TV: Deutschland 83 case study [Build Knowledge]

 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.

2) Why does the second Guardian article suggest the Germans didn't like the show?

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?

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

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!)

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

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 teh world.

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

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

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

Walter Presents

1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?

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

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

Marketing and promotion

Trailer

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

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

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?



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?

2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?

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

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

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

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