TV unit: final homework

“Realism is a vital component of television drama”. To what extent does an analysis of your television close-study products support this view?

Films based on historical content, documentaries and foreign language film are more and more popular these days, and people start to really value the authenticity of a context that they give out it the shows. Both D 83 and Capital are based on a huge historical event that changes the world and it’s really important to recreate the realism of those events so that the TV show could both entertain and educate. So for audience to understand it more, both shows tried to show point of view of different people to explain the whole story. It’s also a great way of seeing the other side of the story, as some people live their whole lives believing in one thing, and never actually trying to understand people with different views.

In Capital the idea is to show the different classes in London, show their values and how did the 2008 crash affected their lives. The show featured different classes, citizenships and ethnicities, and tries to recreated their life struggles. The show was pretty accurate, having characters from a rich white male, to a Polish builder, struggling to pay his rent. The show is based in London, where the crash really effected the society. The realism is really needed because of the really broad audience of BBC, that could really relate to the characters as they were so different and represented huge chunks of society in London. That makes the audience as is their story matter and they can relate to the characters. It’s also the idea of learning about different struggles that come from living in London that people from the rest of UK might not be aware of. The show didn’t sussed as much in different countries around the world, but it can also educate and inspire them. The storyline might not be very realistic, so there’s also an idea of experiencing a life that people that might be living right next to them.

The show was pretty realistic, although there were some critics that argued that the show is very left-wing- based and they represent the characters to their benefit. The show did had some stereotyped characters that might put some groups in society in a good and bad light, although the characters didn't meet with the stereotypical features that can be very negative and not true, but overall it has a lot of stereotypes when it comes to ethnicity and gender. Although it has a lot of characters in the show, there’s the feeling that the rich, white male is a protagonist in this show. That makes London, a diverse, one of the biggest cities in the world, seem as a uncultured town.

The D 83 showed the events of Cold War from two different sides of the wall; east and west. At times of the Cold War the perspectives and views of people on both sides were extremely different and the show perfectly communicate them to the audience. People that watch D 83 in countries like UK or USA probably aren’t fully educated about the Cold War and don’t really know what other views on this historical even might be in different countries. The TV drama shows perspective of a East spy, going to West to find out their plan. That lets us see both worlds and understand them more. It also shows the country from non-stereotypical representation of East, as a happy, colourful place. The realism is so needed because TV shows like that create an overall image of that event for audience that want to also educate themselves.

Although the D 83 was well received in other countries, in Germany the TV shows didn’t received a good reaction, with audience saying that the show wasn’t a good representation of the content of the spy drama. The different representation of West and East was received as very stereotypical and targeted to the other countries, rather then Germany. The show might’ve been aware that it’ll be more successful in the different countries, so they had to put some stereotypes so that the audience could understand the show in their own way.

Overall the CSP’s are a great representation of the importance of the realism in TV dramas as they touch on the context that might be familiar to some audience, as well as educate others. The realism makes people appreciate their lives and the importance of history and evens happening around the world.

TV index: Capital & Deutschland 83

1) Introduction to TV Drama
2) Capital: Case study
3) Capital: Marxism and Hegemony
4) Capital: Applying Marxism
5) Deutschland 83: Case study
6) Deutschland 83: Close-textual analysis notes
7) Deutschland 83: Postmodernism
8) Industries: The rise of foreign-language TV dramas
9) Industries: The impact of new/digital media on television
10) TV: 750-word exam question

The impact of new/digital media on TV

Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on Netflix and the Cultural Industries (MM63 - page 45). Create a blogpost called 'The impact of new/digital media on TV' and answer the following questions:

1) What does the 'industry' concept in A Level Media Studies refer to?

It refers to businesses creating and distributing media texts. It also refers to the media production process and the legal frameworks surrounding the media.

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

David Hesmondhalgh argues that cultural production has changed dramatically. His argument refers to the role of cultural industries and how they approached the center of economic action. He also acknowledges the fact that digitization has caused traditional media companies to compete with the technology industry.

3) Choose the three most significant points Hesmondhalgh makes regarding the changing cultural industries. Why are these the most significant in your view?

Globalization has meant that on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, texts like TV dramas are available. This shows how texts are made more accessible to the public, and viewers around the world can watch programs whenever they are convenient.

Backed by advertising revenues, Aphabet (Google's parent company) and Facebook have become two of the world's largest media companies, suggesting how big businesses used advertising revenues to expand their businesses and make the most of advertising. 

