TV: Deutschland 83 case study
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 first positive aspect highlighted in the article was how successful it was; "Deutschland 83’s first episode of eight was the most-watched foreign-language drama in UK history". Another was the praise that Jonas Nay received for playing an excellent role as Martin within the TV drama series and how his appearance was a great fir the the character; "Martin is superbly played by Jonas Nay, a boyish 25-year-old with an interesting scar above his left eye (following a car accident) that renders him a strikingly singular leading man". The third positive is the amount of views that Deutschland'83 got; "Massive hype only generated 3 million viewers for its co-maker RTL (just above the channel’s average). It was beaten by The Voice on the other side". Another positive raised by the article is that there were many more positives points within the article, however, these three points praised the TV series more effectively.
2) What criticisms are made of the show?
The first negative picked up in the article is how Deutschland'83 wasn't as successful as it was in Germany; " it’s shot through with a wry sense of humour that’s not typical of, say, German films that do well here – such as Das Boot, Downfall or the similarly Stasi-themed The Lives of Others".
3) Why did the Telegraph suggest that Deutschland 83 did the 'period' aspect of 'period drama' so well?
"The period feel was heightened with snatches of news footage of Erich Honecker, the East German leader. Most gripping of all was a televised excerpt from Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech in 1983. In it, Reagan quoted from CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters, where Lewis wrote that the greatest evil is ordered "by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice"."
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?
- "It was ultimately quite poor I thought. An intreaguing premise hampered by bad plotting and generally sloppy writing (too many characters just slides together without proper explanation; a run through a city suddenly turns into a Forrest)." - I disagree with this comment because I personally think that the TV drama was scripted very well and easy to understand.
- Loved this series. I was in West Germany in the summer of 1983 and I thought the programme makers captured the mood of the time perfectly. East Germany was much less well done (and more cartoonish) but it didn't really matter.
- It steered well away from the noirish cold war cliches but I felt it tried to pack too much in and ended up being a bit perfunctory, not unlike the title sequence, which also seems truncated. Also just too much sustained tension, you get tired of watching someone perpetually on the verge of getting caught, but then not getting caught, which is basically the plot of every episode. A lot of the time its a bit like watching someone running around desperately needing the loo. I did watch it all though. The Guardian obviously like it this is the second positive review.
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united 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!)
Having the main recognisable character speak in German on an English Channel represents the diversity of British culture and that people are interested to know what was/is happening around the world.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the Channel 4 News audience?
This might interest the Channel 4 news audience because many of them would be British, and interested in the history of the world, beyond British culture.
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?
- its fun
- Interesting
- great performances
- a trip and an adventure
- a lot of surprises
- Unpredictable
- equally interesting for the older and the younger generations
Because the events that occur within the series are real life events, and they feel that people should be educated on the history of Germany.
3) What technical aspects are highlighted in the video?
The cinematography, the costume, production design.
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?
All of these aspects are important because it sets the scene for the audience to aren't familiar with the history and culture of Germany.
2) How historically accurate was the setting, costume and props?
The setting, costume and props were very accurate in terms of setting the scene for Germany in that time period.
Textual analysis: trailer
1) The opening of the trailer uses sound and editing to draw the audience in. Explain why this is effective.
Firstly, the editing is very fast paced which attracts the audience and makes them expect thrilling and action packed scenes. The music fits well with the fast paced editing and draws the audience in because it is a catchy tune in which the audience can identify with.
2) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Surveillance - people could be watching this show in order to learn more about history
Personal relationship - audiences would feel proud of Jonas Nay's character because he is risking his life for his country.
3) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
The use of the timer counting down can be seen as an enigma code because it makes the audience question what will happen when times is up as well as who was the main character running from? The trailer uses the action code (0.17) when the female holds up a gun and the enigma code created questions if she shoots him or not? 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).
- (0.17) - When the women holds the gun up to his face
- (0.24) - when the main character jumps off the balcony
- (0.28) - when the main characters is seen fighting with a women
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?
