TV: Deutschland 83 case study
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.
Yet as if to make up for such a radical premise, it then backtracks into stereotype. Stasi officers are cruel ideologues who blackmail family members and fake reports for political ends.
It’s a perfect moment in a near-perfect series. Deutschland 83’s first episode of eight was the most-watched foreign-language drama in UK history.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
It uses stereotypes about Germans.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
It uses stereotypes about Germans.
"In Germany, where the cold war can still send chills, that feels a bit too simple."
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?
It’s a perfect moment in a near-perfect series. - the binary opposition between the East and the West is very clear in this shot, it is when Martin realises just how different their life is and maybe considers not going back to the East like he was trying to do, the song sweet dreams (are made of this) in the background also could connote how materialistic the West is and the value that is placed on having these everyday items that are a luxury to him.
By focusing the story around Martin Rauch, a young East German border guard going undercover in the west, it doesn’t just make the viewer empathise with a Stasi agent on a human level. - I can understand what they mean but I think that the whole point is to portray him as the villain and Martin as the hero, the audience is positioned to be on Martins side.
And to top it all, the peace movement in the west turns out to have been infiltrated not just by Soviet agents, but gay Soviet agents at that – a McCarthyite fantasy come true. - I think that the italics shows the prejudice that the daily Guardian holds and how it obviously thinks that the show is too "woke" but I think that it is just looking for things to criticise.
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 about the Cold War he learnt from school but he learnt more about WWII, he also says that he doesn't feel that is he a west German or and east German because when he was born Germany was not 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 shows more niche content and shows, it tries to educate or prove a point rather than target a mainstream audience, the German show is not mainstream and they are attracting a German audience but the English subtitles show that they are also targeting a British audience maybe to educate them on the cold war.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
Textual analysis: Audience pleasures and representations
We need to consider the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 alongside various representations created in the first episode.
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. Here's a Google doc we have worked on in past Media lessons on this topic - feel free to use these notes alongside your own. You'll need to use your Greenford Google login to access this.
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?
German film and TV production company - they produce shows, movies feature films and host events
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
A British production and distribution company - dramas, documentaries and game shows
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
There are guns being pulled out, chase scenes, fight scenes and explosions which are all action codes because they show the audience that something is about to happen and disrupt the narrative.
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 about the Cold War he learnt from school but he learnt more about WWII, he also says that he doesn't feel that is he a west German or and east German because when he was born Germany was not 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 shows more niche content and shows, it tries to educate or prove a point rather than target a mainstream audience, the German show is not mainstream and they are attracting a German audience but the English subtitles show that they are also targeting a British audience maybe to educate them on the cold war.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
A channel 4 audience would want to remain up to date in current affairs so they might find the information interesting and want to hear the point of view of somebody who actually currently lives there
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
- Martin keeps getting stopped as he walks - shows the chaos and how talkative they are and how strong the sense of community is
- Over the shoulder shot - follows Martin - places him as the protagonist
- Run down house - lack of prosperity in the East
- Entire table full of food that barely anybody is eating - shows he privellege in the West - creates binary opposition between the East and West
- 99 luft balloon - shows the impact of Western pop culture and nostalgia
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
- The fashion - 80s pop culture and the Western influence
- from Martins POV - identification
- fully stocked shelves - intertextuality - reference to Andy Warhols artwork where the Campells soup is in rows
- Sweet dreams (are made of this) - 80s
- TV screens in shop window - available for everybody to buy
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
- Conventional spy montage - lots of jump cuts
- shows the passing time - fast paced
- reflects the urgency and severity of the situation
- split screen effect - shows the binary opposition between East ans West
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
- Extreme close up shots - create enigma codes
- Jumpcuts create urgency
- Shot reverse shot
- Fast paced - tension
- archive documents
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?
German film and TV production company - they produce shows, movies feature films and host events
Generation War, Charite 1/2/3, Ku Damm 56, Faking Hitler, All about me
2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?