As a result of new technology, more 'highbrow' forms entertainment have been broadcast on a wider scale. This reflects the global nature of TV dramas and how audiences. Perhaps this means that in the future, things that are considered niche may become mainstream.

4) What is technological convergence? 

Technical convergence is when the digitisation of media resulted in every form of media being available on computers. This eventually meant that companies would potentially become media media companies and compete with others.

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

Companies like Amazon have started producing their own content to challenge traditional broadcasting methods in the tv industry. For instance, Amazon started creating its own TV programs, similar to how netflix started developing its own shows .

6) What budgets will Netflix, Amazon and Apple spend on original programming next year according to the article?

Netflix plans to spend $8bn on original material
 Amazon’s budget is estimated at $4.5bn. 
Apple has recently joined the fray with a $1bn spend.

7) How many countries are Netflix and Amazon available in?

Netflix is available in 190 countries, and Amazon is available in 200 countries.

8) 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?

Stranger Things. In order to make this show accessible to international audience, the monster in the show was names "demogorgon" which is from the game Dungeons and Dragons. It helps to make people from other countries relate to the show.

9) Do you think technology companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon will increase their interest in the television industry?

I feel like in a few years time they are going to concure the intire industry, and breadcasting TV would simply stop existing.

10) How do changes in technology influence the creation of TV dramas such as Capital or Deutschland 83? How?

In order to attract a wider audience, producers of TV dramas such as Deutschland 83 and Capital may include various aspects in their productions.

The rise of foreign-language TV

To continue our work on Deutschland 83, we need to read a range of articles on the foreign-language TV phenomenon. When answering the questions, consider the issues from both an audience and industry perspective.

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

Read this Independent feature on foreign-language dramas. It features an in-depth interview with Walter Iuzzolino who curates Channel 4's Walter Presents programming. Answer the questions below:

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

It suggests that if a few years ago foreign languages weren't popular at all and that it was strange to watch them just for fun.

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

He considers the material as the most important thing. People can connected over the stories containing topics like love, death, politics and violence that are considered universal.

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

It suggests that the subtitles makes films and TV shows a lot more intense and immersive viewing experience. They also keep us focused because we need to pay full attention.

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

Foreign language TV drama allows viewers to gain a better understanding of different cultures and lifestyles, which is called surveillance. That means that after watching foreign text, we can be more aware of different cultures.

Now look at the bonus article - on Sherlock and how viewers are steering their favourite shows.

5) What examples are provided of how TV companies are increasingly using audiences to inform the production process?

There's an example of TV drama Sherlock have been influenced by their Asian fan base. In order to keep their fans entertained they put different  codes and clues to the story line in order to make the drama more relatable for them. 

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. This contains some particularly useful background on Deutschland 83's reception internationally. If the website is blocked, you can access the article text here. Answer the following questions:

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

The article says that D83 was released in US before it was realised in Germany. That shows how foreign languages are becoming more and more popular all around the globe. 

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?

Their first episode received - 3.19 million viewers, however, its last episode only received 1.63 million, although it lost a lot of viewers in Germany, from first to last episode. Channel 4 received 2.13 milion viewers.

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

SundanceTV and FremantleMedia, because they're announcing the second season.

4) What does the article suggest was the driving force behind the series being renewed for a new season (and possibly two new seasons)?

It's the number of increasing audience and how famous foreign language films are becomming.

5) 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?

He posts Facebook and is also personally involved on Twitter. This has made it possible to become more involved in television dramas in foreign language. He also suggests that the way mainstream audiences receive foreign productions has changed as they seem to "fill a gap" and encourage what is available.
IndieWire: The rise of international television

Now look at this IndieWire feature on the rise of international television. If the website is blocked, you can access the text from the article here. Answer the questions below:

1) What does the article suggest regarding the difference between TV and film?

The article suggests that the significant difference between television and film is that television seems to be more "cultural specific," referring to the fact that television shows feel obliged to be more suited to the norm of the audience and reflect that  location.

2) What cultural differences are highlighted in the article - for example in turning 'Prisoners of War' into 'Homeland' when remade in the US?

The original show "Prisoners of War" focuses on the war prisoners and the impact on Israeli society. Homeland, on the other hand, tends to focus on the American government's suspicion as well as the agents ' fears among us.

3) Why do you think Deutschland 83 was able to rise above these cultural differences to be successful in the US and UK? Did this inadvertently make the drama fail in Germany?

