the "Heartstopper World", where his
line of thinking comes across through all the diversity and representation that the narrative
naturally brings in a very colorful way, proving that it is possible to portray real and complex
situations in a light way without romanticizing them.

NETFLIX'S CHARACTERISTICS AND WHY DID "HEARTSTOPPER" GROW IN

THIS ENVIRONMENT:
Netflix was the pioneer of streaming platforms. It started as a movie rental company,
creating a system where people could subscribe to this program to rent any movie at all times if
paid monthly. With the new technologies improvement, Netflix, in 2007, created their platform
that made streaming available on every person's personal computer. So, it is possible Hence,
we can assume with this trajectory that Netflix was able to develop a relation between what the
market had to offer and what people wanted, while adapting to changes in the television and
streaming world.
It is known that the streaming platform has changed the way that production happens -
when compared to efficiency, quality, quantity, distribution, etc. Not only that, but we can also
see some change in who is accessing these platforms and what is their main focus when
looking for a series or movie. In this section of the essay, we will be approaching Netflix's
characteristics and how they reflect on our show: Heartstopper. Therefore I will be dividing
this part in three: script, audiovisual themes and distribution and promotion.
First, we need to understand that before streaming platforms, Tv shows and series had a
different format to fit to the schedule of open television, taking in consideration the duration of
the episode and the series, exposition and cliffhangers, act breaks and ads, that were completely
transformed to fit what these platforms were trying to sell. These exchanges were mainly
focused on scripts that needed to adapt for this new form, in which there was no need for ads in
between scenes, no need for cliffhangers or recaps in each episode, leaving more time to
develop the storytelling.
 'Heartstopper' is an eight episode show with 30 minutes each. It doesn't have any
cliffhangers in between chapters and yet it's a well developed series. It is because with the extra
time they have, it is possible to present the characters (they have 6 main characters - Nick,
Charlie, Tara, Elle, Tao and Darcy) and present the plot, making it able to extend and show
some progress throughout the duration of the series. As it was already presented in the
introduction, we can already understand the amount of complexity of this series and
comprehend why it would be different if it was made by an open television channel. Mainly
because we would need cliffhangers in every episode and also the exposition that would need
to happen to understand the series. Which leads us to another topic: themes.
Entering, then, the audiovisual themes. Themes are what defines the context of a series
or a movie, therefore it defines the genre - it takes the story as a whole and funnelate what it's
about. Heartstopper's themes are identity and sexuality, bringing this coming of age sensation
and theme, in which these teenagers are getting to understand themselves for the first time
when developing themselves as soon to be young adults. It's essential to know this, because it
reflects one of the principles created by streaming platforms - especially on Netflix -, that is
narrowcasting. The consequence of having the same themes, even with diverse genres, is the
creation of groups that look out for the specifics - it will be better explained later. Who are they
going to reach? How do they want to reach them? Wh at is more likely to attract them? It is
important to highlight the fact that 'Heartstopper' is a book adaptation. Therefore it already had
a guaranteed audience, but it doesn't mean it was their only goal. With a fanbase, it is possible
to spread the word about this new series and it can be part of pop culture.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, when the season was launched, it had 100% on critics
score and 98% on audience scores, which leads us to believe that the theme choice and the
series choice was the right path for Netflix's productions. While reading the comments of the
critics, the most implied thing when talking about this series is the coming of age inclusivity
with the queer community and the lightness to approach a theme that is usually seen with a
heavier look - only focusing on the trauma and shame of being part of it. That is proving that
the theme of the series is what influenced the likeability of the show.
Themes are not only related to contemporary and social behavior, and it can also come
in the form of nostalgia. As mentioned before, this series already had a fanbase that would
prove the creation of this successful, and they invited the writer of the comic book to be part of
the script, not only that, but they implemented some drawings that would connect with the
books (such as flowers, leafs, etc). For every reader, this brought a sense of nostalgia, comfort
and connection between live action and drawing, which was quite welcome in the book
community.
Passing this fase, we last have distribution and promotion. This show launched every
episode in one day, following the pattern that Netflix has to binge-watch an entire series in a
single day, and by its first week on Netflix, it was already on the top 10 most watched in the
world. To understand it, it is necessary to take into account the way in which the series
produced by Netflix is ​advertised.
Taking in consideration the theme, we see a certain pattern when it comes to promotion
- especially when we think about the narrowcasting and structured genres. Here, I'm bringing
two other examples: "Young Royals'' (2021) and "XO, Kitty" (2023). We can already see
some similar colors (figure.1, figure. 2, figure. 3) in all three posters - blue, pink/purple, and a
warm color (orange or a soft yellow) -, this already indicates a similarity in between the themes
of the series - all three are a LGBTQIA+ and a coming of age (teen drama) series.
Summarizing then, by using the themes to funnel a certain group of people, in this case it is
teenagers mainly, Streamings, such as Netflix, manage to create a style, a formula -
characteristics and traits that only Netflix would have - for their promotion focusing directly on
their audience.

