Deutschland 83: case study blog tasks
Deutschland 83: case study blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to build a detailed case study for Deutschland 83. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question. Remember, for this CSP the question could be on any of the key concepts: language, industries, audiences or representations.
Introduction: Reviews and features
Read the following reviews and features on Deutschland 83:
The Guardian - Your next box set: Deutschland 83
The Guardian - Deutschland 83 Pity the Germans don't like it
1) Find one positive aspect and one criticism of Deutschland 83 in the reviews.
Positive aspect - it was the most watched foreign language drama in UK history
Negative aspect - by the time the last episode was shown in Germany last December, it had shed half its starting audience, with only 1.72m viewers.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
They believe it demonise the east too much in comparison to the west
3) Find three 'below the line' comments from either of the Guardian articles. What did the audience think of Deutschland 83?
It’s a perfect moment in a near-perfect series
backtracks into stereotype
The show has a Brit-flavoured sense of black humour
Promotional interview
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
Growing up in united Germany he actually knew quite little surrounding the cold war and was moreso taught about the cold war, he himself believes there's no difference in east and west Germany anymore.
2) The Channel 4 News interview is conducted in German with English subtitles. How does this reflect Channel 4's remit as a public service broadcaster and their target audience? (Clue: revise your work on Channel 4 and Public Service Broadcasting here!)
Instead of making the actor conform to British values and standards in speech the show allows the actors to feel more comfortable speaking their mother tongue and makes those who speak English forced to instead try and understand through reading what he means
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
It informs audiences who perhaps weren't aware of the political situation in Germany to educate themselves on the matter bringing more attention to it and intriguing the audience who before this most likely were unaware of this.
Textual analysis: Audience pleasures and representations
We need to consider the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 alongside various representations created in the first episode.
Type up your analysis from the lesson using the headings below. You may want to watch the key scenes again and develop your notes in further detail - the more specific and memorable your analysis, the better it will serve you when writing an essay on TV drama. Here's a Google doc we have worked on in past Media lessons on this topic - feel free to use these notes alongside your own. You'll need to use your Greenford Google login to access this.
Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender
Production and industry contexts
Deutschland 83 was produced by German production company UFA Fiction and distributed internationally by Fremantle International. It was broadcast on RTL (Germany), SundanceTV (US) and Channel 4 (UK) as well as many other broadcasters around the world.
1) What kind of company is UFA Fiction and what shows have they produced?
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
Walter Presents
Walter Presents
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
In order to appeal to a larger audience without putting them off by the lack of English by getting them entertained first they may overlook it since they've had proper time to gage the storyline
Press pack
Read the Channel 4 press pack interview with writer Anna Winger. (If the link doesn't work, you can find the text from the interview here).
1) How did she use the historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama?
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
Press release
Read this Channel 4 press release on the success of Deutschland 83. (If the link doesn't work you can find find the text from the article here).
1) List the key statistics concerning audience figures. Why was it considered the most successful foreign language drama?
International marketing
Look at these two different marketing campaigns - the UK DVD release (left) and the American Sundance TV advert (right).
1) How does the UK DVD cover communicate the sub-genre of the drama?
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
Textual analysis: Audience pleasures and representations
We need to consider the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 alongside various representations created in the first episode.
Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany)
4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20
Make notes under the following headings:
Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene
Several shots in the East German party of key characters shot over-the-shoulder or through other guests. Emphasises family and friends present and welcoming atmosphere.
- Strong contrast in the East German party scene with close family, friends enjoying themselves, relaxed atmosphere.
West BBQ scene has undercurrent of tension we expect from spy thriller genre (Steve Neale - genre theory - repetition and difference)
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
Make notes under the following headings:
Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene
Supermarket shelves full of colour and stacked high. Almost an example of postmodern art and designed to emphasise the difference between East and West.
Several shots emphasise representation of East and West - close-up of chandelier, wide shot of luxurious bedroom etc.
Historical reality - Blumler & Katz U&G theory - surveillance. Danger of WW3, reference to Pershing II missiles. Key elements of D83 based on historical fact.
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
Make notes under the following headings:
Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing
Fast-paced editing including jump cuts, typical of montage sequence.
- Split screen / editing / graphics used to emphasise difference between East and West.
Music and SFX: Non-diegetic sound adds pace to the sequence.
Dialogue/voiceover - covers a lot of narrative.
German audience - nostalgia in terms of products and brands.
International audience - surveillance (U&G theory) - learning about Germany, 80s gadgets etc.
Genre pleasures - spy/thriller.
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
Make notes under the following headings:
Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing
Close-ups of Martin while picking lock and photographing the documents.
Close-ups of the documents themselves - words like highly classified, actual details of the missiles and Ronald Reagan’s signature. These are recreations of real documents from the time - emphasising the historical aspect of the show and the way it is based on real events; positions audience to be on Martin’s side.
