TV: Deutschland 83 Case Study

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 reviews.

• 'Positive aspect- Deutschland 83's first episode of eight was the most watched foreign language drama in UK history'. Described as a 'funky exercise in pop nostalgia underpinned by actual events'.
• Criticism- 'Yet by the time the last episode was shown in Germany last December, it had shed half it's starting audience'.

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

'By focusing the story around Martin Rauch, a young East German border guard going undercover in the west, it doesn’t just make the viewer empathise with a Stasi agent on a human level – in the way The Lives of Others did – 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?

One on the commentators felt proud initially then found out this German show was written by Americans.

'German series often suffer from poor production value and screenplays are either obsessed with complexity or dull and boring' The audience can be seen to be unimpressed with the poor production value of the show.

Interviews and behind-the-scenes video features

Channel 4 News: Matt Frei interviews Jonas Nay



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

Jonas Nay says that the cold war certainly a topic in history in school but the second world war was more focused on. He also points out that there isn't a West or East Germany today and would've preferred to live in West Germany in 1983 as here there was more freedom and mobility whereas in the East, people were constrained and 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!) "Channel 4 is a publicly-owned and commercially-funded UK public service broadcaster, with a statutory remit to deliver high-quality, innovative, alternative content that challenges the status quo". The fact that the Channel 4 News interview is conducted in German suggests that their target audience is quite large and is aimed to reach audiences worldwide.

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


To reinforce this notion of reaching a wider audience. Also, Channel 4 functions to stimulate public debate on contemporary issues with Germany's current political landscape.

Behind the scenes clips

Making Of: Why Should You Watch Deutschland 83
Watch this short promotional clip for Deutschland 83.

1) According to the clip, why should audiences watch Deutschland 83?

Anna Le Vine Winger (creator and lead writer), quotes- 'Because it is fun, because it is super interesting, because there are great performances, because it is a trip, it's an adventure, and there are a lot of surprises... and it's a journey and you want to go on the journey with these people'.

2) Why is history an important aspect of the appeal of the show?
As it is really important to examine this topic again for young people today. Also, the East- West relationship and the cold war have not been topics until now and they affected us directly and so it is interesting to see this bit of history on screen as Ulrich Noethen states.
3) What technical aspects are highlighted in the video?
 'The cinematography,the costume and the production design are striking. It uses a style that we know from some "event movies". I'd say our mother and fathers paved the way for us'-Jorg Winger (producer)

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?

Lange states that 'we create the movie sets and individual motifs and decors, from the location idea through to the development phase and realisation'. It needed to convey the tone of the show and be used to depict similar places in East and West Germany being utterly different.

2) How historically accurate was the setting, costume and props?

Lange read the screenplay, then looked at images for perspectives. The setting, costume and props were very historically accurate and there was a lot of research done in preparation about the different cars, computers, building designs and colour schemes that we used in 1983.

3) Why were the props, costumes and music such a key audience pleasure for Deutschland 83?


As it reflected the history which plays an enormous part throughout the series and really sets the tone and atmosphere for the series. Without the costumes and props, it wouldn't feel real and the audience may not gain a sense of personal identity/ relationships if no costumes/ props were used. The music also just puts the audience into that time period so we get an accurate representation of what life was like during 1983.

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. Remember, you can watch the episode for free on the All 4 website or on Amazon Prime.

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
• Setting used to show difference between East and West Germany
• TV in scene in East showing concert from Budapest (in East)
• Prop- Nescafé coffee demonstrates what is not available in the East BUT, also shows that you don't need these big brands to be happy as the people in the East prove
• Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender
• Individual v Community- West v East
• Contrast in atmosphere 
• Fetishisation of Eastern/ Working class life 
• Left v Right

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- supermarket colour
• House in the West- chandelier, oak panels- connotations of wealth
• Supermarket shelves- very organised, fresh food (how historically accurate is it?)
• Intertextual reference to pop art- Andy Warhol painting.
• Audio codes – particularly music
• Dialogue- on bench
• Music- "Sweet Dreams" (Diagetic use of the Eurythmics' 'Sweet dreams' helps to bring Martin's experience in the West to life).
• Representation of East & West Germany / Communism & Capitalism / 
• East and West- colour difference 
• Hegemony- Tobias- even though he talks about his sacrifices, a dominant ideology is being reinforced 
• Historical accuracy
• Audience pleasures
• Music- 'Sweet dreams'- NOSTALGIA
• PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS- When Martin runs, we want him to be free.