- (0.18) - the supermarket in Bonn with fully stocked shelves
- (0,24) - the balcony scene that has the flags hanging
- (0.34) - the televised speech
The 'Two Tribes' could be East and West Germany and the soundtrack is quite fast paced suggesting that there is going to be a lot of action packed drama within the entire series.
7) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
It wouldn't of had the same impact or intrigued as many people as it would have.
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 teh world.
1) Read this Freemantle Media press release on the worldwide success of Deutschland 83. How is the drama described by the distributor? Why was it considered such an international success?
Deutschland 83 is a suspenseful coming-of-age story and Martin Rauch is hiding in plain sight in the West German Army gathering secfrets of NATO military. He mentions that everyone is 'harboring secrets, both political and personal' and the international audience wants to see what these secrets are.
2) Read this Freemantle Media press release on Deutschland 83 becoming Channel 4's highest rated foreign drama. What was the consolidated viewing figure for Episode 1 of Deutschland 83? What praise for Deutschland 83 is included in the press release?
Episode 1 has consolidated with 2.5 million viewers which makes Deutschland 83 the highest rated foreign language drama in the UK television history.
3) How does the press release promote the Channel 4 'Walter Presents' collection of international TV drama?
Walter Presents are going to offer over 600 hours of drama that can be downloaded as well since Deutschland 83 forms Walter Presents new on demand service.
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama.
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
They introduce Walter as a man that does nothing but watch drama series in order to find the best ones. Walter is seen to dedicate a lot of his time to drama shows.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
They are trying to appeal to people who like the drama genre and possibly people who spend a lot of time watching new series.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
All of Walter Presents shows are going to be available for box sets for free that can be downloaded and watched anywhere.
Marketing and promotion
Look at the online Channel 4 press pack for Deutschland 83.
1) Read the programme information from the press pack. How does the programme information seek to interest a reader from the first paragraph?
The introduction is in present tense and starts off with a short sentence 'it's 1983' which creates a sense of tension and makes the reader feel as though they are actually present in 1983. The fact that it mention Martin Rauch resists the pleasures of the West, the reader would be intrigued to watch it and see if he actually indulges in their pleasures.
2) What does the programme information suggest the main strengths of the programme are?
The fact that it is stylish and fast paced and that it is the first German language drama ever to air in the US. The show is very gripping because it reveals experiences from both sides of the Berlin Wall.
3) Read the press pack interview with writer Anna Winger. How did she use the historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama?
Her husband was apart of the West German military in the 1980's where he was a radio signaller. He would listen to Russian troops in East Germany where they would greet him by name meaning they knew he was listening. While creating the show they got some help from a British Military historian who gave them information about Abel Archer. The show is based on facts and they used the timeline of real events and the real political climate of the time as a backdrop, and set fictional characters free in that space. They even interviewed politicians, people in intelligence, diplomats and also just regular people about their experiences. Also, everyone who worked on the project brought personal memories of that time to it.
4) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
1983 was a good year for pop culture and it was the time when music videos were being introduced which would give audiences a visual aspect as to what was going on during that time.
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?
It communicates drama because Martin Rauch is in the centre as the main focus but is divided between East and West Germany. The cover states 'over the wall, under cover,' which suggests that there is going to be a lot of drama as he is on a mission where he is risking his life.
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the UK DVD cover. What does it communicate to the audience?
The UK cover shows the Berlin Wll being Jonas Nay who plays the main character Martin Rauch that is divided in two. The left side of the cover shows East Germany compared to the right side which presents West Germany. By watching the first episode we know Martin Rauch has a girlfriend in the East, however, the West side of the wall shows a couple kissing which could be hinting at the fact Martin Rauch may fall in love with someone from the West.3) How does the American branding use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
The colours used are quite vibrant and stand out which would immediately grab the attention of viewers. The font and graphics used are quite modern and have an urban aspect to it which suggests to the audience that this isn't like any other usual period drama series.
4) Why might the distributors Freemantle Media International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
They would have used different strategies in order to specifically appeal to the audiences because not everyone has the same views on what happened in Germany.
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