Figure. 1 Figure. 2 Figure. 3

These three shows follow the same formula created by Netflix, a coming of age teen
drama in which the main focus is the romance - even when there are other influences in the
story - and the major problem that could happen is something stopping the main characters
from getting together (being an internal or external conflict). But if we analyze it with a series
from another platform, we see that even with the same theme, that it will have another take,
such as in "Euphoria" (2019) from HBOMax, in which they have a lesbian couple and even
when something is getting in their way, that is not the focus of the series - it will be more
explored in a few topics. Netflix is yet not ready to take a more mature turn on stories that
sometimes needs to have a caring way to tell it - tanking in consideration the severity of it and
how delicate it is (example: '13 reasons why', 'Ginny and Georgia'). For this reason, I believe
that Heartstopper was the perfect match for Netflix - since it's fluffy and lovey dovey, and it's
more lightweight in the topic its approach, especially because it is an adaptation.
Another thing to consider is the distribution process. Themes are one way to be sure
that they will have an audience to see what they are making, but another way to draw attention
is having the same team of production and distribution working on a project. This way they can
guarantee that the same formula that worked on a past series is going to work on this one. This
is not the case with 'Heartstopper'. It may be a lot like other Netflix formulas, because it is a
Netflix Original, so it will have the same aesthetic or tone as other series. Distribution affects
the working model in the production process, meaning that while it's still in the process, it will
be already sold to the public with a stipulated release date. By that, the personal promotion will
have started: advertising campaigns - mainly on Instagram -, promotion on the platform, etc.
The second season isn't even out yet, but they already renovated it to a third season and are
making marketing around it.
Lastly, we have the distribution. Since 'Heartstopper' is a Netflix original, the
distribution would go only on and to Netflix, therefore it's noticeable that, in the case of
streaming audiovision productions, the distribution is not necessarily concerned with the space
in which the distribution will take place, but to whom they are creating it for. That's why
promotion is important and vital to the distribution. It sells to social media, that's how the
organization knows that something is selling, since they can get their data monitoring through
access via the internet.

THE IMPACT OF “HEARTSTOPPER” BEYOND THE SCREEN:

