Deutschland 83 Close-textual analysis

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. Remember, you can watch the episode for free on the All 4 website and the main reading and research tasks for Deutschland 83 are on this case study blogpost here.

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 

- the difference between the setting in the west and east
- the costumes ( Martin's hat was very visible - he didn't fit with the rest
- the difference in costume of people working fro the country and people living their every day life
- the difference in the appearance of the sisters

Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender

East - bright ( contrasts the usual view of communism ), happy, west German pop song playing, western culture goods

West - very cold, professional atmosphere, people from higher rank, family first, global, less crowded, more food, rebelian children, multi-cultural, 

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

The realistic streets, the actual audio in TV contrasts the unrealistic, neat supermarket

Audio codes – particularly music

The music in supermarket, the lyric says 'some of them wants to use you', 
The phase of the music speeds up then he tries to escape 

Representation of East & West Germany / Communism & Capitalism / Historical accuracy

The overexageretion on the supermarket shelfs emphasises the huge contrast between east and west; poor and rich.

Audience pleasures

personal relationships; even some shots make an effort to identify with the main character 
diversion; the shop looks unrealistic

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

In the montage the text is changing with the audio into moremodern
                        - it helped us to learn how bad of a sky Martin will be.

Audio codes

Audio; pop 80's song that creates the feel of those Times and keeps the clip cheerful.

Audience pleasures

personal relationship - we angage with the main character as we discover his character and personality ( he's very clumsy and bad at skying)
personal identity - some people might relate to the idea of different names of products, as living in Germany they've experienced the same thing.

Intertextuality

It reffered to James Bond, but in less serious way

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

The camera angles make us engage with Martin and the editing shows te tence situation that he's in.

Audio codes – diegetic and non-diegetic sound

The non-diegetic sound  (tence music in the background) made the audience sit at the adge of their seats and make them as stress as Martin was.

Diegetic sound - all we could hear were soft sounds of opening the door or the ticking of the clock that were emphesized. It makes the scene seem much more serious and dangerous.

Audience pleasures

personal relationship - the idea of doing something we shouldn't be doing makes us feel closer to Martin

Deutschland 83: case study

Reviews and features

Read the following reviews and features on Deutschland 83:

The Guardian - Your next box set: Deutschland 83
Daily Telegraph review
The Guardian - Deutschland 83 Pity the Germans don't like it

1) What positive aspects of Deutschland 83 are highlighted in the reviews?

The review talks about the details provided in the show, exploring both sides, as well as the whole setting and story-telling brings out the nostalgia in some of the audience.

2) What criticisms are made of the show?

The main criticism was about the popularity of the show in Germany vs other countries. The lack of popularity in Germany might suggest that the show is unrealistic and 'too simple'.

3) Why did the Telegraph suggest that Deutschland 83 did the 'period' aspect of 'period drama' so well?

There are a lot of real elements in the show, like music and news footage that was shown at that time. There's also a Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech in 1983.

4) 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?



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 talks about his knowledge of the Cold War, that he mostly gained from school, and how he didn't really lived in the division of east and west Germany.

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!)

I feel like it was to promote watching foreign films with subtitles. They also wanted to reflect the atmosphere of the film. It also helps to identify the target audience and maybe give people a sample of what a film with subtitles looks like.

3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the Channel 4 News audience?

The interviewer asks political questions to give the audience the perspective of a citizen of Germany about the main issue of the show. That information give the audience the feeling of being more engaged with the society in Germany.

Behind the scenes clips

The All4 website has a range of clips from behind the scenes of Deutschland 83. Watch the following:

Making Of: Why Should You Watch Deutschland 83
Watch this short promotional clip for Deutschland 83.

1) Why should audiences watch Deutschland 83 - what does the clip offer viewers?

All of the cast and crew of the show named countless reasons to watch the show, but I think the writer summed up all of them - the show is very interesting, high quality and captivating. Once you're in, you engage with the characters.

2) Why is history an important aspect of the appeal of the show?

The history of Cold War is important for the show because of the idea of a younger and older audience, as the main character is a young man, and the events of the show happened at times that older people can relate to.

3) What technical aspects are highlighted in the video?

All of the people working on the show talked about various aspects like cinematography, costume, actors and costumes. All of the aspects make the show unique and entertaining, but most importantly- realistic.
Making Of: Set Design
Watch this interview with Production designer Lars Lange.

