TV Index: Capital & Deutschland 83 :)

 My Capital & Deutschland 83 Index

1) Introduction to TV Drama

2) Capital: Case study and analysis

3) Capital: Marxism and Hegemony

4) Deutschland 83: Case study and analysis

5) Postmodernism and Deutschland 83

6) TV: Industry contexts

Television Industry Contexts: Blog Tasks :)

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas

Read the Independent feature on foreign-language dramas

1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media?

The article suggests that the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media were people who were pretentious, dull and odd but these days, foreign-language dramas have become fully mainstream 

2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows?

Walter Iuzzolino suggests that the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows is the actual material of the shows. Foreign-language dramas were mostly for small, dedicated communities while now they are populist and successful. The shift in audience behaviours in becoming more accepting has definitely played a part in this and Walter Presents features shows that aren't so niche that international audiences won't be able to understand or enjoy the shows 

3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest?

The article claims that the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age is due to how frequently we are distracted from TV viewing due to notifications from social media. Due to all these distractions, subtitles act as a good way to force us to focus as that's the only way you can understand what's going on. With this in mind, it could be said that we can be more invested in foreign-language dramas as we are paying a lot more attention to them than native dramas 

4) What are the other audiences pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article?

One of the audience pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article is surveillance. Iuzzolino states, "If you see something amazing set in Argentina, then Argentina itself is one of the biggest appeals". This suggests that the representation of Argentina that we see in the foreign-language TV dramas is so realistic that audiences can actually learn what Argentina is like through the show. There is also the audience pleasure of personal identity as despite the language barrier, "all human stories are about love, betrayal, life, death, violence, politics: the themes are universal" meaning that we as an audience can still relate to it 

Film School Rejects: The foreign TV dramas you're missing out on

Now read this Film School Rejects feature on the foreign TV dramas you're missing out on

1) What does the article tell us about Deutschland 83's release schedule?

The article tells us that Deutschland 83's release schedule started off by being premiered on AMC Network's Sundance TV in June 2015. This made Deutschland 83 the first German-language TV series to premiere on a US network. Interestingly enough, despite being a German drama it was only broadcast in Germany five months after the US on Germany's commercial RTL channel. This signifies the series' global appeal before the show even premiered 

2) The article contains important statistics on viewing figures in different countries. What were the German viewing figures for the first and last episode? What were Channel's 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83?

The first episode of Deutschland 83 garnered 3.19 million views in Germany which dropped to 1.63 million by the last episode. Channel 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83 reached a peak of 2.13 million viewers in a prime time TV slot, earning it the title of the UK's highest-rated foreign drama 

3) Who are the two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 and what did they announce in October? 

The two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 are SundanceTV and FremantleMedia who announced in October that there would be a second series of Deutschland 83 called Deutschland 86 

4) How does Walter Iuzzolino use social media to engage audiences in new international TV dramas? How does he suggest this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK?

Walter Iuzzolino posts a 'Weekend Pick' on his Facebook page and engages with viewers on Twitter to gain the attraction of audiences in new foreign TV dramas. Iuzzolino suggests that this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK from once being something 'relegated to the elite' and the art-house to something for everyone to enjoy 

The Guardian: How tech is changing television

Read this Guardian feature on how tech is changing television

1) How have streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime changed the way TV drama narratives are constructed?

Streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have changed the way TV drama narratives are constructed to reflect that people could watch the whole series straight away. As a result, cliffhangers are of utmost importance at the end of each episode to ensure that audiences will be encouraged to watch the next episode 

2) Why has the rise in streaming led to more complex storylines and an increase in cliffhangers?

The rise in streaming has led to more complex storylines and an increase in cliffhangers as audiences are now able to go back to episodes if they have missed an important detail that contributes to a complex narrative. Creators can now make their stories as complex as they want as they will expect audiences to go back to anything that might have confused them, additionally the rise in social media also means that audiences can ask other audiences for help in understanding some shows 

3) How have the "economics of production" kept TV drama largely sticking to the 45- or 60-minute episode format?

The 'economics of production' have kept TV drama largely sticking to the 45- or 60-minute episode format as dramas are usually shot in blocks despite being screened in episodes. This maximises the use of time and minimises the cost of actors and crew while part of a drama is filming. The dividing of dramas makes logistical and financial sense to hire on episode basis 

4) How has "permanent 24/7 connectivity" changed both the production and consumption of TV drama?

'Permanent 24/7 connectivity' has changed the production and consumption of TV drama as audiences can now live-tweet their criticisms or praises of a series. This means that it is easier for audiences to determine which shows are good and which are a waste of time, while for producers they can identify the trends in what audiences enjoy which can help to guide them when producing a new series 

Media Magazine: Netflix and the Cultural Industries 

 Netflix and the Cultural Industries (MM63 - page 45)

1) What does David Hesmondhalgh argue with regards to how the creative industries have changed since the 1980s?

David Hesmondhalgh argues that since the 1980s there has been a significant shift in cultural production. A few of Hesmondhalgh's main points are: the cultural industries have moved closer to the centre of economic action, there has been an increase in media corporations owning companies in different sectors of the industry, globalisation has meant media texts can now circulate more easily across borders reducing North American dominance, digitisation has allowed the technology sector to compete directly with traditional media companies 

2) What is technological convergence? 

Technological convergence is when two or more independent technologies can be accessed on one device- the digitisation of media meant every media form could be accessed on computers 

3) How are technology companies challenging traditional broadcasters in the TV industry?

Technology companies are challenging traditional broadcasters in the TV industry through digitisation- technology companies 'liberated' television programmes from broadcasters' schedules with on-demand viewing. Traditional media, television and print in particular have had to contend with declining audiences and advertising revenues. As the internet was created with taxpayer's money technology companies haven't had to invest vast amounts of money in a distribution network. Using the internet as a platform means that the whole of the wired world is able to access content 

4) The global nature of modern television means producers are having to consider international audiences when creating content. What example from Netflix does the article use to explain this?

