Reviews and Features
1) What positive points does the review pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
The review mentions how the producers were able to fit so many representations into one street and how they show everything that’s wonderful but also everything that’s most terrible. However, it also criticises capital for being too stereotypical/simple when it comes to it’s characters as the characters traits are being over exaggerated (e.g the bankers wife, Arabela).
2) What references can you find in the reviews and feature to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?
In the review, it mentions that London “has cancer” which shows how capital, and the street focused on in the show, are a smaller model used to represent the whole of the nation and the troubles it is going through. This same idea is also referenced in the feature which says ‘Capital offers a microcosmic metaphor for London at large’.
Trailer Analysis
1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
The camerawork uses a range of shots including establishing shots to show the whole of London and then narrow it down to the street where we see people going about their lives.
2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
The trailer uses montage editing to cut between different narrative strands and introduce us to the individual main characters and give us an idea of their character type while also hinting at the issue by bringing in scenes such as where they spoke about the post cards, the man taking pictures and Arabella screaming at her husband. These scenes were carefully picked to create questions in the audiences mind and make them want to watch the show and find out what is going on.
1) What does the article suggest about the 'state of the nation' genre and how Capital is an example of this?
The article tells us that state of the nation dramas usually include multi strand narratives and aim to represent an entire country/nation at a specific time which is shown in capital as it shows the struggle of rising house prices after the 2008 banking crash.
2) What does the article suggest regarding the setting of Capital?
The article suggests that the setting shows how diverse London is and represents the different aspects of the UK demographic.
3) What are the major themes in Capital and what does the article suggest regarding the impact of money on communities?
The major theme in capital is money and how different people see it. Some people have no money and are impacted by it (parking officer) and people who have a lot of money but are impacted by getting less, despite it still being a large sum of money.
4) What different representations in Capital are discussed in the article?
Money/wealth- Roger
Immigrants- Ahmed and Quintana and the builders
Family- roger and his children/wife
Religion- Ahmed
5) What does the final section of the article suggest regarding genre and overall message of the drama?
In the final section, the article suggests how Capital is not only a state of the nation drama but it also has aspects of a crime drama as it uses the character who takes eerie photos and the words “We want what you have” which adds to the creepiness of the situation and makes it criminal. It also suggests that Capital aims to criticise capitalism as we see people with too much money and some people who are struggling just to survive.
1) What does the factsheet say about the characters on the first page?
The characters are used to represent the diversity of the demographic of London.
2) Focusing on the industrial contexts, how does Capital help the BBC meet its obligations as a public service broadcaster?
Capital is a form of entertainment and also represents British culture which aligns with their obligations to: inform, entertain and educate
3) What do we learn about the ownership structure for production company Kudos?
Kudos is owned by Endemol shine which is owned by Fox and Apollo
4) How can David Hesmondhalgh's ideas in The Cultural Industries be linked to Capital and Kudos?
5) How does the factsheet suggest Capital meets the genre conventions of crime and social realism?
Conventions of Crime Genre: Use of narrative enigmas, Restricted narrative, Resolution of a mystery, Question of morality, Debates around innocence and guilt, Verisimilitude - representations of ‘ordinary’ people in everyday life are recognisable to audience, Power struggles (within different divisions of police or within community), Teamwork and pleasures in successful resolutions, Corruption and betrayal often key theme within a narrative, Villainy is evident through the characteristics of various characters.
Conventions of Social Realism: Strive to represent regions of UK with authenticity, Narratives explore social issues (such as economic inequalities/immigration/Islamophobia), Triumph over adversity, Shooting on location to offer authenticity, Wide shots used to establish the location and setting as this is often key to understanding the narrative and themes, Humour and seriousness intertwined in a narrative.
6) How does the factsheet analyse the DVD packaging and what this communicates to the audience?
The images used are the same across all forms of advertisement for the show which creates familiarity for the consumer. It also shows other Kudos productions which audiences may be familiar with and displays the main characters which could also attract audiences who feel this movie will relate by looking at the characters.
7) Look at page 5 of the factsheet. Choose one of the audience theories in the table and apply it to Capital.
Uses and gratifications: People may watch Capital as it brings a sense of familiarity to them and makes them feel like they can relate to the characters who are experiencing all the struggle of London life.
8) What does the factsheet suggest regarding binary oppositions in Capital?
The multi strand narrative is used to highlight the inequality and binary opposition of upper middle/lower class who are experiencing troubles which are completely different to each other.
1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in the lesson:
Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49
Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10
Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35
Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40
Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00
Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55
You can choose which aspects to focus on for each scene: e.g. London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, aging etc. Feel free to use bullet points for each scene - a summary of your notes is fine.
1:
London: overpriced housing, diversity, community
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion: Usman= extremely religious, conventional representation of British life
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth): house prices, gentrification
Issues (immigration, asylum,age):lonely elderly population
2:
London:drone shot to show wealthy city, fast paced editing resembling fast paced life in London, train shows close up of Roger being squeezed between people in busy underground
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion: Lack of women in finance, white men are the one making important decisions/the bosses
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth):bankers overlooking London(capitalism has power in London),insanely high bonuses(inequality)
Issues (immigration, asylum,age):immigration- boss is German
3:
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion: traditional gender roles
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth):1m doesn't cover a lot these days - too much money to some people inequality is shown,
4:
London:
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion: black female lawyer shows diversity and subverts stereotypical idea of lawyers,Quentina being exploited
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth): works overtime for only £300,quentina shown positively despite braking the law by making us feel sympathy for her
Issues (immigration, asylum,age): Quentin's life is dangerous which is shown using handheld cameras in er scenes
5:
London:recurring city motif through drone shots o London,Time lapse of Roger crashing out after he got his bonus
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion:Arabella casually says something racist
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth):"what use is 30 grand" "not fair"
Issues (immigration, asylum,age):
6:
London: shop owner doesn't know Arabella which shows she's never had to go to a corner shop because she's so wealthy
Family/gender/ethnicity/religion:eating dinner together =mclose knit family, asian stereotype of having mother check in on Skype call,
Issues (capitalism, work,inequality,wealth):Kamal family close together where as Rogers family never eat together and very disconnected
Issues (immigration, asylum,age):
2) How does Capital use stereotypes? Do the characters and issues represented in Capital reinforce or subvert the stereotypes we typically see in the media?
Capital mainly reinforces stereotypes through the use of Eastern European builders, white men in charge and minorities struggling however it does sometimes subtly subvert stereotypes such as by using a black female actor to be a lawyer.
1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.
Kudos is owned by Endemol shine which is owned by Fox and Apollo
They've produced for:BBC,ITV and Channel 4. Produced other shows such as Hinterland, the tunnel and Spooks. They've received a BAFTA award.
Capital is a form of entertainment and also represents British culture which aligns with their obligations to: inform, entertain and educate
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