1) Why were the set design, costume and props so important for Deutschland 83?

The set design, costume and props are very important to this show specifically because of the historical content of Deutschland 83. This spy show requires a lot of details connected to the actual events that happened in 80's in order to make sense.

2) How historically accurate was the setting, costume and props?

The historical accuracy in the setting, costume and props was pretty good, but there are still parts of the Cold War history that were too much of a secret to actually find a solid representation of them.

3) Why were the props, costumes and music such a key audience pleasure for Deutschland 83?

It's mostly because of the sentimental aspect of the show, the props, costumes and music had to be really accurate to represent the story telling of the plot as best as the cinematographic aspect can.

Textual analysis: trailer



1) The opening of the trailer uses sound and editing to draw the audience in. Explain why this is effective.

The sound in this opening is really captivating and the editing (dividing the screen into two) is a really good way of capturing the attention, synchronising with the sound, and introducing the main aspect of the show. The quick introduction is really effective and gives us bigger understanding on what's happening in the rest of the trailer.

2) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).

I feel like there is a lot of the pleasures that we can see in in the show, different once considering the country that the audience live in. There's definitely a diversion for people abroad and for the citizens of Germany that didn't experience the Cold War. The personal relationship pleasure comes from the main characters that we're with throughout his dangerous journey. The personal identity might be found in Germany and close counries.

3) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?

There are a lot of enigma codes, jut like the one of Martins mum going to get surgery. We don't know if it'll be successful. The action codes, for example the woman pointing the gun at Martin. Both codes are important to leave an audience at the adge of their seats, wanting to see more.

4) Pick three shots/scenes from the trailer that capture the spy thriller sub-genre. Why might this appeal to an audience? Try and apply Neale's genre theory 'repetition and difference' (the original notes on genre theory are here).

There're a lot of elements of a spy genre, like the scene where he takes pictures of the files or when the screen is devided in two scenes that show different sides of the cold war or exlain the narrative of the show. There're also a lot of different types of thriller when the music changes and we see few closeups on Martin's face.

5) Pick three examples of mise-en-scene from the trailer that capture the 1983 setting the confirm the sub-genre of period drama. Why might this appeal to an audience? 

The TV that showed a speech of American president is a great example because it shows the actual clip from those times. There's also a good example of 83's mise-en-scene with all of the hallways that Martin is running through. All of tchem have a certain design to them which makes the atmosphere of 80's.

6) The trailer uses the song 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Why did the producers select this soundtrack for the trailer?

It's an 80's song that also weirdly reminds me of a Thriller by Michael Jackson, which makes the trailer more thrilling and keeps the audience at the age of their seats.

7) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?

I think that when it comes to TV trailes the whole text needs to be really clear and easy to proccess in a short period of time. The idea of reading the subtitles isn't really appealing to TV audience, especially is it's a trailer played with the rest of the ads, the audience is usually listening then watching.


Production and industry context

Deutschland 83 was produced by German production company UFA Fiction and distributed internationally by FremantleMedia 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 is a German film and TV drama company that strongly influenced the German production landscape. It also produced shows like  "Generation War", "The Physician“ or  "Danni Lowinski".

2) What kind of company is Freemantle Media International and what do they produce?

Freemantle Media International is definitely ine of the main producers, creators and distributors of television programming in the world. 

3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?

The show talks about an issue that involved a lot of countries, and the fact that is was more popular in UK then in Germany itself speeks for itself. As the foreign language shows get more popular, Deutchland 83 is a great example of an international show.

Walter Presents

Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama.

1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?

It presents 'Walter' as a very well educated and with a knowledge of TV dramas. It makes us trust him with his choices.

2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?

It's trying to gain the audience of middle-class, over 30 audience that wants to experience good quality media texts.

3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?

The idea of foreign language media texts were always portrayed as created for more educated people with refined taste, as now, it's becoming more and more popular to engage in media texts like that. 
Marketing and promotion

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?

The idea of a show with historical content is that it's based on an actual events like political issues. Winger wanted to show the events of Cold War from the perspective of a spy that experiences West for the first time.
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?

The music is an important aspect from the beginning of the show. The years of Cold War were also years of great pop culture in Germany. Therefore a lot of songs used in the show can be assocciated with their own 80's experience.

