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Blog task: Deutschland 83 Close-textual analysis

Scene 1: Garden/BBQ scenes (East & West Germany) 4.58 – 8.20 and 34.00 – 37.20 Technical codes – particularly mise-en-scene- Formal costumes in West Germany. In east Germany they are wearing comfortable clothing/more casual. Audio codes- there was a sense of togetherness in the first scene/family because of the singing. The music in east Germany creates a warm/positive atmosphere- they are having fun. Whereas the music in the west is ominous/almost dangerous.  The camera moves around Martin in the west, which emphasises that he is in 'danger' as he is surrounded by his 'enemies'. Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender East- less formal- happy family (together/fun) East- reinforces stereotype of working class people- they know how to have fun. West- more formal-issues/separate. West- male dominance- Yvonne. Scene 2: Martin/Moritz first sees the West German supermarket  14.30 – 20.25 Technical codes – p...

Deutschland 83: case study blog tasks

Reviews and features 1) Positive aspects: The Guardian - Your next box set: Deutschland 83 - "a funky exercise in pop nostalgia underpinned by actual events", "Martin is superbly played by Jonas Nay , a boyish 25-year-old with an interesting scar above his left eye (following a car accident) that renders him a strikingly singular leading man." Daily Telegraph review - The review is titled  'gripping', the setting "was extremely well done", The Guardian - Deutschland 83 Pity the Germans don't like it - "cold war TV drama Deutschland 83, which premiered at last year’s festival, has gone on to become an international success story, with rave reviews, bloggers celebrating its fashion and soundtrack, and impressive viewing figures" 2) Criticisms: The Guardian - Your next box set: Deutschland 83 - Daily Telegraph review -"occasionally lack drama but it's rich in period detail" The Guardian - Deutschland 83 Pit...

Marxism & hegemony: blog tasks

Mail Online review of Capital 1)   The review of Capital suggests that it  features a left-wing ideology  because it shows how the hardest worker on the street was an illegal immigrant. This shows Capitalism-hard work and shows a positive view of immigrants, therefore makes the audience feel sympathetic towards them. They also mention other people like a  Muslim  man and a crusading lawyer. 2) 3  quotes  that are particularly critical of Capital are: "Capital started with an intriguing idea....'We want what you have'..But that concept went nowhere." - I agree to a large extent with this view because the idea started off by luring the audience in, especially with the postcards, however there was no feeling of finality or resolution by the end, so the plot was lost. "The last 20 minutes contained no plot" - I agree to a large extent with this quote because the ending was just a waste of time and there was nothing going on that related to the narr...

Applying Marxism: blog task (factsheet 66)

1) Marxism suggests that power was held by the minority (the elite or bourgeoisies) who had access to capital and could use their money and power to generate more wealth. Marxists tend to emphasize the role of the mass media in maintaining the status quo, suggesting power is concentrated in the hands of a narrow life.  2) The Apprentice is a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies because it is a programme which is a prolonged job interview where contestants compete against each other to be chosen for a job working for the entrepreneur Lord Sugar. This reinforces capitalist values and ideologies because Lord Sugar has all the power so this reinforces the 'superior' position of the  capitalist elite.  He has power as he has used the system to create wealth and he shown using this power to provide a livelihood for the winner of the competition. All the contestants are reliant on him for their survival of the show. The prize for the...

Capital: case study blog tasks

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Reviews and features 1) Positive points about Capital The Guardian- London life is portrayed brilliantly. The Telegraph- Shows eternal London, riven by inequality and quickened by diversity.  The Evening Standard- The cast is excellent, and has a gripping storyline. The Telegraph- ... 2) Criticism of  TV drama  or  original novel The Telegraph-  " Yet it was a disappointment. This was no Dickensian bird’s-eye view, but an overly schematic tangle of under-developed plotlines populated by underwritten characters." The Evening Standard -"Yes, the series explores how London’s economy affects us all, which sounds a bit dull" The Telegraph -"Yet the fact that this TV adaptation is able to tell much the same story in the present day as the novel did set, as it was, in 2008, suggests no one has listened to a word he said ." 3) The book was set in 2007-8 either side of the financial crisis but the TV drama updates it to 2015 and changes the locat...

Film Industry assessment learner response

1) WWW: Good knowledge shown of the industry and the CSP. In Q3, you addresses both sides of the argument in some detail and clearly engage with the media debate. EBI:  Keep an eye on written English: you almost write yourself out of the second mark in Q1. Q2 needed a little more specific reference to the Chicken CSP. Q3 needs to be a little more sophisticated for A/A*. It's not so much appealing to niche audience shouldn't be made- more a question of how they should be funded.   2) Q1: 2/2 Q2: 3/4 Q3: 7/9 3) Q2:  Strategy: Traditional marketing (posters etc) 4)  Q3: AGAINST SOCIAL REALIST FILMS! However, social realist films, such as Chicken shouldn't be made as it can be argued that niche films don't make as much revenue. As Hesmondhalgh discusses, the cultural industries are a 'risky business' and producers have no guarantee of profit. It is unreasonable to make studios to produce small social-realist films that are unlikely to attract ...