Deutschland 83: case study
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.
Some suggested that it was a perfect moment in a near-perfect series however there was some criticism towards Deutschland 83 where some German shows don't do well with the comedy side of things so the show was seen to have dry humour.
2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
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 empathizes with a Stasi agent on a human level – in the way The Lives of Others did – it makes us engage with the socialist regime’s worldview, in which a military exercise in West Germany poses a potentially existential threat.
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?
'Great show with a superb soundtrack!'
-I agree that the first episode was fairly enjoyable and had a soundtrack that matched the scenes.
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 empathizes with a Stasi agent on a human level – in the way The Lives of Others did – it makes us engage with the socialist regime’s worldview, in which a military exercise in West Germany poses a potentially existential threat.
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?
'Great show with a superb soundtrack!'
-I agree that the first episode was fairly enjoyable and had a soundtrack that matched the scenes.
'Loved it, and was amazed to find out how much was historically accurate. Having lived through that era, I felt it really captured the atmosphere of mutual paranoia that existed and blighted millions of lives. Giving the East German perspective on it gave it a distinctiveness it would not otherwise have had, and I found that very moving. They were just as frightened of us as we were of them! It illuminated the farcical aspect of the brinkmanship.'
Promotional interview
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
He says that when he was born in 1990 there was no east or west or Germany and that he only learned about the cold war since for him it may have been history but was reality for his teachers and parents.
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!)
This reflects channels 4's remit as it is able to target a wider number of people around the world allowing foreign tv shows to become more well known and popular.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
This may interest Channel 4 viewers since they want to know where Germany is going and how much its politics have altered since the split.
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.
Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany)
4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
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?
UFA Fiction is a German award winning film and television Company. UFA fiction has produced: GENERATION WAR, DEUTSCHLAND 83/86/89, CHARITÉ 1/2/3, KU'DAMM 56/59/63 or FAKING HITLER and SAM
2) What kind of company is Fremantle and what do they produce?
Fremantle Limited is a British multinational television production and distribution company. The produce shows such as: Priscilla, This England, Bones and All and more.
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
It reflects the international nature of television production since it was produced in Germany but it written by an American and became a hit in the UK. This shows how foreign films and shows don't always need to to appeal to a specific audience and it will still reach platforms worldwide.
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
He says that when he was born in 1990 there was no east or west or Germany and that he only learned about the cold war since for him it may have been history but was reality for his teachers and parents.
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!)
This reflects channels 4's remit as it is able to target a wider number of people around the world allowing foreign tv shows to become more well known and popular.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
This may interest Channel 4 viewers since they want to know where Germany is going and how much its politics have altered since the split.
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.
Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany)
4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20
- Handheld camera- immersive experience
- Genre pleasures
- POV shots, gives the audience a feeling that they are actually at the party
- Suspense
- Costume- military uniform
- Upper middle-class, elite, wealthy
- Diegetic sound
- Sound bridge
- West music is more classical, more formal
- Non-diegetic track builds tension
- Ethnic diversity
- Binary opposition
- Aunt - villain, Propp's theory
- Surveillance, East doesn't have everything the west has
Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket
14.30 – 20.25
- OTS
- Shot-reverse-shot
- Lowkey lighting
- Casual clothing-consumerism
- West supermarket fully stocked, East has food shortages
- POV shots for identification
- Tension, seriousness
- Diegetic music in the shop, popular music
- Sound bridge
- Voiceover, non-diegetic
- Heavy breathing sounds
- Processed foods
- West Germany, a new environment
- Nostalgia, 80s with the music
- Warholesque (pop art) of fruit
- Post-modernism
- Action codes
- Intertextuality
Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy
20.40 – 22.40
- Fast paced editing
- Close up of the hands
- Montage, compress time: economical story telling
- Split screen
- Jump cuts
- Voiceover
- Sound bridge
- 80s music
- Fast paces, non-diegetic music
- Communism, duty to the state
- Femme fatale
- Spy genre, conventions
- Action codes
- Nostalgia music
- Binary oppositions
- Intertextuality
Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans
31.13 – 33.30
- Close ups
- Wide shots, CCTV shots
- Footstep sounds
- Indistinct chatter
- Spy genre
- Genre pleasures
- Enigma codes, mystery
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?