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).

3) List the key statistics concerning audience figures. Why is considered the most successful foreign language drama?

As it waslaunching with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5 million viewers making it one of the most successful foreign language shows.

4) How does the news release describe the drama?

As some of the reviews appreciated the music, saying that the show is “Great fun, and powered by an irresistible 1983 vintage soundtrack.” some went straight to the point, calling the shoe '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 background of the cover is divided into two and shows the difference between west and east; the grey colours and the bright colours with blue sky. The text on the cover is very 80's and the main character; Martin; is shown listening to the music on headphones from the west, with amusement in his eyes. All of this links to the history of Cold War and the text 'over the wall, under a gun' asures us that this is a spy thriller. 

2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the UK DVD cover. What does it communicate to the audience?

The background if divided into two worlds; east and west. The grafiti on the walls represent the two sides. Also the main character- Martin - is wearing 80's headphones, enjoying the playing music. The whole cover has a brown undertone and tries to recreate the atmosphere of 80's and show the main narrative of the show.

3) How does the American branding use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience? 

All of the aspects are there to show the exaggerated version of 80's in Europe. The poster has a style of a poster that could be painted in 80's on the walls. the neon colours bring out the idea of chaos mixed with youth.

4) Why might the distributors Freemantle Media International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries? 

I feel like advertising in America and in Europe works in different ways when it comes to gaining peoples attention and historical content. Americans might have a whole different idea of the Cold Was and the poster had to suitable to gain their attention.

Applying Marxism

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?

It simply suggests that all of the media that exist are controlled by the narrow elite that use the media to control all of the masses. A good example is the BBC. Only people that have contacts in the company, there're some people that worked hard and got into the BBC with no contacts, but it's mostly people that are already in the higher class that get into companies like that.

2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?

The show strongly illustrates the theory of Marxism; as the candidates battles to get into a company ran by Lord Alan Sugar that controls the masses. 

3) Come up with three examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.)

Stranger Things
Elite
The Office

4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:

When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:

• show the values of the power elite as beneficial to the mass
• show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’

In Capital they might not be shown as right, but they are definitely natural when it comes to city like London. It's a city where there are masses and extremes. A good example is the rich family; all of the working class people around them live in harmony.

• show that being a member of the mass is a good thing

There is a lot of working class people in this show and they are put in a very good light, as good and mostly happy people that don't mean any harm. A good example is the Polish builder that is happy with his girlfriend. 

• show the masses accepting the values of the power elite

At this point people don't really care about who controls them or have more money, they just want to live their lives. A good example is Petunia that doesn't really care about the money or power, she just wants to live a calm life in her house. 

• show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)

Now apply those bullet points to Capital. Think about the setting, characters and narrative strands - how many of the bullet points apply to Capital? Does Capital reinforce or challenge the values of capitalism? Give examples from episode 1 to support your points.

Marxism & hegemony

1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?

The left-wing ideology is shown in the show by the optimistic impresion of the immigrants and the way what the white, middle class family is represented. 

2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?

'Capital (BBC1) dribbled to a soggy ending.' 
'you’ll get rid of your family after Christmas faster than this feeble drama departed.'
'that concept went nowhere.'
 3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?

I feel like the rich family fully represents their stereotype; they show us how underestimated the money is for them, and how is could be spent on something way more important.

4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce the status quo in capitalist London?

The bankers seem to be under a lot of stress and are surrownded by people that they can't trust, that's why the money that they earn and keep is fair.

Media Magazine feature on BBC drama The Casual Vacancy and ideology

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Beeb, The Mail and JKR' in MM53 (page 20). This focuses on the politics of The Casual Vacancy, another BBC three-part drama based on a book by JK Rowling.

 


Answer the questions below:

1) Why did the Daily Mail suggest The Casual Vacancy promoted a left-wing ideology?

The Daily Mail says that the show is a 'fashionable causes as Jeremy Corbyn's function diary', which referes to the left wing ideology.

2) How does the article suggest characters, narrative and setting are used to promote a left-wing ideology?


3) What research is quoted regarding BBC bias and what did it find? Do you think the BBC is biased?

