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 reviews.
- Positive: The strategic storytelling in the 'near-perfect series' with the first episode being the most-watched foreign-language drama in UK history
- Criticism: Played into the stereotypes of Stasi officers being cruel ideologues and West German officers having messed up peoples' private lives
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
Because they stated that the story was too focused on Martin Rouch so the Stasi agents were not written in a way to be empathised with on a human level
3) Find three 'below the line' comments from either of the Guardian articles. What did the audience think of Deutschland 83? Do you agree with the comments?
- "It was watchable and different but full of holes and implausibilities"- I disagree with this comment because this person seems to barely tolerate the show but there are certain aspects of the Uses and Gratifications theory that could prove this comment wrong for a lot of people. This show has presented aspects of surveillance, personal relationships and even personal identity in order to make the show more enjoyable for a variety of audiences
- "It has a subtlety sadly missing from 90% of German comedy"- I agree with this comment because this show has a casual nature to make it much more enjoyable to watch. Many media products regarding the Cold War are documentary-based but this show presents a new and refreshing approach by incorporating a sense of casualness and subtlety and arguably even comedy
- "Loved this series. I was in West Germany in the summer of 1983 and I thought the programme makers captured the mood of the time perfectly"- I agree with this comment because this person has first-hand experience of what it was like to live in West Germany so this person has personal identity with the show (applying the Uses and Gratifications theory) so this may be the case for more German audiences because they may feel reminiscent of what living in West Germany was like with aspects of nostalgia too
Interviews and behind-the-scenes video features
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
He said that growing up in united Germany meant that there was no West or East Germans anymore because he was born in 1990- he says living in united Germany meant he greatly values his freedom and mobility
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?
Channel 4 has potentially done this as an attempt to be innovative and inclusive in the same way that Deutschland 83 has done. By having a British public broadcaster broadcasting a foreign show and interview emphasises their innovative nature compared to other public service broadcasters. Other public service broadcasters may be more concerned with being successful and gaining money but Channel 4 has presented this show in order to be more inclusive for other languages without regards to success or profit- this may show how advanced and developed Channel 4 is compared to other public service broadcasters
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the Channel 4 News audience?
This may interest a Channel 4 News audience because if they are watching a news channel, they are likely to be concerned with news and politics- whether that be politics and news from the time of the Cold War or news in current time. An audience that is fascinated by news and politics may want to compare what it was like during the time that Deutschland 83 was based compared to nowadays in Germany. Other public service broadcasters may not pay much attention to the politics of other countries but by Channel 4 presenting this news, it shows that they are trying to educate and expand on their inclusivity so that German audiences feel seen and accepted
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
Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene:
-Handheld camerawork at birthday party n the East- gives the audience the impression that we are attending the party with him
-Camerawork at in the West is a 360 degree handheld shot- gives the impression that we are being watched
Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender:
-Representation of East is warm, intimate, friendly- positive representation of family
-West never focuses on one character for too long so we are unable to form emotional attachments on any of them- the audience is encouraged to maintain distance from the West
The working-class is fetishised and the middle-class is criticised in the West
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene:
-Use of colour in the West shows that it is full of bright colour- Puma logo red shirt, supermarket shelves full of colour, fruit
-Full supermarket shelves are almost an intertextual reference to the 1960s pop art and Andy Warhol's famous soup can- very postmodern scene
Audio codes – particularly music:
-Music: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These- the 80s soundtrack is diagetic sound that plays in the supermarket in which the lyrics can be applied to Martin's first experience in the West
-Dialogue on the bench: "The freedom of the West is that they don't pay attention to you"- dominant capitalist ideologies
Representation of East & West Germany / Communism & Capitalism / Historical accuracy:
-Shot of police eating ice cream in the West is symbolic of the differences between the East and West- starts to create the positive representation of the West
-Gender: "What does Annette want?"- reductive, stereotypical representation of women and is historically representative of the time
-Music- reinforces American/British influence on Western culture with pop music
Audience pleasures:
-Soundtrack- 80s nostalgia
-Dialogue in the supermarket about missiles in 1983- historically accurate so it provides the audience pleasure of surveillance
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing:
-fast-paced montage sequence- very quick cuts, including jump cuts to present the idea that there was little time to learn everything in order to not get caught and perhaps the abundance of scenes shown in such a short time reflects the abundance of information in Martin's brain in that short time
