Deutschland 83 Case study

Introduction: Reviews and features.

1) Reviews of Deutschland83

• Positives- The mall scene is a perfect moment in a near perfect series and it was the most watched foreign language drama in UK history.
• Negatives- By the time the last episode was shown in Germany it had shed more then half its starting audience.

2) The 2nd article suggests that the Germans didn't like the show due to its socialist regime world view. They paint west Germany in a negative light and pose them as a potential existential threat to humanity. Theres also the stereotypes they reinforce like Stasi officers being cruel Ideologists who blackmail family members, West Germany officers having messed up private lives while being honest people etc.

3) 3 Comments from the audience: 

1. "Its excellent, have it on DVD well worth a watch!"
2. "It has a subtlety sadly missing from 90% of German comedy"
3. "Far too many plot holes to be taken seriously"

Interview

1) Jonas Nay says that he lived in a very small town in Germany and most of what he knew about the cold war was taught to him while he was still in school but they focused more on WW2.

2) The Channel 4 interview with Jonas Nay was done in German, this can be connected to they're remit where they state they'll try to be culturally diverse with they're content.

3) Matt Frei, the interviewer, asked about the current situation at Germany which may interest a Channel 4 audience since those that watched D83 may be more interested in Germany as a whole and curious about its current situation. Viewers who consumed this media might have done it out of the pleasure of surveillance and may continue to seek knowledge of Germany.

Behind the Scenes

1) According to this clip, audiences should watch Deutschland 83 due to it being one of the best international dramas. Its a mix of political thriller and a spy action movie/show done in a classic 007 style.

2) History is an important aspect of the show as it not only provides context for the events that transpire within the show, it also educates the current generation on an historical event that effected Germany while trying to be entertaining.

3) Walter talks about how the technical codes make it stylistically beautiful. The music and fashion references are brought back to life using it.

Set Design

1) The reason the set design costume and props are important for Deutschland 83 is that in order to tell a story set in the past they'd need to make it believable or at least realistic to what Germany was like during those times.

2) A lot of Deutschland 83's props and costumes are historically accurate to the cold war. Even the documents in the brief case scene have an official signature and possibly real photos of the rockets.

3) The props, costumes and music may have been such a key audience pleasure for Deutschland 83 as it may been a way for them to immerse themselves in these stylistic times. D83 made Germany (at least west Germany) during that time look a bit more glamourous then what people may have assumed it looked like and this show might have changed they're perspective of it being old and bland to clean and retro.

Textual analysis 

Scene 1 (BBQ/Garden party)

• Technical codes: Huge contrast in mise-en-scene between East and west, several shots in East Germany of key characters, Over-shoulder of other characters (Emphasises friends family and the welcoming atmosphere)
• Representation of east and west Germany: Western family is shown to be dysfunctional and unhappy (BBQ scene feels awkward and forced in west), perhaps an example of fetishization of the working class in the media by making east Germany seem more appealing which is arguably historically inaccurate.

Scene 2 (Supermarket)

• Technical Codes: Mise-en-scene- use of colour and costume with the Puma logo red T-shirt as a strong contrast to the dull east.
• Audio Codes: Music- Sweet dreams are made of these. Diagetic sound but full of meaning to convey martins first experience of the west.
• Representation: Police men eating ice cream (in the west they're more relaxed and complacent)."What does Annette want" could represent the gender roles during this time (or it could just be a lack of depth for female characters)
• Audience pleasures: Music- Nostalgic and a faithful reconstruction of Germany in 1980s.

Scene 3 (Training)

• Technical codes: Fast paced editing including jump cuts typical of a montage. Split screen of objects used to compare the east and west.
• Audio codes: Voice over of scenes which covers a lot of the narrative. Non diegetic sound used to add a faster pace.
• Representation: East v West- The split screen emphasises the brands that are available in the west but not the east. Female assassin- Stereotypical?
• Audience pleasures: Intertextuality- Similar to a James Bond sequence (especially the gadgets). Genre pleasures- Spy/thriller.

