Capital: case study blog tasks

1) What positive points do the reviews pick out about Capital?
-The cast is brilliant
- It's based on an acclaimed novel
-The TV adaption is set in present day
- It will ring true for many Londoners
- It's far more gripping  than a drama about the property market sounds

2) What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
There were too many stories happening at the same time which was confusing for the audience as it was hard to follow. Also, some aspects of the show were way too undeveloped to even care about.

3) How does the TV drama change the time period and location for the story in comparison to the original novel?
While the book captured an era which was 2007-8 which was the financial crisis, Peter Bowker's TV adaption is set in 2015.

4) In the Telegraph 'behind the scenes' article, what does the writer say about the London housing market?
The writer claimed that the average price of a house in London was around £500,000.

5) What references can you find in these reviews and features to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?
The idea of Capital being referred to as a 'state of the nation' drama was created as it captures the issues that England faced around the time its produced and how it focuses on the financial crash and immigration.
Textual analysis

Watch the trailer for Capital:

 


1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
At the start of the first episode there is a close up on the name of the street which is done to tell us a key aspect of the show which is of course setting. There is also a birds eye view shot around the same time showing London at night with all the lights on which creates an ominous tone. We are also shown fast shots of all the characters getting the audience used to the main characters and who they are and what their role is in the show.

2) What does the camera movement when characters are initially introduced suggest about the drama and its London setting? Pick out one or two shots in particular.
The camera movement is fast paced which could suggest how busy London is as everyone is always in a rush to get to work etc, giving the audience as quick glimpse of how London really is.

3) How does the trailer use mise-en-scene to capture the family element of the drama?
Mise-en-scene is created through the use of the props throughout the trailer, for instance the man is shown wearing a formal black coat along with a black bag indicating he works a formal, well paying job. We also see a Pakistan family sitting down at dinner having a good time and also communicating through the use of laptop to speak to their family member conveying they share a strong bond and are a loving family.  

4) Bastille's 'These Streets' is used as the soundtrack for the trailer. What does this communicate to the audience and why is it effective?
The use of the song conveys the correlation between the programme and music and is effective as it sets the tone of the show as it is parallel sound.

5) How does the trailer introduce narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
The trailer shows the narrative of the show making it very effective as it gives the audience a good insight of what they are getting into but at the same time gives them tension as they only have 40 seconds to veiw what it is about which doesn't offer a huge amount. 
Watch the Episode 1 preview for Capital:

 

1) What does this preview clip suggest about the potential sub-genres for Capital?
It suggests the sub-genres may be detective and police as we see the police officer questioning the shop owners about the photos they keep on recieving.

2) What elements of the clip might suggest this is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama?
The Police officer covers issues like immigration and also racism which are large issues in today's society showing how it may be a state-of-the-nation drama3) Analyse the mise-en-scene in this clip. How does this provide realism and familiarity for audiences?
The setting creates a sense of realism and identity for the audience as corner shops are widely common throughout England therefore many people would recognise it and become more intrigued as it something they have some sort of attachment to. The costumes used such as the policeman outfit provides a sense of familiarity as everyone will be able to recognise that outfit.4) What audience pleasures are provided by this scene?
Audience pleasures provided in this could be personal relationships as they may get to know how the members of the family of the corner-shop may feel and therefore have a personal relationship with them as they get to understand them better.5) How is the audience positioned to respond to the different characters in this particular sequence?
The audience are positioned to feel sympathetic towards the family as they are clearly bothered by what is continuously occurring to them as they feel so vulnerable. For the Police-man the family make it easier for us to dislike the officer as they mention how long it has taken him to respond to their reports, they even go far as to believing he may be racist positioning the audience to dislike him even more.

Watch the Episode 2 preview for Capital:

 


1) How does this clip represent upper-middle-class family life?
The clip presents an ideal representation of upper-middle class life as it shows the children being taken care of by a hired nanny whilst the father who looks like he works in a serious business takes it easy, showing the enjoyable and relaxing life they live however everything isn't as jolly as it seems when the wife enters at 0:52 stopping all the singing just to look for her mobile phone which she seems to have more of an attachment to than her own family making her husband look irritated showing how middle-upper classed marriages are very shaky and full of stress.

2) What narrative strands are suggested in this sequence?
The introduction of the wife suggests there may be a narrative strand focused on their struggling marriage and when the nanny mentions she is single the father expresses joy indicating there may be a narrative strand including some sort of romantic relationship with the father and nanny.