-split screen/animated texts and logos- used to compare and educate the audience (and Martin) about the differences between the East and West
-Shots through windows/from high angles- create the feeling of spying/surveillance
Audio codes:
-German soundtrack from the 80s- adds pace to the scene and may be recognisable for a German audience
- Mix of diagetic and non-diagetic sound along with voiceovers and dialogue
Audience pleasures:
-Brand logos, text on screen, products to show differences in Germany in 1983- e.g. fruit in the West compared to the empty space on the East which a German audience may identify with or an audience pleasure of surveillance for an audience looking to learn more
Intertextuality:
-Gadgets and spy gear- almost gives the feeling of a Bond movie
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing:
-Use of close-ups: lock-picking, Martin's face, documents, map of Germany, Ronald Reagan's signature- recreation of real documents released by the US government in 2013
-Shot through the blinds- continues visual motif of surveillance-style camerawork
Audio codes – diegetic and non-diegetic sound:
-Exaggerated diagetic sound- used to create tension (lock-picking, breathing, etc)
-Low non-diagetic soundtrack- classic spy thriller genre convention
-Background noise used to create the feeling that he is going to get caught
-The music stopped when we heard noise outside the door- suggests that as an audience, we should be holding our breath and being silent in anticipation as though he will get caught if we make a sound
Audience pleasures:
-Uses and Gratifications theory- personal relationships used because this scene is only effective if the audience wants Martin to get away with it
-Historical accuracy- real documents used in order to create the feel that these events are real
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?
UFA Fiction is the kind of company that combines production activities of UFA in the areas of series and series, TV, movies, high-end drama and cinema films. They have a astonishingly impressive portfolio that has influenced the German television landscape, some of their works include: Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter, Nackt unter Wölfen, Ku'damm 56/59/63, Deutschland 83/86/89, Charité 1/2/3, Ein Strong Team, Die Diplomatin, Soko Leipzig, Soko Munich
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
Freemantle is the kind of company that independently creates, produces and distributes content- they are an independent group of talents, studios/producers, content makers, creative incubators, culture shapers/game changers. They have produced: American God, Family Feud, The Rain, Too Hot to Handle
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
Deutschland 83 reflects the international nature of television production as, despite the TV Drama being entirely in German, Deutschland 83 was more successful in different countries such as the UK- this is likely to be due to the fact that Deutschland 83 was produced by a German company but was distributed by a global distributor
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
Channel 4 introduced 'Walter' as a "humanised" version of an algorithm that picks the best TV dramas with the best storylines and characters. By making 'Walter' seem like a real person, the audience is more likely to trust Channel 4 and the services they have to offer because people tend to trust people more than machines so this also builds the good image of Channel 4 as being trustworthy
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
I think that Channel 4 is trying to appeal to an audience in around their mid-twenties because there were elements of romance, nudity, action, drama, and other dark themes which may not appeal to an audience younger than their mid-twenties because they typically tend to look for lighthearted things to watch and aren't attracted to the dark themes
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age
The 'Walter Presents' series reflects the changing nature of television in the digital age because we can see that they feature a lot more foreign TV dramas which is still unusual for most other broadcasters- this clearly highlights the changing nature in the consumption of television because people are trying to expand their knowledge on other cultures which is something that is very common for young people in the digital age because they are constantly trying to expand their knowledge
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Using Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory, we can see that the audience pleasure of surveillance is present because we can see real footage of the president from that time giving a briefing and this means that audiences can learn from this show as there is real information being given and it isn't just fiction. Despite the audience pleasure of surveillance, there is also the pleasure of entertainment which is caused by the fighting scenes that keeps audiences engaged because they are entertaining to watch
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
Using Barthes' enigma and action codes, we can see that there have been a few enigma codes created. One being the shot of Martin's mother who was rushed into the hospital with a pale face so the enigma code of whether she was going to live or not was created. There was another one where we see someone tapping Martin's shoulder but we don't know who it is so the enigma code of who is tapping his shoulder is created because we don't know if this character is on Martin's side or if it is somebody who is going to get him in trouble. Another enigma code is created when a character holds a gun up to Martin so the audience is unaware of whether Martin is going to get shot or not
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
I think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue in order to emphasise the fact that this show is for anybody to watch and is not just exclusive to German audiences. If there was German dialogue in the trailer, British audiences may feel like this show is not for them to watch because it is not in their language and they will feel out of place and just not watch it
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?
