CSP - Deutschland 83

 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.
Positive: It’s a perfect moment in a near-perfect series.

Negative: Not quite “the flop of the year”, as Bild called it, but underwhelming nonetheless.

2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?
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 live in Germany and the locals didn't like it for two reasons: It was riddled with very silly inaccuracies, which were required for the plot to work; and it was on at the same time as the Voice.

• Really enjoyed watching it.

I agree with the comments that say the soundtrack is good and also how the person really enjoyed watching as I enjoyed aswell. The soundtrack is a really good fit for the episode and i think it suits the plot very well. 

Promotional interview

Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay



1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany? 
He mentions that in school they mentioned the cold war but didn't focus on it as to the parents and teachers it was their youth rather than history, despite it being history for the students. He also mentions that it doesn't feel like they're divided and are just one country.  He doesn't think there are "west and east Germans" anymore.

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 doesn't show mainstream media products as it doesn't follow their status quo. It being Broadcasted in Germany supports the fact it is mainly for a German target audience but the English subtitles makes it accessible for others.

3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
So they have insight on how much Germany has improved and evolved since the cold war as they may have interest is history or wars. It also gives the audience knowledge on if there are any habits that still happen after the war s but Jonas Nay says that it doesn't feel like the West and the East but it is rather just one country.

Textual analysis: Audience pleasures and representations

We need to consider the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 alongside various representations created in the first episode.

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? 

They do fiction films and television products such as, The cabinet or Dr Caligari, Dr Mabuse, Metropolis, The Blue Angel.

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

It is a British Multinational television production and distribution company. 

• Celebrity Bear Hunt
• Katy Perry: Night of a Lifetime
• Charlie Cooper's Myth Country
• The Apprentice
• Charlie Cooper's Myth Country: Winter Solstice
• Britain's Got Talent
• Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones
• The Rap Game UK
  

3) How does Deutschland 83 reflect the international nature of television production?
Deutschland 83 reflects the international nature of television production by being produced by a company that has many global subsidiaries to appeal to global audiences which therefore captures its international nature and appeal.

Walter Presents

Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama:

 

1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
They introduce Walter in a cinematic way. The clip opens with a fade in and then running through clips of different drama's with a montage. This allows each drama to get recognition and be represented with enigma codes however not revealing enough that the enigma is answered which makes potential audiences intrigued.

2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
Most likely a younger audience as most of the characters were pretty young. 

3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
The representation of men and women are less based on stereotypes and traditional gender expectations and more in line with the narrative and concept of the story being created. This shows that the digital age has evolved into pure entertainment rather than old stereotypes and gender roles which shows the progression of television.

Marketing and promotion

Trailer



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

• Diversion (Entertainment): Voyeurism - kissing & spy scenes
• Surveillance (Information): Based on a real historical event that people have experienced so it gives a good feeling to what it was like
• Personal Identity: The audience or their relatives might have gone through the cold war so may feel a personal connection to it.

2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
He uses enigma and action codes. For example, when Martin was running at full speed in a hall way out of the house which raises questions like what or who is he running from? Narrative codes like this encourage the audience to watch the series as it highlights the many mysteries it has which persuades the viewer to watch and engage with the show. 

3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
This is because English is a universal language which is spoken by lots of people across many different countries whereas German isn't as widely spoken. Having the trailer in English shows that the target audience isn't limited to one country but across the globe internationally which allows for wider audiences.


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?
She used the personal experiences of her husband when he was working for West Germany while listening to the East and decided to make a drama based on that but from the East's perspective. Because of the realism and truth behind the origin of the Drama series a successful spy drama came out of it.

2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
"Music was key to the story from the beginning. It was just an incredible year of pop culture and the songs really travelled, additionally, it could be because music videos started around that time as well, so there was a visual component for the very first time. " 

This may attract audiences as a visual representation of the cold war wasn't really available during those times so to be able to use music from then allows a closer connection and representation of it.

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?

After launching with 1.49 million viewers, the first episode has now consolidated with 2.5

million viewers, overtaking the launch of The Returned, which previously held the record with 2.2 million.

2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?

1. Coolest show of the year
2. The next subtitled sensation
3. Saga could be your new subtitled obsession
4. evocative and gripping

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?

• "Over the wall. under cover" ' shows the spy sub genre
• Having Martin as the central image on the cover with a (radio??) suggests the coming of age aspect of the drama, as well as the historical context due to his costume.
• The typography "Under Cover" is a suggestion that there is spy conventions within the series.
• The typography "Under Cover" being under the wall suggests that it is literally being under cover which hints at the spy genre

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

• Font & Colour: catches viewers attention and appeals to what many in the western culture associate with the 80s. -Gives 80's nostalgia.
• Graphics: More 80's nostalgia with the graffiti showing the lifestyle that occurred during those times and draws in the audience.

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

Each country has its own unique values and cultural pride. The UK emphasizes its rich history and heritage, whereas the US is known for its dominance in Hollywood and entertainment. To succeed, campaigns must be customized to appeal to local interests, highlighting the elements that truly resonate with each market.