1) What positive aspects of Deutschland 83 are highlighted in the reviews?
Although there is quite a serious tone there is an element of comedy allowing the audience to feel more comfortable and enjoy themselves even more. For older audiences there is also a strong sense of nostalgia as many of the settings are recognisable for those who grew up around or during those times
2) What criticisms are made of the show?
There was slow pacing in the first episode, being very dependent on setting up the narrative and that the period drama in fact lacked the 'drama' and finally it wasn't as popular in Germany as the many Germans felt like most of the representations in the show were extremely negative which they clearly didn't appreciate.
3) Why did the Telegraph suggest that Deutschland 83 did the 'period' aspect of 'period drama' so well?
This is because they included real life clips of figures like Ronald Reagan, to be exact his Evil Empire speech which is very well showcased in the show as if it were happening all over again in real life
4) 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?
'Enjoyed this series. It was well written and gave a perspective on the DDR that is not commonplace'
I agree with this as I believe the show was very well written and gave a great perspective on the feuding in Germany during the cold war
'Deutschland 83 is a serious thriller driven by jeopardy of all-out nuclear kind'
I agree with this as if offers thrilling tones and great action and also bits of comedy making it enjoyable for everyone to watch
'It was great far-fetched fun, punctuated by some
jolting, very dark set-pieces. Nice 80s pop culture references and soundtrack
too.'
I agree with this as it sums up what the show basically is well for people who are wanting to get into it but don't know enough about it.
Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay
1) What does Jonas Nay say about growing up in a united Germany?
Jonas Nay explains that the fact that he grew up in a time when Germany was united he was able to have a positive outlook on it and see Germany as one and understands the value of freedom and believes if he was alive during the Cold War he would enjoy having to live in West Germany as he would have a lot of freedom and mobilitywhich he wouldn't get if he was to live in East Germany as people living there were constrained and always monitored.
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!)
Jonas Nay speaking in German with English subtitles is useful as it promotes different cultures to audiences showing their diversity and acceptance. Also, having this interview made this way makes it more cultural authentic.
3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the Channel 4 News audience?
The Channel 4 News audience will be interested in what Jonas Nay has to say as he is a pure German so to have insight from an actual German is a very good source of information to have and hearing somebody else state their view on their country is very beneficial to an audience from a different country who wouldn't be up to date with current affairs.
Behind the scenes clips
The All4 website has a range of clips from behind the scenes of Deutschland 83. Watch the following:
Making Of: Why Should You Watch Deutschland 83
Watch this short promotional clip for Deutschland 83.
1) Why should audiences watch Deutschland 83 - what does the clip offer viewers?
The clip mentions how it is fun and interesting and offers great performances that even make you feel like you're on a journey with these characters as well as all of the surprises. It is said that it is equally interesting for the older and younger audiences and how fact paced and action packed it is. It is also a good way for younger people to find out about the period Deutschland 83 is set on. Cinematography and the costume and production design is also said to be striking.
2) Why is history an important aspect of the appeal of the show?
The drama being based on historical events is very efficient as it is a great way for younger audiences to learn about Germany's past in a fun way making them more immersed and similarly older audiences will appeal to this as well as they may have gone through some of the events mentioned.
3) What technical aspects are highlighted in the video
The technical aspects Cinematography, Production design and costuming are highlighted in this video as the Deutschland 83 crew believed they successfully used all of these aspects to the best of their ability making the show even better for audiences.
Making Of: Set Design
Watch this interview with Production designer Lars Lange.
1) Why were the set design, costume and props so important for Deutschland 83?
These were all extremely crucial because Deutschland 83 is based on real historical events so they have to make everything as accurate as possible because there are people who have lived through this and will be fast to give out criticism on the show and for those who want to learn what happen you have to give the best/correct representation.
2) How historically accurate was the setting, costume and props?
Most of the show was very historically accurate like the characters and props however some of the settings were hard to make accurate because many of the locations were not revealed to the public back then and so it was hard for the producers to try and make out certain locations as they had to use little to no source of information or just use their imagination
3) Why were the props, costumes and music such a key audience pleasure for Deutschland 83?
This is because they offer the older audiences a strong sense of nostalgia as they will easily be able to recognise certain aspects as it's what they had lived through.
Textual analysis: trailer
1) The opening of the trailer uses sound and editing to draw the audience in. Explain why this is effective.
The 80's music will draw in older audiences as they may be able to recognise the music as they ma remember it from their past and and find a sense of nostalgia from it. Older audiences will also be attracted because of the use of Ronald Reagan speech which many people who were around to witness it in real life will easily recognise and want to find out where the show is going with this story-line. There are also a lot of action codes as we see Martin running fast and shots of fights which will draw in younger audiences.
2) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer? Think about Uses & Gratifications theory (Blumler and Katz).
There are a lot of action scenes being shown throughout the trailer which offers vicarious pleasures as audiences, especially younger audiences enjoy to see action scenes or just general use of things like explosions and weapons. Personal relationships can also be formed as we are following a single character through the trailer as he run, fights and tries to fulfil his goal. This is very useful as by drawing an audience in to a character before the show even airs will create a great word of mouth and more people will want to tune in when it finally releases.
3) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
There are many action and enigma codes which easily immerse audiences as we see the main character (Martin) running and fighting throughout the trailer which is great use of not only action codes but enigma too as the audience will be questioning what he is running from or to and why is he fighting so many people which is very effective as people will want to watch the show even more to get answers from these questions they have just from watching the trailer.
4) Pick three shots/scenes from the trailer that capture the spy thriller sub-genre. Why might this appeal to an audience? Try and apply Neale's genre theory 'repetition and difference' (the original notes on genre theory are here).