3) How is the audience positioned to respond to Roger Yount, the main character (banker and father to the two boys)?
The audience are positioned to like Roger as hey is presented to be more of a father figure rather than the money maker and is shown to be helping around the house more with the inclusion of him packing away the cutlery.

Representations: close-textual analysis

Capital offers a range of fascinating representations - from London and Islam to the issues of asylum seekers 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, aging and more.

1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in class:
Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49
London is represented to be ominous when the birds eye view is used giving a full outlook of what London looks like.   There is also a heavy use of flashbacks that offer insight as to what London looked like in the past. Different types of ethnicity are shown through this intro showing how diverse London is.

Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10
The shots show Roger on the train going to work which is extremely packed making him very uncomfortable along with all the other passengers. However at first the overall look of London looks full of life and very economically stable. The fact that the man is going to work is reinforcing stereotypes as men are usually represented as the breadwinners of the family.

Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35
These use of these shots show how economically stable London is and how house prices are continuing to rise. We also see the show playing into gender roles ass the man only has sex on his mind but the wife keeps denying him over and over.

Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40
This scene shows how there is a heavy flood of immigrants moving to London as we see a lot of them in a overcrowded house together. We see another example of male dominance when we see the African man demanding the woman to give him a kiss as a way of thanks showing how the city still has patriarchal aspects and also shows how immigrants find it hard to get a good income from proper jobs and have to go to making money in other ways

Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00 
This scene shows how the middle-upper class families are greedy and take advantage of the great position they are already in, always wanting more not caring about anything except themselves.

Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55
This scene shows the strong family bond they show as even though most of them are grown adults they all still take the time to sit down and eat together even faceting one of their family members who is most probably in another country. Although this scene does still play into gender roles as we see the female preparing dinner.

You can choose which aspects to focus on for each scene: e.g. London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, ageing etc.

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?
Capital uses stereotypes through the Asian family as they are shown to own a corner shop and faced with immigration. We also see upper classed whites which are usually represented in media. Lower classed black people are also shown to be facing legal problems as well.

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?
21st Century Fox.

2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?
The first breakthrough was Spooks which debuted on BBC One.

3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?
They also produced: Broadchurch, Flowers, River, Humans, Grantchester and the Tunnel. The awards they have won are: The Peabody award for Broadchurch, Television Bulldog award for best indie, Broadcast magazine supplement and the best independent production company.

4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer? 

The showreel gives the audience a good understanding to the the number of TV dramas Kudos Productions has to offer. Visual pleasures like action sequences are provided for the audience and personal relationships and identification are offered to the audience.

Marketing and promotion

Read the BBC Press Pack for Capital.

1) How does the programme information on page 3 make Capital sound interesting to audiences?
The way the characters are described creates interest as the audience becomes intrigued to see how these characters face their problems and live their different lifestyles.

2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?
By mentioning other shows it creates a selling point for Capital that others won't be able to replicate and how Capital is different in comparison to other dramas showing how diverse the director and producers can be with their works.

3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?
Kudos commissioned Capital

4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?
Toby explains the character of Roger and how he is a complacent banker not in control of his life and how he is used to a life of large spending on a variety of luxuries.


5) Read the interview with Adeel Akhtar (page 10). What does he suggest Capital says about the fictional Pepys Road and the sense of community (or lack of it) in London?
Adeel Akhtar suggests the fictional Pepys Road represents what is occurring to roads across Britain as house prices are rising exponentially. He also talks about how Capital focuses on the aspects of a community and those who feel like they are not a part of their own community6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain? 
She states she feels that the Asian family shown in Capital are an accurate representation of what it means to be part of an Asian family in Britain.7) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?
His favourite scene is when Roger abandons his wife on a Christmas morning as he likes the comedy that was applied into the scene as it still managed to feature the emotions that Roger felt when he came to the realisation of what his Wife really wanted. He states he likes the scenes that convey the minute observations of human nature.8) Read the interview with Derek Wax, the Executive Producer for Kudos (page 16). Why did he produce Capital and what does it say about the way we live now?
Derek Wax states he was excited to make Cpital becomes of the ambition that he had and was exctied to work with the challegnge of showing descriet details of each characters life. He also states how Capital offers an accurate representation of how London has changed.


DVD packaging

Look at the DVD packaging for Capital. There are many marketing techniques employed here.