UFA Fiction is a German award winning film and television Company. UFA fiction has produced: GENERATION WAR, DEUTSCHLAND 83/86/89, CHARITÉ 1/2/3, KU'DAMM 56/59/63 or FAKING HITLER and SAM
2) What kind of company is Fremantle and what do they produce?
Fremantle Limited is a British multinational television production and distribution company. The produce shows such as: Priscilla, This England, Bones and All and more.
3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
It reflects the international nature of television production since it was produced in Germany but it written by an American and became a hit in the UK. This shows how foreign films and shows don't always need to to appeal to a specific audience and it will still reach platforms worldwide.
Walter Presents
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
'Walter' is introduces as a 'handpicked selection of the best stories, the best characters and the best dramas from around the world.'
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
They could be appealing to an older teenage audience both male and female as there is a lot of violence that is counterattacked by romance. The viewers may have to be slightly mature to enjoy there dramas as most of them reflect history or real situations.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The digital age has been able to get a range of audience to view and watch movies across the world from anywhere at anytime on anything. Not only digital technology improved visual experiences, but it has also revolutionized the way television content is accessed by different audiences.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
There could be aspects of surveillance which is information. The show is based off of real world events such as the cold war and it gives us point of views from both the east and west on how different they both were. It also includes aspects of diversion. Audiences may be interested in this spy genre purely for entertainment.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
The trailer uses enigma codes because it creates mystery and it may encourage audiences to watch the show to find out why Martin became a spy and moved to the west. It may use action codes because of all the intense scenes such as explosions which could create tension and suspense for the audience.
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
They may have decided to go with English dialogue because that is that main spoken language in the UK and it may appeal to audiences more.
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?
'Walter' is introduces as a 'handpicked selection of the best stories, the best characters and the best dramas from around the world.'
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
They could be appealing to an older teenage audience both male and female as there is a lot of violence that is counterattacked by romance. The viewers may have to be slightly mature to enjoy there dramas as most of them reflect history or real situations.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The digital age has been able to get a range of audience to view and watch movies across the world from anywhere at anytime on anything. Not only digital technology improved visual experiences, but it has also revolutionized the way television content is accessed by different audiences.
Marketing and promotion
Trailer
1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
There could be aspects of surveillance which is information. The show is based off of real world events such as the cold war and it gives us point of views from both the east and west on how different they both were. It also includes aspects of diversion. Audiences may be interested in this spy genre purely for entertainment.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
The trailer uses enigma codes because it creates mystery and it may encourage audiences to watch the show to find out why Martin became a spy and moved to the west. It may use action codes because of all the intense scenes such as explosions which could create tension and suspense for the audience.
3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
They may have decided to go with English dialogue because that is that main spoken language in the UK and it may appeal to audiences more.
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?
2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
She stated that music was key to the story from the beginning. 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. Soundtrack is important to an audience because it allows audiences to feel different emotions.
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?
Deutschland first released with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5 million viewers.
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
The press has described Deutschland 83 as: “Evocative and gripping" and the "coolest show of the year.”
International marketing
She stated that music was key to the story from the beginning. 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. Soundtrack is important to an audience because it allows audiences to feel different emotions.
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?
Deutschland first released with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5 million viewers.
2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?
The press has described Deutschland 83 as: “Evocative and gripping" and the "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 DVD cover shows the two sides, east and west, by the different paintings on the walls. It suggests is a spy thriller by the writing that says 'under cover' which suggests that the character on the front page is actually a spy. The walk man he has on can suggest the freedom and opportunities that opened up to him once he went from the east to the west.
2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
Yellow is used in the title and it is usually associated with sunshine and warmth whereas it can also symbolise caution. This shows differences between the east and west and how different the two sides are despite them being one country. In the US marketing campaign, the bright pop colours that contrast the background of blue stand out to viewers with illustrations and artwork of characters which the protagonist is standing out in a grey scale. It creates an emphasis on the background so that the audiences attention is more there.
3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
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