The quote is from Christopher Stevens that said that 'the BBC is rushing to screen Tory-bashing shows like [...] The Casual Vacancy [...] because very soon we’ll be in the countdown to a GeneralElection, when the Corporation must remain neutral, fair and balanced.' 
I feel like BBC might be biased just because of an example of them realising the The Apprentice because of the election. 

4) Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests people are kept under control through active consent - the control of 'common sense'. How could you apply the Daily Mail or the BBC to the idea of hegemony and dominant ideologies in the UK media?

I feel like people that engage in all of the shows in BBC an are an active audience feel like a part of a community and feel the obligation to unite and agree with the rest of people that watch and create the BBC community. 

Capital: case study

Reviews and features

Read the following interviews, reviews and features on Capital:

Guardian review by Sam Wollaston
Telegraph review by Ben Lawrence
London Evening Standard: five things you need to know about Capital
Behind the scenes filming Capital from the Daily Telegraph

1) What positive points do the reviews pick out about Capital?

The Capital is a real representation of London, shown by startling actors that reflect a different views of th capital of England.

2) What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?

Some reviews says that the series didn't reach the expectations that the adaptation of the novel had. They said that all it has is "under-developed plotlines populated by underwritten characters."

3) How does the TV drama change the time period and location for the story in comparison to the original novel?

The story in the novel takes place in 2008 when the crisis happened, but the series takes place in present time- 2015. 

4) In the Telegraph 'behind the scenes' article, what does the writer say about the London housing market?

The housing market is still going up and when the director gives the directions to the actors he says: "That thought upsets you".

5) What references can you find in these reviews and features to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?



Textual analysis

Watch the trailer for Capital:

 


1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?

At first all we see is a bird's-eye view of the streets of London, then the closeup of the name of the street, then the long shot of the street. That montage invites the audience to meet the characters that are shown in the next clips. The clips are very short and present each character in their particular and stereotypical situation. It's a very fast introdution and after that there are a little clips of people recieving the postcards and in other different situations that we are yet to discover.  All of the camera work is really stready and we get a lot of closeups on the faces of the characters showing their emotions in criutial moments of their lives. 
The camera work shows a different perspectives of some characters, has a lot of close ups so we have a bigger emotional connection with them.

2) What does the camera movement when characters are initially introduced suggest about the drama and its London setting? Pick out one or two shots in particular.

The camera movements are really suttle, there some POV and tracking shots. Different camera movements suggest differently about each character. For example when we see a tracking shot of the baner coming out of his house we can see that he's in a hurry, or when Quentina greets Ahmed the POV shot mey suggests that she watches the neighbourhood.

3) How does the trailer use mise-en-scene to capture the family element of the drama?

It shows the surrounding of this neighbourhood as a very big and rich city. Te street that they live on is very clean. We can tell that although the houses might look the same, there are different stories behind each door. The setting is clean and colorful.

4) Bastille's 'These Streets' is used as the soundtrack for the trailer. What does this communicate to the audience and why is it effective?

The lyrics and the name might have a connection to the plot of the series, but i think that the overall mood of the song doesn't match the mood of the show and makes the trailer feel a little cheap.

5) How does the trailer introduce narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?

At first we see an equilibrium where everyone is living their everyday life when the neighbours start go get a weird postcards.


Watch the Episode 1 preview for Capital:

 

1) What does this preview clip suggest about the potential sub-genres for Capital?

It would be a thriller combined with action or drama.

2) What elements of the clip might suggest this is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama?

It has characters with a different nationalities as well as second-generation immigrants. It shows characters that we don't usually see in a series about London. Here we can see a representation os people that live in London.

3) Analyse the mise-en-scene in this clip. How does this provide realism and familiarity for audiences?

The mise-en-scene in this video reflects most of the corner shops that we can find in London. It makes audience sympathies  with the characters and make the whole scene feel more real. 

4) What audience pleasures are provided by this scene?

Maybe some kind of realism pleasure where we can sympathise with characters, and visual pleasure with the quality of the video and camerawork. 

5) How is the audience positioned to respond to the different characters in this particular sequence?

The policeman is in a good light, although we know that the police didn't respond to their calls, but to white, middle class neighbours.
The brothers reflect different types of views on British society, and the audience is meant to sympathise with them.
The parents, and owners of the shop are very polite and understanding, which put them in a very good light.


