CSP - Capital
Read the following review and feature on Capital:
Guardian review by Sam Wollaston
London Evening Standard: five things you need to know about Capital
1) What positive points does the review pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
2) What references can you find in the reviews and feature to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?
The Drama follows multiple people who live on the same street and shows the similarities and differences of their lives and their perspective of the 2008 financial crisis.
London Evening Standard: five things you need to know about Capital
1) What positive points does the review pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
- The cast is good
- Based on a novel
- Based around real life events people will relate to
- Set in present day
2) What references can you find in the reviews and feature to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?
The Drama follows multiple people who live on the same street and shows the similarities and differences of their lives and their perspective of the 2008 financial crisis.
Trailer analysis
Watch the trailer for Capital:
1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
Watch the trailer for Capital:
1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
It has fast paced cuts which represent the rush in a normal day in London, which represents British culture. The montage of the different people of different ages, race, religion and class represents the diversity in London, through various close up shots and medium shots.
2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
The trailer shows each of the characters individually and small bits about their lives, they are speaking about their love life, issues, family and other things. It makes the audience want to know more about them ( enigma code).
2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
The trailer shows each of the characters individually and small bits about their lives, they are speaking about their love life, issues, family and other things. It makes the audience want to know more about them ( enigma code).
Capital in Media Magazine
Issue 83 of Media Magazine has a feature exploring Capital as a media product. Read ‘We Want What You Have’ in MM83 (p10). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:
1) What does the article suggest about the 'state of the nation' genre and how Capital is an example of this?
Capital (BBC 2015), is based on a ‘state- of-the-nation’ novel of the same name by John Lanchester. Such novels try to represent an entire country at a particular moment in time. As such, they
involve multiple storylines and a large cast.
2) What does the article suggest regarding the setting of Capital?
Setting the drama entirely in the capital city might enrage those who see the UK as being too London-centric, but it makes sense in the context of a multi-stranded production. Centring the action on a single street then helps bring some focus to the narrative.
3) What are the major themes in Capital and what does the article suggest regarding the impact of money on communities?
The street contains characters from all walks of life with different levels of economic security and income. Given the houses are unaffordable to large numbers of Londoners, some of the themes are tackled through people with links to the street.
4) What different representations in Capital are discussed in the article?
The banks are the bad guys, Banker Roger is a weak, feckless character. Almost all of the other characters are set against Roger and Arabella as ‘good’ people. The representations of good versus bad, rich versus poor and industrious versus feckless make for straightforward drama.
5) What does the final section of the article suggest regarding genre and overall message of the drama?
The words ‘WE WANT WHAT YOU HAVE’ have been written in red along the entire length of the road which could symbolise the idea that someone wants to be heard but isn't being heard.
Capital Media Factsheet
Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login) to find Media Factsheet #194 on Capital (BBC TV Drama).
Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What does the factsheet say about the characters on the first page?
Episode 1 focuses on Petunia Howe (no. 84) and Roger and Arabella Yount (no. 92). We are also introduced to
the Kamal family, who run the corner shop, and Quentina Mkfesi, a religious asylum seeker with a PhD working illegally as a traffic warden. The interactions between the characters reflect the tensions between different cultures and costume is used to quickly communicate the different character roles.
2) Focusing on the industrial contexts, how does Capital help the BBC meet its obligations as a public service broadcaster?
a) To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
b) To support learning for people of all ages.
c) To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.
d) To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
e) To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world.
3) What do we learn about the ownership structure for production company Kudos?
- The ownership of Kudos reflects a horizontally integrated company.
- The parent company, Endemol Shine UK, own a range of TV production companies across different formats and genres.
- Endemol Shine UK is owned in equal share by Apollo Global Management (an American public equity firm) and 21st Century Fox.
4) How can David Hesmondhalgh's ideas in The Cultural Industries be linked to Capital and Kudos?
- Commodification of cultural content
- Cultural industries are risk averse
- Cultural industries utilise vertical or horizontal integration
Conventions of crime genre
• Use of narrative enigmas.
• Restricted narrative.
• Resolution of a mystery.
• Question of morality.
• Debates around innocence and guilt.
• Verisimilitude – representations of ‘ordinary’ people in
everyday life are recognisable to audience.
• Power struggles (within different divisions of police or
within community).
• Teamwork and pleasures in successful resolutions.
• Corruption and betrayal often key theme within a
narrative.
• Villainy is evident through the characteristics of various
characters.
Conventions of social realism
• Strive to represent regions of UK with authenticity.
• Narratives explore social issues (such as economic inequalities/immigration/Islamophobia).
• Triumph over adversity.
• Shooting on location to offer authenticity.
• Wide shots used to establish the location and setting as this is often key to understanding the narrative and themes.
• Humour and seriousness intertwined in a narrative.
6) How does the factsheet analyse the DVD packaging and what this communicates to the audience?
- The DVD cover uses the same promotional images that feature in media pack, website and press coverage.
- This creates the recognisable brand for the audience.
7) Look at page 5 of the factsheet. Choose one of the audience theories in the table and apply it to Capital.
Reception theory – Hall
Preferred reading = staying rich means hard work
Negotiated reading = being rich can just come from generational wealth
Oppositional reading = rich people are snobby and flashy with their money
8) What does the factsheet suggest regarding binary oppositions in Capital?
The multi-stranded narrative uses binary oppositions throughout to highlight the difference or inequality in Pepys Road, and then raise questions about inequality in London more widely.
Representations: close-textual analysis
Capital offers a range of fascinating representations - from London and asylum seekers to capitalism and inequality. You need to be able to confidently discuss these issues in the context of 2015 London - with reference to key scenes from episode 1. Representations include: London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
These are our notes from this year analysing the episode in class. There are also these notes from a previous year analysing the clips in case this is useful. Use this to help with this element of the case study. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document.
1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in the lesson:
1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in the lesson:
2) How does Capital use stereotypes? Do the characters and issues represented in Capital reinforce or subvert the stereotypes we typically see in the media?
The stereotype of white people being rich and black being poor. Capital reinforces these stereotypes
The stereotype of white people being rich and black being poor. Capital reinforces these stereotypes
Industries and production context
Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.
1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.
Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.
1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.
| Shine Group (2007–2015) Endemol Shine Group (2015–2018) Banijay UK Productions (2018–present) |
2) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced and for which channels? What awards have they won?
- Then you run
- Tin Star
- code 404
- two weeks to live
- grantchester
- deep water
- responsible child
- deadwater fell
They have won BAFTA awards
3) How does Capital help the BBC to fulfil its remit as a public service broadcaster? You may want to look back at our work on public service broadcasting last term.
It informs about the economic problems of London
It informs about the economic problems of London
It entertains the audience
It educates the audience about economics and wealth
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