1) How does the packaging use other critically acclaimed TV dramas to promote Capital?
The packaging shows that Capital is from the makers of popular dramas such as Broadchurch and Humans. By doing this the fans of these dramas will be more likely to watch Capital as they already know that they enjoy the other shows and most probably be interested in this too to see if it is of the same quality. 

2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?
The design and images show that it is based in London and that there is a good mixture of different ethnic groups showing the diversity throughout London. By featuring all these characters on the front it also suggests it may be a multi-stranded narrative.
3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?
The reviews suggest it offers a lot of entertainment for any audience and that there will be problems that the characters will have to face. The reviews also suggest that Capital may be a state of the nation drama. The image of London bridge at the top show that it is based in London.
4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?
It has a diverse representation as we see white people, Asian people and Black people conveying a sense of diversity throughout London.

Film Industry: Assessment learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).
Grade: C-
WWW- Good focus on the questions and on including audience theory.
EBI- Q3 needs to be much more comprehensive- genre/industries etc
2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Write down the number of marks you achieved for the three questions:
Q1:1/2
Q2: 4/4
Q3: 4/9

3) For Question 2 on Chicken, use the mark scheme to identify at least one strategy used to promote Chicken to an audience that you didn't mention in your answer. The key lesson from this question was to make specific reference to the CSP in your answer.
Another strategy used to promote Chicken that I didn't mention was small arthouse cinema release followed by digital distribution and quotes/recommendations from industry figures.


4) Now look at Question 3. Using the mark scheme as a guide, write a paragraph arguing that it is NOT important for the British film industry to make social-realist films like Chicken and that it should concentrate on making bigger-budget movies funded by Hollywood studios.
Hesmondhalgh argues that cultural industries are a risky business and that the producers are not always guaranteed to get a good profit when compared to the actors. Social realist films are unlikely to attract a large audience because it's difficult for them to make money. Hollywood studios funding us would be a lot more efficient as more money would be generated and it would be much easier to produce films.

5) Finally, cover the other side of the debate. Write a paragraph arguing that it IS important for the British film industry to make social-realist films like Chicken and that such films contribute strongly to the social and cultural influence of the industry. You may also consider how they should be funded here. Use the mark scheme to help you with this.
It is important for social realist films like Chicken to be produced by the British film industry as the more popularity it gains the more distributors and companies will be interested in and might even want to cooperate with British Industries as it would be evident that even films with low budgets can end up being really high quality. Social realism films offer a representation of misrepresented groups that you wouldn't usually see in these huge budget type of films. 

Film Industry index

1) British Film Industry factsheets #132 & #100
2) Chicken case study research 
3) Regulation - BBFC research and tasks

TV: Introduction to TV Drama

1) What is serial television drama? Write your own definition.
A serial television show which has an ongoing plot that unfolds throughout the season or series.

2) List five of the TV dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the factsheet. How has the genre evolved over time?
Doctor Who, The Avengers, Danger Man, The Sweeney and Minder over time. Many TV dramas use the feature of cold openings which is when the opening scene is shown before the title sequence which creates enigmas for the audience and draws them in. This is a beneficial technique to broadcasters as it episodes can be shown in any order, providing the audience with easy to follow narratives

3) List the sub-genres of TV drama featured in the factsheet. Come up with your own example of an existing TV dramas to fit each category.
Medical: Holby City 
Police: Luther
Period: Eastenders
Sci-fi: Doctor Who
Family: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Teen: Sex in the city

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?
Most dramas are defined by their location and iconography (mise-en-scene) is vital when communicating the sub-genre and narrative expectations to the audience

5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!)
Most TV dramas have a large ensemble cast and these characters are usually stereotypical, communicating a lot to the audience. They are often recognisable and easy to relate to which gives audiences the pleasure of identification and an ongoing relationship.

6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.
Most TV dramas have multi strand narratives which tell a range of interconnected storylines sometimes through different characters. An example of a show with a multi-strand narrative is Eastenders.

7) What is a cold opening?
A cold opening is operating in a touch, commercial environment and drama producers need to maintain their audience with each episode. They put a teaser at the beginning of an episode to hook the audience in, maintaining their audience with each episode. This generates enigma or intrigue.

0 8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?
The theory of equilibrium can be applied to TV drama serials because after each episode the equilibirium is restored to what it was before. There is always a disequilibrium to keep the audience engaged, having something new and unexpected to look forward to. 

