Deutschland 83: case study

Work through the following tasks to build a detailed case study for Deutschland 83. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question. Remember, for this CSP the question could be on any of the key concepts: language, industries, audiences or representations.

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.

Yet by the time the last episode was shown in Germany last December, it had shed half its starting audience, with only 1.72m viewers. Not quite “the flop of the year”, as Bild called it, but underwhelming nonetheless. Successfully it employed by This Is England, the Wingers are developing a sequel set in 86, followed by a conclusive series in 89, when the Wall came down.

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

The second Guardian article suggests the Germans didn’t like the show because they said that it makes the audiences to engage with socialist regime’s worldview, where a military exercise in West Germany poses a potential threat. It also backtracks into stereotypes that Stasi officers are cruel ideologues who blackmail families and fake reports for political ends.

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?

“Loved it, and was amazed to find out how much was historically accurate.“

“Entertaining enough, with a nice touch of dark humour, but a bit silly and incoherent in terms of the plot.”

“The headline comment about "pity the Germans don't really like it" is a bit odd, given that it launched with 7 million viewers in Germany (as I understood).“

I acknowledged that the historical context was important because it highlighted the division between East and West Germany and reinforced the broader tensions of the Cold War. The series also conveyed how the West appeared to hold a significant advantage, particularly evident in the first episode when Martin enters a supermarket. Deutschland 83 was engaging not only for its dark humour but also for the suspenseful spy action woven throughout. However, the show’s portrayal of this sensitive period may have been uncomfortable for some Germans, while others might have appreciated its reflection of the realities their country faced at the time.

Promotional interview

Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay

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

Jonas Nay said that he had limited knowledge of the Cold War and lack of experience but he said that he thinks there’s no East or West Germany and that he can say whatever he wants.

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!)

This shows how the PSB is targeting more on the mainstream audience rather than a niche audience that just focuses on German audience. This is reinforce with the idea of English sub titles allowing international audiences to understand the narrative and context.

3) Interviewer Matt Frei asks about the current political situation in Germany. Why might this interest the a Channel 4 audience?
Because it highlights the cultural connection, allowing audiences to get a more in depth information and understand about the history as well as German related content.

Textual analysis: Audience pleasures and representations

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

Type up your analysis from the lesson using the headings below. You may want to watch the key scenes again and develop your notes in further detail - the more specific and memorable your analysis, the better it will serve you when writing an essay on TV drama. Here's a Google doc we have worked on in past Media lessons on this topic - feel free to use these notes alongside your own. You'll need to use your Greenford Google login to access this.

Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany)

4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20

Make notes under the following headings:

• Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene

• Several shots in the East German party of key characters shot over-the-shoulder or through other guests. Emphasises family and friends present and welcoming atmosphere. 

• Huge contrast in mise-en-scene between East and West - two houses.

• setting can be seen as relatable which creates a sense of personal identity

• Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender

• Western family (Edel family) is shown to be dysfunctional and unhappy. The BBQ scene feels awkward and forced. 

• Strong contrast in the East German party scene with close family, friends enjoying themselves, relaxed atmosphere.

Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket 

14.30 – 20.25

Make notes under the following headings:

• Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene

• Mise-en-scene - use of colour and costume. Iconic Puma logo red T-shirt as a colourful contrast to the dull East. 

• Supermarket shelves full of colour and stacked high. Almost an example of postmodern art and designed to emphasise the difference between East and West.

• Audio codes – particularly music

• Music - Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These. Diegetic sound but full of meaning to convey Martin’s first experience of the West. 

• Dialogue on bench - emphasises the positives about the East and the dangers of the West. BUT this scene overall seems to present the West and capitalism in a more positive light.

• Representation of East & West Germany / Communism & Capitalism / Historical accuracy

• Shot of two policemen eating ice creams is symbolic of the difference between East and West. 

• Several shots emphasise representation of East and West - close-up of chandelier, wide shot of luxurious bedroom etc.

• Audience pleasures

• Historical reality - Blumler & Katz U&G theory - surveillance. Danger of WW3, reference to Pershing II missiles. Key elements of D83 based on historical fact. 

• Music - 1980s references - nostalgia. Faithful reconstruction of Germany in the

Scene 3: Training montage scene when Martin/Moritz learns how to be a spy

20.40 – 22.40

Make notes under the following headings:

• Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing

• Fast-paced editing including jump cuts, typical of montage sequence. 

• Split screen / editing / graphics used to emphasise difference between East and West.

• Audio codes

• Music and SFX: Non-diegetic sound adds pace to the sequence.

