Annya's A-Level Media Blog // Mr Halsey

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas Read this  Independent feature on foreign-language dramas . It features an in-depth interview with Walter Iuzzolino who curates Channel 4's Walter Presents programming. Answer the questions below: 1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media? ' foreign-language dramas aren't even on-trend, they're fully mainstream. ' 2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows? "Truthfully, I think it's simply down to the material," says Iuzzolino. "What filtered in before was mostly for a small, dedicated community of people who loved their intellectually complex cinema. Now we see shows that are populist and successful; we're tasting what people like us love in other countries, not something niche. Plus there was the advent of the 'box-set binge' as Netflix an...

1) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)? 'The characters Bruno and Borat have more ‘reality’ for film audiences than their creator Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen’s films rely on the fact that the characters he creates are seen as ‘real’ people and he is able to get away with saying and doing things that a ‘real’ person could not. Cohen is only ever interviewed ‘in character’ so his creations have a voice but he does not.' 2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to  Deutschland 83 ? 3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'? 'The modern rise of celebrities launched through reality television programmes such as Big Brother can be seen as the culture celebrating style over substance. Many celebrities a...

Reviews and features Read the following reviews and features on  Deutschland 83 : The Guardian - Your next box set: Deutschland 83 Daily Telegraph review The Guardian - Deutschland 83 Pity the Germans don't like it 1) What positive aspects of  Deutschland 83  are highlighted in the reviews? The period drama included a  lot of 80's culture that was very well received by the British viewers. For exampl, the music was very nostalgic, the costumes and the props (the walkman). 2) What criticisms are made of 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 . Yet as if to make up for such a radical premise, it then backtracks into stereotype...

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 Music: 80's, nostalgic, audience has personal relationships with the songs, upbeat Music: changes, very intense- audio codes correlating with the surrounding Mise-en-scene is very similar, capitalists are less modest, less fun Representation of East & West Germany / Family / Gender soldier is widely respected family life is stressful, fake happy Less female tension More male tension 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 Lighting is low, dark imagery Wide shots in each setting he enters Culture shock Branded clothes Audio codes – particularly music Ominous music in the bedroom/opening scene Creates curiosity 80's pop music creates nosta...