Heartstopper, a popular TV series based on the graphic novel by Alice Oseman, has had
a significant social impact, most notably by portraying LGBT affect and addressing issues
such as homophobic bullying, the right to affection, body representation, gender
representation, sexual orientation, representation and racial representation. Furthermore, it
provided a safe space for the older LGBT generation.
One of Heartstopper's notable social impacts is its depiction of LGBT affection. The
series depicts same-sex relationships and explores the journey of two male leads, Nick and
Charlie, as they navigate their feelings for each other. By portraying their love story with
warmth, authenticity and tenderness, the show has helped to normalize and celebrate LGBT
affection. It provided relatable representation and narratives for individuals who identify as
part of the LGBT community, allowing them to see themselves positively reflected on screen
and fostering a sense of acceptance and self-acceptance.
Heartstopper also addresses the issue of homophobic bullying. Through its characters'
experiences, the show sheds light on the harmful effects of bullying based on sexual
orientation. He explores the emotional impact this takes on individuals and highlights the
importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces for all. By tackling this issue head-on, the
series helps raise awareness of the harmful impact of homophobia and encourages empathy
and understanding among viewers.
Furthermore, the right to affection is another theme that Heartstopper explores. By
depicting intimate moments and showing the emotional connection between Nick and
Charlie, the show challenges social norms and stereotypes that limit or stigmatize expressions
of affection in same-sex relationships. It emphasizes that everyone, regardless of sexual
orientation, deserves the right to love and be loved openly and without discrimination.
In terms of representation, Heartstopper strives to be inclusive. The series features
diverse characters in terms of body types, gender identities, sexual orientations, and racial
backgrounds. In doing so, it presents a more accurate and representative portrayal of the real
world, where people come in many shapes, sizes, identities and orientations. This
representation sends a powerful message about the value of diversity and challenges existing
stereotypes and prejudices in society.
Additionally, Heartstopper provided a safe space for the older LGBT generation. While
the show primarily focuses on Nick and Charlie's teenage experiences, it's done in a way that
creates the possibility for older LGBT people to identify with. The relationship of the two
protagonists is more than just a same-sex union, it is an innocent first love between teenagers,
full of beauty and new discoveries. Therefore, it creates a sense of belonging and recognition
for older viewers, who may find solace in seeing their experiences represented on screen.
In summary, Heartstopper made a significant social impact by portraying LGBT
affection, addressing issues such as homophobic bullying, the right to affection, body
representation, gender representation, representation of sexual orientation, and representation
of race. By providing representation, raising awareness and creating a safe space for the older
LGBT generation, the series has contributed to greater acceptance, understanding and
inclusion in society.
WHAT IF “HEARTSTOPPER” WAS FROM HBO MAX:
As it was already said, “Heartstopper” is a series from Netflix, but what if it was made
on the platform HBO Max, which is totally different in many aspects from the first one?
To start, the colors of the show would be the opposite of one to another, because HBO
prefers to use more cold colors, such as purple, blue and green, and also darker colors for the
ambience. So there wouldn't be much light in the scenes and the moments would be
represented in that tone of colors.
In the story itself and design, there would be more scenes of sex, and explicit ones,
something that don't have either in Netflix production or the books; the design of the show
would be different too, like the flowers that appear at the end of some scenes wouldn't exist,
once that the production would be more serious, and the draw - aspect that are in the comic
books - give to the series an aspect of comfort and happiness, without drama, which isn't the
feeling of HBO, that prefers go deep in the feelings and explore uncomfortable ones, making
the audience reflect or be shocked about it. As we can see by the bisexuality of Nick or the
anxiety that everyone in the series passes through, the homophobic and transphobic moments
as well.
HBO Max is known for its high-quality productions with strong values. If
"Heartstopper" was produced by them, there would likely be an increased budget and resources
available for the show. This could result in improved sets, costumes, visual effects, and overall
production quality, distancing it to soap operas and being more like movies and big shows as
“Game Of Thrones”
Also, this platform often favors longer seasons and has a reputation for allowing more
creative freedom to its creators. As a result, "Heartstopper" could potentially have a longer
episode count per season compared to other platforms. This would allow for more in-depth
storytelling and the exploration of additional plot lines and character arcs. At the same time, it
would create a big distance to the storytelling of the books, once that, the original story isn't too
long and deep because it is a comic book, making the creatives think outside the box to develop
big and deep plots to the characters that the audience already knows.
In order to diversity representation, usually, HBO Max has been actively promoting
diversity and inclusivity in its programming. If "Heartstopper" was on HBO Max, there might
be an increased focus on diverse casting and representation, not only in the question of genres
or sexuality, but race as well, talking about it in a deep way and possible with more drama,
involving questions like racism and other ones that isn't the focus of the series. Saying that, the
aspects of homophobia and transphobia, would be more dramatic, with so much more violence,
for example, “Euphoria” and all the plot of the character “Jules”. Also, the representation of
adolescence would be more realistic, with the dilemmas of drugs, social status, difficulties not
only with personal problems, but creating a dialogue with society.
In addition, the actors in HBO Max would be older (young adults - around their 23 and
plus years - rather than teens) and hotter, bringing that fake sensation and representation of the
real age that they actually are in the series, looking more as adults in high school and less as
actual teenagers. Looking this way, there are some stars that HBO Max always chose to play
the characters of their histories, as we can see by Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Thomas Doherty
(usually at the same time that they look young, they have some aspects as the developed body
with breasts and defined abs, that clearly young people don´t have) and others, allowing the
streaming to explore more the dark side of the school, with sex and drugs appeal, something
that because of the law, it's impossible to happen with teen actors, or would be strange and kind
pedophile, seen that this streaming prefers an audience older than the Netflix ones which
prefer an casting as Kit Connor (18 years) who actually plays Nick Nelson, and Joe Locke (19
years) who plays Charlie Spring.
In conclusion, as a streaming service with a substantial subscriber base, HBO Max
would provide a larger platform for "Heartstopper." The show would likely receive more
extensive marketing campaigns and promotion, helping to attract a wider audience and
potentially increasing its overall popularity and visibility, creating what we call an “event”, like
was the last season of “Game of Thrones”, or the first one of “The Last of Us”.
It's important to note that these are speculative possibilities based on HBO Max's
reputation and approach to its original programming. The specific details of any potential HBO
Max adaptation of "Heartstopper" would ultimately depend on the decisions made by the
production team and the streaming service itself.