Anna Winger used historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama as she based Martin (the East German protagonist) on her husband when he was in West Germany in the military. Her husband would listen to Russian troops in East Germany as he was a radio signaller in the West. The Russians would greet him by name which revealed that they knew he was listening but there was also a mole at his base that he never discovered which gave Winger the idea to write a story from the perspective of the mole that was never discovered and this character was written as Martin
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
The soundtrack of Deutschland 83 may attract an audience because the top 100 songs from 1983 are still listened to in modern days which means that people still enjoy music from the 80s. This may also attract an audience that grew up listening to music from the 80s because it may introduce the feeling of nostalgia and allow those audiences to reminisce on what it was like listening to music like this in the 80s
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 is considered the most successful foreign language drama?
- Deutschland 83 is now the highest rated foreign-language drama in UK TV history
- It launched with 1.49 million viewers
- The first episode attracted 2.5 million viewers (overtaking the launch of The Returned on Channel 4 which previously held the record with 2.2 million viewers)
- Deutschland 83 is the first German-speaking drama to play on a mainstream US cable network
Deutschland 83 is considered the most successful foreign language TV drama because of the impressive statistics that were generated. Despite the show being in a different language, the enjoyment of the show overcame the language barrier and allowed it to become the highest rated foreign-language drama in UK TV history
- Daily Mail: “Evocative and gripping"
- The Daily Telegraph: Great fun, and powered by an irresistible 1983 vintage soundtrack”
- The Times: A stylish curtain-raiser for Walter Presents”
- The Guardian: “This pacy saga could be your new subtitled obsession”
- TV Times: "This is the next subtitled sensation... unmissable TV”
- Grazia: “It’s only January but let’s call it already: coolest show of the year”
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 UK DVD cover communicates the sub-genre through the choice of words on the wall behind that reads "OVER THE WALL, UNDER COVER" which has strong connotations of a spy drama because "UNDER COVER" gives the audience the impression that he has to hide his identity in order to find something out. We can also see the two contrasting sides of the wall and perhaps this represents the East and West of Germany so this may cause some conflict. This leads me to believe that this is a spy drama with some elements of action (caused by conflict of both sides of Germany)
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
- UK DVD Cover: In this cover, a bright yellow font has been used for the title of the show and perhaps this has been done in order to be the first thing that the audiences' attention is brought to. We can also see that the two sides of the wall are contrasting from dull colours to bright colours and perhaps this binary opposition is to reinforce the differences between the East and West of Germany
- Sundance TV Poster: This poster has a much more colourful background where blues and pinks and purples have been used and perhaps this is a more lighthearted approach to promote the show that would appeal to an audience that would attend the Sundance Film Festival
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
I think that the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries in order to appeal to each specific country that they are promoting the show to. This means that different countries may be more interested in certain things more than other countries so they have adapted the marketing campaigns in every country to appeal to the vast majorities interests
No comments:
Post a Comment