9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?
In the USA the commercial networks schedule most of their dramas in blocks of 24 episodes which effectively spans the whole calendar year. In order to accommodate many commercial breaks the running time of a network drama is around 42 minutes, presenting easy to follow narratives that can weather frequent interruptions. 

10) How have subscription channels (such as HBO) and streaming services (such as Netflix and Amazon Prime) changed the form and content of TV dramas?
Streaming services like Netflix allow you to have access to the full episode list for shows therefore if you want to watch a TV Drama you can watch from any episode as most likely it'll be multi-strand with  a new plot within each episode providing an easy to follow narrative. In the UK serial dramas fill one hour with some dramas commissioned to span a two hour slot. Drama serials on subscription channels (e.g. HBO, AMC and

11) Choose a TV drama and do your own analysis of it using the SETTING / CHARACTERS / NARRATIVE / FORM headings as featured on page 3 of the factsheet.
Stranger things

Setting
 Stranger Things is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana during the early 1980s.

Characters
Stranger Things features 5 main characters who go by the names: Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven. They are all fleshed out characters that you get to know better and better as you continue to watch the series. Each character also has their own mini story set in a certain episode or in Will's case he is the source of the main narrative in season 1.

Narrative
Stranger Things is a TV Drama on Netflix that is set in a fictional town in America in the early 1980s. The main plot is based around a young boy that suddenly goes missing one night after leaving his friends house after playing a board game. This strange event then happens again as another person goes missing. Afterwards an unusual girl turns up wielding supernatural powers and multiple dimensions are also brought into the story line. The boys looking for their missing friend be-friend the unusual girl and team up to try and find the missing friend whilst trying to evade the Government and find out their secrets to find a hint as to what has been occurring in their town.

Form
Distributor: Netflix 
Running time: 42-62 minutes
Production company(s) 21 Laps entertainment Monkey Massacre

12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future?
The way that TV dramas are going to survive is to increase its promotion with a better distributor that receives large scaled audiences as television is beginning to move away from smaller content because of domestic audiences. TV drama is filling the void vacated by the mid-budget movies.

Film regulation and the BBFC - Blog task

1) Research the BBFC in more detail: what is the institution responsible for? How is it funded? What link does it have to government?
The BBFC is responsible for classifying films ang giving them their age ratings. The BBFC is an independent, non-governmental body funded through chagred fees meaning film distributors have to pay a fee to have their films rated.

2) Read this BBFC guide to how films are rated. Summarise the process in 50 words.
BBFC's decisions are reached by an consensus involving the Chief Exec, President and two Vice Presidents taking the final responsibility. Solo viewing is used when viewing the DVD's and films for for cinema release are classified by teams of two and extreme content is seen by teams and more often than not by multiple teams. The main thing they search for is sexual scenes, violence and bad language as they are the main areas which films ratings are determined.
3) Read this BBFC outline of the issues faced when classifying a film. Summarise the debate in 50 words.
An issue faced was that some material is in conflict with the law or been created through the commission of a criminal offence, therefore there may be persecutions if released. the second problem is that the context in which an issue is presented is central to the question of its acceptability and this is extremely important depending on who is viewing as young children viewing it is not acceptable as it wil be too inappropriate. Another issue is suppressing pro-social attitudes and encouraging anti-social attitudes and reinforcing unhealthy fantasies especially regarding Children.
4) Read this BBFC section on controversial decisions. Why did The Dark Knight generate a large amount of media coverage regarding its certificate? Do you agree with the 12A certificate The Dark Knight was awarded?
Batman The Dark Knight received a lot of media coverage because consumers were concerned with the huge amount of violence in the film and it can be argued that the age rating should've been higher than 12A because of the strong violence which isn't appropriate for 12 year olds as they shouldn't be exposed to this. This would result in the media getting a lot of backlash for promoting violence to such a young age.
5) What are the guidelines for a 15 certificate?
The guidelines for a 15 certificate is that violent behaviour shouldn't dwell on detail which can be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable depends on factors such as realism, context and setting. This can be emphasised with sex as it states sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail.
6) The BBFC website offers an explanation of every classification it makes and detailed case studies on selected titles. Look at the rating for Chicken and explain why it was given a 15 certificate.
Chicken was given a 15 which I think is correct as there is strong violence and strong language throughout the whole film. The scene where Poly is beating up Richard is very detailed and would not be acceptable for any age under 15 and so I feel like 15 is the correct rating as there is violence and string language quite a lot.