Scene 4 (Briefcase)

• Technical codes: Close ups of the photographs of the documents with Ronald Reagans actual signature but they're are some declassified information and some recreations. Several shots from blinds and it becomes a recurring motif of shots through windows or behind objects.
• Audio codes: Non-diegetic sound- Music amplifies the tension of the scene and satisfies genre expectations of spy thriller. Diegetic sound- Loud breathing in conjunction with close ups of Martin build tension.
• Audience pleasures: Voyeuristic pleasure- Seeing a scene or activity we wouldn't normally have a chance to see. Surveillance- Use of real documents and genuine moments of the cold war helps to educate the audience. Personal relationships- This scene is effective because the audience is actually invested in the character of Martin which creates the tension of this scene.

Production and industry contexts

1) UFA fiction is an German award winning film and television company (They're also the market leaders in Germany) founded in 1917. They've produced films and tv shows like: March of millions, the tower and Danni Lowinski. 

2) Freemantle are a British multinational television production company that was founded in 1952. They've produced films and tv shows like: The x factor, My brilliant friend and We are who we are.

3) Deutschland 83 reflects the international nature of television as a they're TV show, despite being made made mostly for a German audience, is loved globally. People across the world now watch media from other countries in increasing fashion and D83 makes it evident that people seem to enjoy consuming media from other countries.

Walter Presents

1) All 4 Presents Walter as an expert on TV shows and films and helps/guides viewers to enjoyable and interesting media. The environment and his appearance might make the viewer trust his perspective a bit more.

2) Channel 4 might be trying to appeal to a more passive audience with Walters appearance and using him as a role model/authority figure that can judge whether a shows quality.

3) Walter Presents could reflect the changing nature of television in this digital age as people may mainly watch this series or search for reviews online and with Walter Presents people may be more inclined to watch the show itself (Two step flow, Walter is an opinion leader)

Marketing and promotion.

1) The trailer grants the audience a few pleasures like surveillance as throughout the trailer you can hear an actual speech about what's going on in the cold war. There's also identity and relationships since people may try to imagine themselves as the main character in that situation.

2) It mainly uses enigma and action codes through the scenes themselves without using much dialogue from the show. They're a lot of running and fighting but the viewer doesn't understand the complete purpose behind it unless they choose to watch the show.

3) The UK trailer tried to avoid using German dialogue throughout its entirety because they want to get viewers hooked on the premise of the show before they judge it for being an international show. Possibly if they enjoy the idea of the show they can get rid of any biases when they decide to watch it and discover that it uses English subtitles instead.

Press Pack

1) They used historical contexts and real life events by looking at the actual time line of events they even interviewed politicians regular people and others about they're experiences during it. This made it accurate but they mixed a bit of fiction into it to make it more interesting for viewers.

 

2) The soundtrack may attract an audience as people who recognise the music may get a sense of pleasure or satisfaction if they recognise the music within Deutschland 83. 

Press release

1) Deutschland 83 is the highest rated foreign language drama in the UK and the first episode consolidated with 2.5 million viewers.

2) The press release describes Deutschland 83 as- "The next subtitled sensation- unmissable TV", "A stylish curtain raiser" etc.

International Marketing

1) The UK DVD cover communicates its genre through subtle means like the background having an old men talking to each other (Could represent the political side of it) and a couple kissing (Could represent the romance aspect of the show). The text at the bottom of the DVD blatantly calls it a Cold War thriller telling the audience its based around that historical event. The spy is the main genre for this show and this may be evident by his clothes/disguise.

2) The font (might be a type of sans serif) for the name of the show on both DVD covers seems to be the most bold and expressive font on the cover. They have colours that stand out from the background and the character themselves.

3) Freemantle may have used different marketing campaigns in different countries as different countries have different values and interests especially when it comes to they're tastes to the media they consume. Germany didnt particularly enjoy Deutschland 83 so its evident that they're views on a quality show differ from someone in the UK so in order to attract a bigger audience in Germany they might need to use different styles or angle to they're marketing.