Shot from behind the blinds continues recurring motif of shots through windows or from behind objects. Creates voyeuristic pleasure and also fits the genre of spy thriller. Audience are given the experience of spying by continually using camera shots that give the impression of observing events from a distance.
Non-diegetic sound - music helps convey the tension of the scene and satisfy genre expectations of spy thriller.
Diegetic sound - deliberately increased volume of Martin’s breathing, lock picking, turning pages in briefcase. Creates intensity, tension.
Action and enigma codes - audience think Martin will be caught at any moment. U&G theory - diversion. Visceral pleasure - scene is tense for audience to watch, adrenaline.
Voyeuristic pleasure - seeing a scene or activity we wouldn’t normally have a chance to see.
Deutschland 83 was produced by German production company UFA Fiction and distributed internationally by Fremantle International. It was broadcast on RTL (Germany), SundanceTV (US) and Channel 4 (UK) as well as many other broadcasters around the world.
1) What kind of company is UFA Fiction and what shows have they produced?
- A German production company; they have produced shows such as Deutschland 83, Kudamm 56, Charité, Santa Maik, to name a few.
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
- Freemantle Media International is a British international television content and production/distribution company and have produced prime time tv shows such as britains got talent or dramas such as Deutschland 83 and Max Steel.
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
- Deutschland 83 reflects the international nature of television production, being produced by a company with global subsidiaries and the inclusion of americanisation and postmodern ideologies to appeal to global audiences, capturing its international nature and appeal.
Walter Presents
Walter Presents
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
- Channel 4 introduce Walter as an enigma of a man, only revealing him to be an artisan of reviewing shows, showing him to be good at his profession.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
- Channel 4 are trying to appeal viewers heavily invested in shows and films and only seek to watch the best of modern media and those with an interest in art house and niche media.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
- The Walter presents series suggests that most audiences are watching TV dramas and series through streaming sites and binging them on websites or through box sets rather than tuning in to scheduled viewings meaning that availability in bulk is vital when appealing to those unable to consistently tune in and the more impatient viewers that have become accustomed to the on demand viewings of the modern digital era.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
The implied romance subplot aids in providing momentary escapism as they may imagine themselves in those situations with a partner, furthermore the spy genre mixed with historical contexts provides both an educational insight into the cold war although postmodernised and entertainment for those who enjoy action.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
Enigma codes :
.During the trailer sequence a gun is pulled on Martin from an unknown character
.when the men are all gathered staring towards the camera the audience isnt given context
.he seems to be fighting a woman in a wedding dress at one point without context
.someone's in a hospital bed
Action codes:
.him fighting
.multiple chase scenes
.the fact that he's a spy going undercover
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
In order to appeal to a larger audience without putting them off by the lack of English by getting them entertained first they may overlook it since they've had proper time to gage the storyline
Press pack
Read the Channel 4 press pack interview with writer Anna Winger. (If the link doesn't work, you can find the text from the interview here).
1) How did she use the historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama?
- Winger says 'At the time that we were developing the show, it was exactly 30 years after it happened, so the first information about Able Archer had just been declassified. There was still a lot of mystery around it, which is great for historical drama.' using the real life discovery of this in the series, and goes on to say 'We fictionalised the whole thing and used it as the backdrop for the climax of the series.' combining it to create a successful drama.
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
- Winger says that 'Music was key to the story from the beginning.' and may attract an audience because 'The top 100 songs of 1983 are still on the radio all the time! It was just an incredible year of pop culture and the songs really travelled', showing that the audience pleasures may have changed throughout the years, but they are still very present in regards to this soundtrack.
Press release
Read this Channel 4 press release on the success of Deutschland 83. (If the link doesn't work you can find find the text from the article here).
1) List the key statistics concerning audience figures. Why was it considered the most successful foreign language drama?
. Launched : 1.49 mil viewers
. Ep 1 has now : 2.5 mil viewers
- overtaking launch of the returned in 2013 on channel 4
which held the record of 2.2 mil
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
The coolest show of the year
- Grazia
The next subtitled sensation..... Unmissable TV
- TV Times
Great fun, powered by an irresistible 19i3 vintage soundtrack
- the daily telegraph
International marketing
Look at these two different marketing campaigns - the UK DVD release (left) and the American Sundance TV advert (right).
1) How does the UK DVD cover communicate the sub-genre of the drama?
The use of sans sans serif phrases within the dvd cover aids in communicating the sub genre thriller with quotes like "undercover" and "cold war thriller" communicates to the audience the historical elements later to be presented in the show
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
Sans serif - informal highlights difference between east and west
Missiles - highlights historical element in reference to the cold war
Mid shot - highlights the main character
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
They want to appeal to as many international audiences as possible so they play into how the cold war effected each individual country differently.
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