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
• Split screen- designed to create the two different representation of East and West
• Graphics/ brand names- 80s 
• Montage sequence 
• Narrative development
• Audio codes
• Dialogue/ voiceover
• music 
• Audience pleasures
• difference between East and West 
• West- Americanised
• Intertextuality
• Bond movie, the gadgets create excitement

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 real documents 
• Ronald Reagan's signature makes it feel real 
• Audio codes – diegetic and non-diegetic sound
• Sound effects- exaggerated 
• Audience pleasures
• Diversion- enigma/ action codes (Barthes)
• Surveillance- real docs- events (photo of the machine)

Production and industry contexts

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 teh world.

1) What kind of company is UFA Fiction and what shows have they produced? 
 UFA Fiction is a German company founded in August 2013 for fiction film and television productions based in Potsdam-Babelsberg.

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

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


Walter Presents

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

1) How does Channel 4 introduce 'Walter'?#

As a man 'who has dedicated

 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).

Personal Identity- Many Germans feel as if they see themselves reflected in the drama

Personal Relationships- Personal Relationships are key in TV Series as the audience must care and emotionally connect with the characters in order to continue watching the rest of the series. 

Diversion- The sub- genre of spy/ thriller can be seen as something that audiences may want to watch in order to divert/ escape reality-East v West (the conflict and suspense) 

Surveillance- As Deutschland 83 is a Historical drama based on true events that took place in the past (Able Archer), audiences can gain some information/ knowledge from the series- the archives of real footage of the war and president speaking showcases the historical aspect. 

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

The fast paced montage of the undercover business taking place builds suspense and keeps audiences hooked to the trailer. 

The funky spy music also heightens the element of spy and thriller. 

3) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?

To reach a wider audience. Also because of the fact that one in the UK may not watch the drama as it is in German thus having the words spoken in English may attract more audience members in the UKPress pack

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?
 Through merging the historical aspect of the show and the psychological reality of the characters is what led it to success.

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

"Music was key to the story from the beginning. The top 100 songs of 1983 are still on the radio all the time! It was just an incredible year of pop culture and the songs really travelled, maybe because music videos started around that time as well, so there was a visual component for the very first time".

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 is 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.

2) How does the news release describe the drama?

"Set against the real events, culture wars and political realities of Germany in the 1980s, Deutschland 83 is a stylish coming of age story, framed within a suspenseful thriller".

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?

Although Deutschland 83 is a period/ costume drama with modern elements, a coming of age drama and also a historical drama, the UK DVD cover communicates the sub- genre. Firstly through the graffiti on the right hand side, us as audiences can assert that there are elements of the romance genre throughout the series which is implied through the cartoon man and woman kissing. We can also infer that there are elements of the spy and thriller genre in the drama due to the writing that says ' Under Cover' as well as the fact that Martin is holding a set of spy/ detective equipment. Also, as his eye line is facing towards the left side which appears to be more dull and confined, it goes to show that he may have a secret mission to complete. The clear divide of both sides of Martin's life is shown on the cover which also heightens the message of East v West.

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

The US cover uses a sort of pop art urban colour scheme to attract audiences. This gives it a more postmodern feel and also highlights the fact that the drama is a Historical drama (the rockets, tall buildings and Martin in professional attire) but with a modern sub genre. The bold colours and comic- like feel to the US Cover entices audiences to watch the drama as it can be seen as quite interesting, adventurous and also quite educational.3) Why might the distributors Freemantle Media International have used different marketing campaigns in different countries?