Deutschland 83: case study blog tasks ୨୧
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.
Deutschland 83, which premiered at last year’s festival, has gone on to become an international success story, with rave reviews, bloggers celebrating its fashion and soundtrack, and impressive viewing figures, even in the US. In Britain, where the series finished last Sunday, the first episode was the highest-rating subtitled drama in television history.
Yet by the time the last episode was shown in Germany last December, it had shed half its starting audience, with only 1.72m viewers. Not quite “the flop of the year”, as Bild called it, but underwhelming nonetheless.
Yet by the time the last episode was shown in Germany last December, it had shed half its starting audience, with only 1.72m viewers. Not quite “the flop of the year”, as Bild called it, but underwhelming nonetheless.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
The odd situation is that after decades of being seen as boring and ugly, Germany has found a way of making people abroad think it is cool and sexy – yet Germans don’t like it. I think I see why.
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?
Cool theme tune, lovely sets … otherwise it's a risible attempt at historical drama marked by woeful acting and hilariously implausible plots. Ducking out after five episodes. A triumph of marketing over substance, blatantly.
As an East German I enjoyed it, however, the English translation was atrocious and left out important clues, like in the last episode when they gave away that Martin was the son of Schweppenstette and Ingrid, that was completely lost in translation. They translated "our boy" simply as "Martin". There was another incident which I don't remember now. All in all, it made me feel strangely nostalgic!
I enjoyed Deutschland 83, despite the improbabilities (for example, Martin telephoning East Germany from the home phone of the West German general, and the number of times he managed to get into strangers' cars which seemed to have been left parked without being locked). I viewed it as light entertainment, and not a portrayal of reality. Maybe Germans expected more reality.
Promotional interview
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
Most of what he knew of the cold war was learnt in school. He doesn't feel like hes from the west or north as when he was born, Germany wasn't divided.
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!)
Channel 4 is a PSB which caters to usually a niche audience. By showing a german Tv show, they aim to cater to their german audience and educate about the cold war. Since there are english subtitles, this suggests that they are trying to reach a wider audience as the majority of the population speaks english
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
The channel 4 audience may be interested in keeping up with political affairs and trends.Audiences may find it interesting to hear from a german person
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
military uniform
over the shoulder shot shows martin as the protagonist
99 luft ballons, western music playing.
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
referes to Andy Warhol's paintings.
fully stocked luxury shelves
80s pop culture and western influences
eurasia are playing sweet dreams, lyrics, "some of them want to use you, some of them want to abuse you. some of them want to be abused"
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
montage with fast cuts and editing
voiceover
split screen shoes binary opposition between east and west
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
extreme close ups
fast pace
shot reverse shot
You will do the majority of this textual analysis work in class - this section of your case study simply requires typing up your notes in an easy and memorable way (bullet points are fine).
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?
They do fiction films and television products such as, The cabinet or Dr Caligari, Dr Mabuse, Metropolis, The Blue Angel.
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
Production company, they've produced too hot to handle, the piano and got talent
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
Produced by a company with many global subsidiaries so it appeal to global audiences so therefore displays its international nature and appeal.
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
Walter is introduced in quite a cinematic way. clip opens with a fade in and then follows a m montage of clips. the clips are short so enigma codes are introduced and attract the audience.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
A younger audience since most of the characters are young so young people identify with the characters.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The portrayal of women and men are less stereotypical, therefore showing a shift in the entertainment industry from women being symbols to women being actual actors with important roles not purely to be looked at.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The portrayal of women and men are less stereotypical, therefore showing a shift in the entertainment industry from women being symbols to women being actual actors with important roles not purely to be looked at.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Diversion - voyeurism when there are intimate kissing scenes and spy scenes where it feels as if we shouldn't be watching, action and fighting scenes.
Surveillance this show is based on a real life historical events so we gain an insight on what life was like.
Personal Identity: people who experienced the cold war may relate to this show.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
Martin is shown running which is an enigma code as the audience question why he is running and what is threatening him.
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
English is a very common and widespread language and by having the language in english ensures a wider audience is met rather than a niche German speaking audience.
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 used the personal experience of her husband and based the show off of that. He was working for the west and listening to the east of germany.
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
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 really travelled, 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?
After launching with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5 million viewers, overtaking the launch of The Returned
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
“It’s only January but let’s call it already: coolest show of the year.”
“This is the next subtitled sensation……..unmissable TV.”
“This pacy saga could be your new subtitled obsession.”
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?
"Over the wall. under cover" ' shows the spy sub genre
The headphone and cassette imply a spy subgenre
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
in order to be successful, campaigns must be customised to appeal to local interests, highlighting the elements that truly resonate with each market.
There is a lot of work here - allow at least three hours to get through everything. Remember: this is an in-depth CSP so you need to know every aspect in real detail.
the font and color catches viewers attention and appeals to what many in the western culture associate with the 80s. -Gives 80's nostalgia.
More 80's nostalgia with the graffiti showing the lifestyle that occurred during those times and draws in the audience.
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
in order to be successful, campaigns must be customised to appeal to local interests, highlighting the elements that truly resonate with each market.
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There is a lot of work here - allow at least three hours to get through everything. Remember: this is an in-depth CSP so you need to know every aspect in real detail.
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