Watch the Episode 2 preview for Capital:

 


1) How does this clip represent upper-middle-class family life?

the clip represents the upper-middle-class family as people who fix their problems with money. They definitely have issues between each other and aren't really that close with their children. 
the father is attracted to the nanny, and the wife is very materialistic.

2) What narrative strands are suggested in this sequence?

3) How is the audience positioned to respond to Roger Yount, the main character (banker and father to the two boys)?

The audience is positioned to feel both disgust because he clearly is attracted to the nanny, and sympathetic because his wife is materialistic and doesn't really care about spending some quality time with her children.

Representations: close-textual analysis

Capital offers a range of fascinating representations - from London and Islam to the issues of asylum seekers and inequality. You need to be able to confidently discuss these issues in the context of 2015 London - with reference to key scenes from episode 1. Representations include: London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, aging and more.

1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in class:

Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49
Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10
Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35
Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40
Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00 
Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55

You can choose which aspects to focus on for each scene: e.g. London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, aging etc.

2) How does Capital use stereotypes? Do the characters and issues represented in Capital reinforce or subvert the stereotypes we typically see in the media?

The Capital uses a lot of stereotypes when it comes to race, culture or class. The issues that they have are very stereotypical to their characteristics. There's a white, middle class family where the wife is focused only on money. The old lady that was left all alone, the Polish builder and an illegal immigrant.

Industries and production context 

Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.

1) Who is the parent company for Kudos?

It's 21st Century Fox but there're also companies like Moreover, Apollo Global Management and Endemol Shine Group.

2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?

It was a show called Spooks. It aired at May 13th.

3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?

Kudos promoted Broadchurch, Flowers, Grantchester, River, Humans and The Tunnel. Television Bulldog Award - Best Indie Broadcast Magazine Supplement, Broadcast awards - Best Independent Production company. 

4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer? 

They offer a varienty of different type of shows for any age and genre. 


Marketing and promotion

Read the BBC Press Pack for Capital.

1) How does the programme information on page 3 make Capital sound interesting to audiences?

The page introduces us to the story and actors that'll play the character in the show and the crew. it also tells us what awards they had won.

2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?

The programmes are mentioned to give the audience an overview of the crew's work so that audience know what to expect from this series. 

3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?

The Capital is commissioned by Charlotte Moore

4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?

He describes Roger as not evil, but slightly compressed banker who doesn't have all the control over his private life or  his job. Jones said that what attracted hi to this character is that 'that he’s a very well educated, functioning human being on one level, who has obeyed the rules and earned a lot of money, but on another level something is happening to him internally that he doesn’t have the language to articulate.'

5) Read the interview with Adeel Akhtar (page 10). What does he suggest Capital says about the fictional Pepys Road and the sense of community (or lack of it) in London?

In the interview Akhtar said that this is what's happening to London now. We live in times where a lot of things are happening socially, economically and culturally. He said that ' It’s an example of what is happening on a lot of roads in London and Britain.'

6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain? 

In the interview she said that there are a lot of communities that are represented in the show and that the world is becoming a 'global village' and that all the cultures, including Asian, are absorbed by different people.

7) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?

Bowker said that his favourite scene, from the book as well as from the adaptation, is when Roger is left to take care of his own children and realises that his life's changing. 

8) Read the interview with Derek Wax, the Executive Producer for Kudos (page 16). Why did he produce Capital and what does it say about the way we live now?

He wanted to highlight the way that life in London has changes as the prices of the houses had gone up very intensively over a short period of time. In the Capital he shows the different aspects of life in London and the diversity of Petunia and Roger's family while till living in houses that have a similar price. 

DVD packaging

Look at the DVD packaging for Capital. There are many marketing techniques employed here.

1) How does the packaging use other critically acclaimed TV dramas to promote Capital?

It creates an image of the show as a good quality TV drama because if the media text like Humans have a certain style to it, the audience will expect the same from this series. 
2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?

The simplicity of the packaging suggests that the show is very neat and realistic. Also the image of London on top assures us that London and it's citizens will be the main focus of the show. 

3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?

It suggest to the audience that the show is politically and stereotypicaly challenging and shoud be watched by audience that is interested in life of London citizen and the crisis that happened in London. 

4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?

It represents London as a very cold, professional and dangerous city. It shows the diversity of characters and the slogan of the show.