Deutschland 83: case study

 Introduction: Reviews and features

1) Find one positive aspect and one criticism of Deutschland 83 in the reviews.

criticism- its shot through a wry sense of humour, that's not typical of German films so didn't do well in Germany

positive- 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?

The odd situation is that after decades of being seen as boring and ugly, Germany has found a way of making people abroad think it is cool and sexy – yet Germans don’t like it. I think I see why. As the show resembles the German east side as boring and much worse than the capitalist west side 

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?

pity the Germans don’t like it,  but for Germany it still sends shivers, The odd situation is that after decades of being seen as boring and ugly.

I think the audiences outside of Germany like deutschland 83 but the Germans themselves did not as it showed them as worse than the west 

Promotional interview

1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany? 

He says he grew up in a small town in Germany and only the people who knew him recognised him and he said there is no west or east Germany like in 1983 


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 shows how Channel 4 wants to teach audiences and give them inside information about deutschland 83 as they are a not for profit business 


3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?

He said the political state is very good, this may interest audience as he grew up in a new and better Germany however the Cold War was from the loss of WW2 and led to Germany being in a bad place and split up into 4 

Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany)

4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20

Technical codes: tracking shot following Martin throughout the house, casual clothes with beers and Martin wearing uniform 

Audio codes:diegetic sound, 99 red balloons track western anti war song

Representation of east and west Germany:Represents east as cramped but also having a good time, West Germany presented as better as the aunty gets pleasures from there

Audience pleasures:personal identity as people can relate going back to there family, surveillance learning about east Germany 

Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket 

14.30 – 20.25

Technical codes:use of wide shots to show stacked shelves with bright and vibrant colours, close up on martins facial expressions 

Audio codes:western music inside the supermarket, tense fast paced music, tv screen archive footage 

Representation of east and west Germany:west Germany seen as better for consumers but don’t care about the citizens health 

Audience pleasures:personal identity, surveillance and genre/ spy thriller 

Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy

20.40 – 22.40

Technical codes:short clips on his actions, jump cuts showing what he is learnings 

Audio codes:voiceover continues throughout the next scene: sound bridge

Representation of east and west Germany:femme fatale, women shoots the guy that Martin is using as his identity 

Audience pleasures:genre: spy thriller 

Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans

31.13 – 33.30

Technical codes:close ups of martins facial expressions, martins pov when looking at the documents/ shot reverse shot, long shot of room showing his vulnerability 

Audio codes:non-diegetic sound, parallel to the tense scene creating suspense

Representation of east and west Germany: Reagans signature creating historical validity

Audience pleasures: links to the genre of spy thriller 

Production and industry contexts

1)What kind of company is UFA Fiction and what shows have they produced? 

A German television production company with shows like deutschland 83 and 86, charite, 4 blocks 


2) What kind of company is Freemantle and what do they produce?

A global media production and distribution company with tv programmes like X factor and britains got talent 

3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?

Through its cross border collaboration with UFA fiction and international partners showing different political issues during the Cold War 

Walter Presents

1)How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?

As a platform that showcases a variety of drama television programmes that may not be seen or heard of by the British audience 

2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?

Older and younger generations through the use of action and violence but also history and romance 


3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?

As younger people are used to seeing more sex and nudity than earlier generations 

Marketing and promotion

1) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).

Surveillance as you’re learning about Germany in the Cold War with east and west and also personal identity as some people may relate to it 

2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?

Enigma codes to create a sense of mystery and to carry on watching and action code to create tense and high risk to show the themes of a spy drama 

3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?

As not many German people may watch it 

Press pack

1) How did she use the historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama?

German military service in the 1980’s. He was a radio signaller in West Germany, listening to the Russian troops in East Germany. Occasionally the Russians would greet him by name. So they knew that he was listening and he knew there must be a mole at his base – but he never figured out who the mole was. It could have been a boss or a colleague. My idea was to tell a story form the point of view of the mole.

2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?

An interesting aside is that in the East, although they were rarely allowed out, they could watch West German TV, so young people kept up with Western music and popular culture that way.

Press release

1) List the key statistics concerning audience figures. Why was it considered the most successful foreign language drama?

After launching with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5 million viewers, overtaking the launch of The Returned (9th June 2013) on Channel 4 which previously held the record with 2.2 million, as it was the highest rated foreign language drama 

2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?

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

1) How does the UK DVD cover communicate the sub-genre of the drama?

Using the different side of the wall to show one with romance and the other with guns and military 

2) How do these use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?

The more vibrant colours can symbolise the west and the font being yellow and then black and pick can symbolise the difference between east and west 

3) Why might the distributors Freemantle International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries? 

To attract that specific audience to this genre