• Dialogue/voiceover - covers a lot of narrative.

• Audience pleasures
• East v West - split screen emphasises the brands that are available in the West but not in the East. Also for fruit empty space showed what wasn’t available in the East.
• Intertextuality

• Intertextuality - similar to a Bond sequence (particularly with the gadgets)

• German audience - nostalgia in terms of products and brands. 

• International audience - surveillance (U&G theory) - learning about Germany, 80s gadgets etc.

Scene 4: Briefcase scene when Martin/Moritz is stealing the NATO nuclear plans

31.13 – 33.30

Make notes under the following headings:

• Technical codes – particularly camerawork and editing

• Close-ups of Martin while picking lock and photographing the documents.

• Close-ups of the documents themselves - words like highly classified, actual details of the missiles and Ronald Reagan’s signature. These are recreations of real documents from the time - emphasising the historical aspect of the show and the way it is based on real events; positions audience to be on Martin’s side.

• Audio codes – diegetic and non-diegetic sound

• Non-diegetic sound - music helps convey the tension of the scene and satisfy genre expectations of spy thriller.

• Diegetic sound - deliberately increased volume of Martin’s breathing, lock picking, turning pages in briefcase. Creates intensity, tension.

• Audience pleasures

• Action and enigma codes - audience think Martin will be caught at any moment. U&G theory - diversion. Visceral pleasure - scene is tense for audience to watch, adrenaline.

• Voyeuristic pleasure - seeing a scene or activity we wouldn’t normally have a chance to see.

You will do the majority of this textual analysis work in class - this section of your case study simply requires typing up your notes in an easy and memorable way (bullet points are fine).

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? 

UFA Fiction is a German production company. They have produced shows like Deutschland 83,Ku’damm 56 and Charité 

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

Fremantle is a global production and distribution company and they produce entertainment and drama products.

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

It reflects international TV because it was produced in Germany, distributed globally and broadcasted in multiple countries which displays how modern television is a global industry.

Walter Presents

Watch this Channel 4 trailer for their Walter Presents international drama 

Walter Presents

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

1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?

Walter is introduced as a tastemaker who brings diversion to British audiences.

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

Channel 4 is targeting a culturally aware, global-minded audience who want quality international drama with the sense of audience pleasures such as diversion, surveillance, not just British or American shows.

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

Walter Presents reflects the digital age by offering on-demand, global, subtitled content, showing how TV has become more international, flexible, and audience based which allows audiences to feel more engaged because they are being targeted better.

Marketing and promotion

Trailer

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

Personal identity -The protagonist has to change himself to become a spy and some people may relate to the feeling of having a hidden identity.

Diversion-The show creates enigma and action codes which would keep audiences engaged meaning they can forget about real life situations going on around them and just focus on the show.

Surveillance-The show is seen as educational due to the audience being able to learn German, learn how to become sneaky and unknown, how to have a hidden identity, Berlin war, cold war and most historical contexts

2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
The trailer uses enigma and action codes through camerawork because it creates suspense. Suspence keeps audiences engaged because it creates a sense of thriller and entertainment.

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 combined true events, personal inspiration and fictional storytelling to create drama that is authentic and entertaining.

2) Anna Winger discusses the use of music. Why might the soundtrack attract an audience?

Soundtracks can link to a sense of being iconic, having a cultural connection and a sense of building atmosphere.


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?

1.49 million viewers for the launch episode

increased to 2.5 million viewers after catch up view 

previous record was 2.2 million views - considered successful because it broke previous records and it was seen as the most watched foreign language drama episode since 2002

2) How does the press release describe Deutschland 83?

The press described it as a 'stylish and pacy' drama with a coming of age story

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?

The tagline 'a gripping cold war thriller' clearly signals the spy/thriller subgenre which creates enigma and action codes.. The main image displays the protagonist using listening equipment which could connote the secret missions he does and a sense of surveillance. His facial expressions display him looking alert and feeling tense which also creates more enigma and action codes.

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

First image:

Bland, dull colours which links to a historical authentic atmosphere

Bold yellow font stands out from the whole image which displays its importance and power

The background displays cold war imagery which creates surveillance as well a sense of reinforcing realism

Main character is the centre image 

Second image:

Bright neon colours which appeal to the human eye from far away which is a good marketing strategy because people get appealed by bold colours 

Stylish graphics make the poster seem exiting and dramatic which creates enigma codes before people even see it

The font is large and bold which can be seen from afar

The slogan of 'under the gun' emphasises action and danger (enigma code)

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

Everyone has different preferences, the UK and US have many cultural differences, helps with maximising audience appeal and profits