The shot at 21 seconds show Martin picking a lock conveying the fact that this is most definitely a spy drama and that he will have to undergo many complicated tasks.
At 24 seconds we see him opening a suitcase further showing that this is a spy drama as he has a shocked look on his face connoting that he found what he was looking for or something even worse, he also looks very nervous which could show that he is trying to be as stealthy as possible.
At 26 seconds we see Martin jumping off of a building at night time, from this I can infer that he went there on a secret mission to potentially get some information or something valuable and was maybe caught and has to get out as fast as possible or just needs to escape before someone arrives which is something used in many spy films like he James Bond films.
5) Pick three examples of mise-en-scene from the trailer that capture the 1983 setting the confirm the sub-genre of period drama. Why might this appeal to an audience?
At 12 seconds a soldier uniform is shown which captures the 1980's period as that is when the Cold War was occurring . This may appeal to an audience as older people may remember this time as they lived it and younger audiences will see it as a fun way to learn about the past
At 20 seconds we see a walkman being used which further shown the time period the show is set in as that is when they were most popular and will appeal to older audiences as they will have a sense of nostalgia.
At 34 seconds Ronald Reagan is shown, specifically when he was doing his notorious 'Evil Empire' speech which many older people will recognise and start to recall things from their past and want to watch this to gain a further insight of what happened.
6) The trailer uses the song 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Why did the producers select this soundtrack for the trailer?
This is because the song was released in the 1980s therefore it fits the time period extremely well, therefore certain viewers may feel nostalgic when hearing this music as they may have grown up to it.
7) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
I believe this is done in order to captivate audiences better as audiences from England will be less interested if they hear an entire trailer in a language they don't speak or understand, therefore having it in English a language that is understood very well around the world encourages people to watch it more and does't make them feel confused.
Production and industry context
Deutschland 83 was produced by German production company UFA Fiction and distributed internationally by FremantleMedia International. It was broadcast on RTL (Germany), SundanceTV (US) and Channel 4 (UK) as well as many other broadcasters around the world.`
1) Read this Freemantle Media press release on the worldwide success of Deutschland 83. How is the drama described by the distributor? Why was it considered such an international success?
The CEO of Fremantle Media International described the series as 'compelling' and claimed that 'it is set to captivate viewers around the world.'
2) Read this Freemantle Media press release on Deutschland 83 becoming Channel 4's highest rated foreign drama. What was the consolidated viewing figure for Episode 1 of Deutschland 83? What praise for Deutschland 83 is included in the press release?
The consolidated viewing figure for Episode 1 of Deutschland 83 was 2.5 million views.
3) How does the press release promote the Channel 4 'Walter Presents' collection of international TV drama?
Walter presents series will gain more interest and positive receptions as they enjoyed Deutschland 83 and will therefore be interested if other shows Walter talks on are on the same level as Deutschland 83.
Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama.
1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?
Channel 4 introduce him as a professional critic of international drama who is very serious of his work and highly respected for his work.
2) What audience are Channel 4 trying to appeal to with the 'Walter Presents' series?
I believe they are attempting to appeal to an audience who appreciate international dramas with serious themes and the trailer makes the audience feel like they are going to be witnessing one of the best dramas ever made even being selected by a professional critic.
3) How does the 'Walter Presents' series reflect the changing nature of television in the digital age?
It reflects the changing nature of television in the digital age as more and more dramas are becoming availabble online showing how institutions are becoming more reliant on digital media as it is the best way to gain a lot of success.
Marketing and promotion
Look at the online Channel 4 press pack for Deutschland 83.
1) Read the programme information from the press pack. How does the programme information seek to interest a reader from the first paragraph?
The programme info expresses how Deutschland 83 is based on real events and therefore those who were involved or aware during this time will be extremely interested to a modern day representation of it as it may offer a sense of nostalgia and those who aren't informed will be intrigued to find out what actually occurred.
2) What does the programme information suggest the main strengths of the programme are?
One strength is the background story of Martin and his ulterior motives for doing such risky assignments given to him by the high ranked East German intelligence officer as the audience are able to properly understand why Martin does what he does even though he has a sick mother to take care of.
3) Read the press pack interview with writer Anna Winger. How did she use the historical context and real-life events to create a successful drama?
She did research on the Cold Water to give her best representation for audiences making it as accurate as possible. She was also able to rely on her cast members as they gave out their memories from when they lived in that time.
4) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?
The type of music used in the show was a very important and memorable in 1983 and will now offer a strong sense of nostalgia.
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?
On the DVD Cover if you look at the wall they are two different sides one which communicates sort sort of secret agent/spy feel and the other as just living a normal life which could mean that the show has a spy sub-genre as he is shown to be living a double life. The fact that 83 is in the title tells the audience that the show will be based on past events as the 83 is a representation of the year it covers.
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the UK DVD cover. What does it communicate to the audience?
One of the props used in the DVD cover is a walkman which indicates that the show is set in the past as walkmans were extremely popular back in the 1980's and aren't really seen anywhere these days. The fact that he is wearing a shirt and tie connotes that he is a professional and takes his work seriously as he most probably has a job that requires a lot of hard work and dedication. The review at the bottom tells the audience that once you start watching you will be immediately immersed with the show because of its fantastic storyline and characters.
3) How does the American branding use font, colour and graphics to appeal to an audience?
The American Sundance TV advert uses extremely vibrant colours to attract more attention from audiences, especially the younger demographic as they will be more interested if the poster doesn't look dull/boring. A large font is used for the title which may be done so people can recognise it easily as if it was small people wouldn't be able to see the poster well if they were standing far away and caught a glimpse of it.
4) Why might the distributors Freemantle Media International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?
I believe this is done so they can appeal to different audiences as in every country the audience are into different things therefore you can't just repeat the same method as it wont gain more interest.
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