A British production and distribution company - dramas, documentaries and game shows
Too hot to handle, X factor, Family feud, The price is right, Priscilla, Bones and all, Poor things
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
features German actors and produced by both German and British production companies
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
features German actors and produced by both German and British production companies
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
As a montage showing all of the shows that they have produced, each of the clips used to showcase their shows are specifically chosen to generate action and enigma codes that will make the audience want to keep watching.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
People who enjoy TV dramas
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The audience have so much more choice and it is an active decision on what media they want to consume
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Diversion - it offers an escape from reality by immersing the audience into a spys life and the world in both east and west germany in 1983
As a montage showing all of the shows that they have produced, each of the clips used to showcase their shows are specifically chosen to generate action and enigma codes that will make the audience want to keep watching.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
People who enjoy TV dramas
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The audience have so much more choice and it is an active decision on what media they want to consume
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
Diversion - it offers an escape from reality by immersing the audience into a spys life and the world in both east and west germany in 1983
Personal Relationships - the audience develops affection for Martin as they learn his backstory and why he is forced to help, the audience are positioned to side with him since the camera is following him and from his perspective. The other characters also generate sympathy from the audience for example Martins mum who needs a Kidney transplant but cannot get it.
Personal Identity- the audience might relate to characters in the show because they see themselves represented in them, for example the 80s clothing and iconography might generate nostalgia for an older audience and remind them or their childhood, the 80s music also has the same effect and also shows how influential the wests pop culture was. The dynamics between certain characters is something that the audience might also relate to as they may have the same dynamic between someone else they know.
Surveillance- The audience might watch the show to get an understanding of what it was like to live in Germany at the time and to learn about the Cold War in an entertaining way.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
There are guns being pulled out, chase scenes, fight scenes and explosions which are all action codes because they show the audience that something is about to happen and disrupt the narrative.
These can also be considered enigma codes in the trailer since the audience do not know why the things are happening or what Martin is running from
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
If it was in German it may have stopped a British audience from watching it as they may not be interested in international television, English is also spoken in many different countries so it would allow more people to watch and understand the trailer
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?
The original idea was based of of something that happened to her husband in the 1980s when he was doing his military service
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.
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?
launched with 1.49 million viewers
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
If it was in German it may have stopped a British audience from watching it as they may not be interested in international television, English is also spoken in many different countries so it would allow more people to watch and understand the trailer
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?
The original idea was based of of something that happened to her husband in the 1980s when he was doing his military service
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.
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?
launched with 1.49 million viewers
the first episode had 2.5 million viewers
making it the most watched from channel 4
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
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 wall behind Martin is recognisable and is a symbol of the Cold War which will instantly show a British audience that the show is based around the Cold War and set in Germany. The uniform that he is wearing helps reinforce this as well since it is clear he is in some sort of army. The graffiti on the wall behind him also can give the audience ideas about the narrative for example the two people painted kissing may show that there may be some romance involved in the show. The writing on the wall "under cover" also clearly communicates to the audience that Martin is a spy. The walkman that he is holding is a part of the 80s iconography and may generate a sense of nostalgia for an older audience. Martin stood in the middle also clearly creates a barrier between the two sides just like how the wall was a barrier between the east and west.
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
The bright and vibrant colours (mainly in the American one) may generate a sense of nostalgia for an 80s audience, some of the fonts are also reminiscent of the 80s.
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
“It’s only January but let’s call it already: coolest show of the year.”
Grazia
“This is the next subtitled sensation……..unmissable TV.”
TV Times
“This pacy saga could be your new subtitled obsession.”
The Guardian
“A stylish curtain-raiser for Walter Presents.”
The Times
“Great fun, and powered by an irrestible 1983 vintage soundtrack.”
The Daily Telegraph
“Evocative and gripping.”
The Daily Mail
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 wall behind Martin is recognisable and is a symbol of the Cold War which will instantly show a British audience that the show is based around the Cold War and set in Germany. The uniform that he is wearing helps reinforce this as well since it is clear he is in some sort of army. The graffiti on the wall behind him also can give the audience ideas about the narrative for example the two people painted kissing may show that there may be some romance involved in the show. The writing on the wall "under cover" also clearly communicates to the audience that Martin is a spy. The walkman that he is holding is a part of the 80s iconography and may generate a sense of nostalgia for an older audience. Martin stood in the middle also clearly creates a barrier between the two sides just like how the wall was a barrier between the east and west.
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
The bright and vibrant colours (mainly in the American one) may generate a sense of nostalgia for an 80s audience, some of the fonts are also reminiscent of the 80s.
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
To appeal to different audiences, a British audience may be more interested in the Cold War and the historical aspect of the show whereas a more American audience may be more interested in the entertainment aspect of the show and how fun it is to watch - which is reflected in the heavy use of weapons on the poster and bright vibrant colours suggesting a large hollywood style budget.
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