The global nature of modern television means producers are having to consider international audiences when creating content. The article explains this with an example of Netflix's Stranger Things that had a monster called 'Demogorgon' after a Dungeons & Dragons demon prince. To ensure that connection transcended language barriers, Netflix's team dug into old D&D materials to determine how various countries translated 'Demogorgon' in the mid-1970s. Consequently, the Demogorgon was renamed in some parts of the world based on what the demon prince of Dungeons & Dragons was called 

Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: Blog Tasks :)

Media Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism

1) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)?

The examples of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society that were provided were Bruno and Borat (vs Sacha Baron Cohen) and The X Factor. Advertising has the power to make a poor quality product commercially successful if it has great advertising while an excellent product can fail without it. Bruno and Borat have more 'reality' for film audiences than their creator (Sacha Baron Cohen) because the characters seem real so they can get away with doing and saying things that a 'real' person could not- he is also only interviewed in character so his characters have a voice and he does not. The example of The X Factor is because of the fact that the contestants perform covers of cover versions of songs 

2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to Deutschland 83?

Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness' is that as mediaization increases, the culture loses a sense of historical context and now history is just reduced to ‘talking heads’ documentaries and historical knowledge that is often based on media representations. 'Historical deafness' can be applied to Deutschland 83 because the Cold War was dramatised in order to make the show entertaining for audiences to watch and the real events of the Cold War become distorted 

3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?

The examples provided for the idea of 'style over substance' are branding and celebrities- people are heavily influenced by branding when purchasing products because the label of a product becomes more important than the actual product and the packaging becomes more important than the contents. The increase in celebrities through reality TV shows can be seen as the culture celebrating style over substance- many celebrities nowadays are famous for being famous rather than for a talent or ability and because of this, Jameson argues that 'style over substance' creates a cultural depthlessness. Similarly to Baudrillard, he sees the culture as being one where meaning is lost and all that is left is surface representation but he also argues that this is sometimes countered by outrageous claims for extreme moments of intense emotion (for example, the shared cultural grief after the death of a celebrity- Jameson claims that these emotional outbursts are a way of replacing the shallowness of ‘style over substance

4) What examples from music are provided for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture? Can this be applied to Deutschland 83?

The example from music for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture was provided was that pop music (low art) often samples classical music (high art). This could be applied to Deutschland 83 because the supermarket in West Germany was playing pop music which is not what audiences would expect to be similar to what would be played by the youth in East Germany. Although there were distinct differences in West and East German living standards, we are able to see how West Germany tends to listen to low art music in public places as opposed to high art music 

5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?

Bricolage is the process of adapting and juxtaposing old and new texts, images, ideas, or narratives to produce whole new meanings- we can see this in Deutschland 83 where there are juxtaposing representations of their parties. High art (classical music) was being sang at the West whereas low art (pop music) was being played in the East 

6) How can the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 be linked to postmodernism? Read 'The decline of meta-narratives' and 'Media texts and the postmodern' to help answer this.

Postmodern societies have presented the idea that people no longer believe that there are no absolute ways to explain reality- high profile failures of some grand narratives have led people to question whether it is possible to find an all-encompassing ‘answer’ to social and economic problems. Deutschland 83 has meta-narratives of communism and capitalism which help provide audience pleasures such as surveillance/information- the conflict between capitalism and communism in Deutschland 83 and which is considered to be 'right' provides an example of the confusion of a postmodern society

7) Read the analysis of media concepts and postmodern approaches on page 3 of the factsheet. Choose three of the concepts and write an example from Deutschland 83. 

• Genre: Deutschland 83 is a hybrid genre of spy-thriller and romance and drama- this is representative of how postmodern texts play with genre codes and subvert them. This can be simply constructing a hybrid genre which can be harder to identify in more complex texts 
• Representation: The protagonist in Deutschland 83, Martin, is infiltrating the West through a fake identity that includes deceiving others and putting others in danger and from the first episode, we are positioned to sympathise with this character. Postmodern representations typically subvert expectations and contemporary texts often play with conventional ideas in representations such as creating an immoral hero or a sympathetic villain
• Ideology: The protagonist in Deutschland 83 is a spy but this is seen as heroic by the East Germans because they know it is being done to defend their country. Postmodern texts complicate notions of ideology and challenge the simplistic binary oppositional approach- for example, evil acts may be undertaken with good motivations, characters may be good at times and evil at others, those representing good do not always win the ideological battle within the text, good and evil are often shown as being subjective and changeable ideas (depending on context) 

8) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?

Deutschland 83 demonstrates aspects of the postmodernism in its construction and ideological positioning because of the construction that allows a realistic representation of what Germany was like at the time reinforcing the political and social divide between the West and the East. The ideological positioning of Deutschland 83 is difficult to establish because the spy protagonist is depicted to be somewhat innocent despite the harmful nature of his mission 

9) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?

• The supermarket scene: There was pop music playing in the supermarket (despite the fully stocked shelves) which was similar to the music that was playing in the East- provides us with an example of bricolage 
• President giving speech scene: Ronald Reagan was giving a speech in the show to make it feel more authentic and real and give the audience a sense of hyper-reality 

10) Why might audiences enjoy the postmodern aspects of Deutschland 83? What audience pleasures might elements of bricolage or pastiche provide viewers?

• Surveillance: The news reports provide a sense of hyper-reality that even allows the audience to learn something from watching which provides the surveillance audience pleasure 
• Personal identity: Elements of pastiche allows the audience to feel a sense of nostalgia if they recognise the original work that the pastiche is imitating