Introduction: Reviews and features:
1) Find one positive aspect and one criticism of Deutschland 83 in the reviews.
The reviews emphasise the nostalgia that the show conjures up because it is based in the 1980s, complete with the music and product branding. The criticism of the reviews is that the sad past of Germany may have prevented German viewers from enjoying the show.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
This year, a lot of critics are throwing away their notebooks because only one German show was included in the competition schedule.
3) Find a 'below the line' comments from either of the Guardian articles. What did the audience think of Deutschland 83? Do you agree with the comments?
"Not rating much of Walters output so far I'm afraid." suggests the show is only enjoyable due to the soundtrack.
Promotional interview:
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
He disbelieves in the idea of an East and West Germany since, after the Berlin Wall fell, things changed so swiftly that he was spared from having to grow up on both sides of the political spectrum. The freedom he currently enjoys and the freedom he had while filming the show.
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!)
This helps one of the major television channels achieve its objective of educating and entertaining its viewers. This is done in part via the Walter Presents television series, which introduces British audiences to a variety of international television programmes.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the Channel 4 News audience?
The question would be directed at viewers who watch Channel 4 for its educational and informative aspects because it would allow them to see how a German may think of their country instead of a British editor scripting their opinion.
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
Military uniform
Run down buildings
360 degree camera
Narrative moment: spy genre - not catching object passed
Modern/ smart house; upper middle class
OTS shot; tracking Martin; identification
Binary opposition: Mother and Aunt
Audio codes
Diegetic sound
'99 Luftballons':
"How cool is this?"
anti- war message from song
anti- war message from song
west german music
High culture; classical singing
Cuba-black music
Representations
Black market; smuggled coffee and shakespeare book - east is corrupted/ unsuccessful economy
Kidney transplant not available
State more important than family
Upper class vs working class
ethnic diversity -west
informality in east vs formal in west
Audience pleasure
Nostalgia
Diversion
Personal identity
Surveillance
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
Technical codes
Tracking shot: POV
Branded Puma T-shirt, jeans, trainers: Represents youth at time
Narrative moment; spy genre; chase scene
Audio codes
"Sweet dreams"- 1980s pop
Tense music: escape scene
Representation
Luxury:
Plenty vs scarcity:
Stacked shelves: colours
Reference to Andy Warhol: pop art
Intertextual = postmodernism
Individualism vs collectivism
Police state(stasi) vs "freedom"
Audience pleasures
Nostalgia
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
Technical codes
Fast-paced editing including jump cuts
Split screen emphasises the difference between East and West.
Audio codes
Non-diegetic sound adds pace.
Dialogue/voiceover - covers majority of the narrative.
Representation
East v West - split screen emphasises the brands that are available in the West but not in the East. Also for fruit empty space showed what wasn’t available in the East.
Representation of women
Audience pleasures
Intertextuality - similar to a Bond sequence
International audience - surveillance
Genre pleasures - spy/thriller.
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
Technical codes
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.
Audio codes
Non-diegetic sound
Diegetic sound - deliberately increased volume of Martin’s breathing
Representation
Reality - this is a key scene in establishing D83
East v West - presents West as threat to world security, nuclear war.
Audience pleasures
Surveillance - the use of real documents and genuine moments from history of cold war
Personal relationships - this scene is effective because the audience is now invested in the character of Martin. We care about what happens to him
Action and enigma codes
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 combines the production activities of UFA in the areas of series, TV movies, high-end drama and cinema films. It has had a lasting impact on the German television landscape.
The price is hot, Germany seeks the superstar, Viva La Diva.
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
A world leader in creating, producing and distributing content across their main content pillars – Entertainment & Formats, Drama & Film and Documentaries. They have existed for over 100 years and are proud of the creative excellence and Over time they have grown to become a global leader in production and distribution.
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
it did well in the UK and USA which might indicate that other countries are more interested in The Cold War and it's events but it was not received well in Germany.
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
"A handpicked selection of the best stories"
"A handpicked selection of the best stories"
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
The best dramas, stories, and characters.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
Mentions that all the series are free and can be watched at any given time.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Personal relationships because you grow closely to Martin
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
Explosions, guns, soldier outfit, fighting scenes
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 interest the audience with the series rather than not having the audience interested.
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?
She worked with a British military historian to produce Deutschland 83.
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?
Music was key to the story from the beginning. 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 changed, maybe because music videos started around that time as well, so there was a visual component for the very first time.
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?
Set against the real events, culture wars and political realities of Germany in the 1980s, Deutschland 83 is an action packed story framed within a suspenseful thriller. Season 1 culminates with the true story of a nuclear stand-off in late 1983, caused by a NATO war game and botched intelligence on the East German side.
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
"A stylish curtain-raiser for Walter Presents"
“This is the next subtitled sensation……..unmissable TV.”
"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 tagline "A Gripping Cold War Thriller" obviously showcases that the series is going to be a thriller, the use of the text "Over the wall, under cover." shows that the series is going be a spy genre series too.
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
For the DVD cover the font used is more of an old style font, creating nostalgia to some audience. The TV advert has pops of colour which are eye catchy and the font is a more a casual font, which could attract audiences
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
Not all audiences within every country may have the same interest, so using different marketing campaigns allow then to entire the target audience within that country.
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