I feel like the the show wanted to attract the US and UK audience by holding onto some stereotypes. Maybe that's why the show wasn't well recieved in Germany.
4) What does the article suggest about subtitling?

Viewers are often hesitant to read subtitled television because, while watching the actual show, they find it somewhat  too difficult to read. The article also pointed out that American producers are used to "export culture rather than import it"-referring to the fact that many audiences are not generally used to watch subtitled shows.

5) What does Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt suggest is the appeal in foreign television drama?

Steven Van Zandt suggests that in order to make foreign television more appealing, you need to make it as accurate, detailed and specific to the culture that it is attempting to reflect. A good example is Lilyhammer was shot in English and Norwegian, but in order to put them into the show, the producers wanted to include small believable details about Norway.

The Guardian: How tech is changing television

Finally, read this Guardian feature on how tech is changing television. This has some particularly useful aspects from an industry perspective - how TV is made, the different formats of TV drama and more. Answer the following questions:

1) What are the traditional lengths for TV drama and what dictated these programme formats?

The running length/ of TV dramas depends on the funding of the broadcaster. The three most common lengths of TV and radio programming – in commissioning forms – originated from a grid schedule designed around hours and half hours to make it easy to find programs.
2) How have streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime changed the way TV drama narratives are constructed?

Producers have changed the structure of their narratives in order to make the end of each episode link directly to the next - encouraging the viewer to watch multiple episodes at a time without having to review what happened in the previous episode.

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

Having a more complicated storyline requires the reader and makes them pay attention to the show so they don't miss any details that might be important to the plot as a whole. By using cliffhangers at the end of each episode, it is associated with the fact that viewers tend to watch multiple shows on one sitting.

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

In order to maximize the use of their time and minimize all the costs associated with producing each episode (e.g. actors and crew), TV dramas mainly stuck to these 45/60 minute episode formats. It's divided because it makes sense both economically and logistically.

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

24/7 has made the process of criticizing shows more progressively. This is because things like live tweeting have allowed users to comment as they are shown on the screen on certain parts / scenes in the show. This level of interaction has meant that before traditional media platforms (e.g. magazines) people often hear about different TV shows on social media.

Postmodernism & Deutschland 83

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

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)?

First is the fact that advertising can make a successful product while its quality is really poor. It shows that any prouct can fail without advertising. Sacha Cohen's creation of the characters Borat and Bruno is also a good example.

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

It's the idea that the media are loosing the historical content. For example learning about the Cold War is limited to some content and stereotypes shown in media.

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

The fact that celebrities are famous for being famous, rather than having an actual  talent, is one example of style over substance. For example, celebrities are becoming more famous because of reality television shows like Big Brother, instead of showing special talent in sport or art etc. ⠀

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?

High culture refers to art and it tends to be more mainstream / common in popular culture. An example would be a sampling of classical music with pop music. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

I think the supermarket scene in Deutschland 83 is a good example of showing art and popular culture combinations. The bright colors of the products somewhat imitate the vibration associated with Andy Warhol's artwork. 

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

Bricolage is a term that means 'jumbled' or 'mixed up', and is refers to juxtaposing old and new texts/images/concepts to produce new meanings. 

The best scenes to see the example of bricolage is the opening scene and the scene in the supermarket.

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.

Deutschland 83 links to postmodernism because it takes key ideas and concepts (big stories) like communism and socialism, ad applies them to a more traditional text. Deutschland 83 also takes up the idea that postmodernism "denies that there can be single truths / realities" because Martin's character leads a double life as an undercover spy-living two realties instead of one.

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. Clue: genre, representation, ideology and audience would all be good options for this task.

Genre: The genre of spy / thriller was repeated throughout the series through the codes of cinematography and audio. 
Representation: the scenes that divide East Germans from the West. Their ideologies and political views are entirely different 
Audience: The TV drama was viewed worldwide by various audiences after the release of Deutschland 83, but not every audience accepted of the series. The German audience members specifically didn't enjoy the series because they felt the show wasn't up to standard they would have wanted.

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

In its construction and ideological positioning, D83 demonstrates parts of the postmodernism as it is based on true events, but it takes into consideration the various factual explanations why everything happened.

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

The supermarket scene is an example of postmodernism because of pop art such as shelves that could be a optimistic interpratation of Andy Warhol's work, often referred to as pastiche.

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

Audiences can enjoy the series because it gives a sense of nostalgia for older generations to enjoy and a lot of information about the East-West conflict to avoid ' historical deafness. '