TV: Industry contexts

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas

Read this Independent feature on foreign-language dramas. If the website is blocked or forcing you to register you can access the text of the article here. 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?

 "Fifteen years ago, if you'd mentioned to a colleague that you'd spent Saturday night glued to a subtitled European drama, you'd have been quietly declared pretentious, dull and, possibly, a little odd. Skip to today and foreign-language dramas aren't even on-trend, they're fully mainstream. Now we are as likely to discuss the latest Danish thriller over a morning flat white at our desks as we are a new season on HBO."

2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows?

He think it's simply down to the material. What filtered in before was mostly for a small, dedicated community of people who loved their intellectually complex cinema.

3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest?

 When having subtiles on you have to always be paying attention to understand whats happening in the show to know whats going on and what they are saying.

4) What are the other audiences pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article?

Diversion escapism surveillance.

Film School Rejects: The foreign TV dramas you're missing out on

Now read this Film School Rejects feature on the foreign TV dramas you're missing out on. This contains some particularly useful background on Deutschland 83's reception internationally. If the website is blocked, you can access the article text here. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article tell us about Deutschland 83's release schedule?

 

Premiering on AMC Network’s Sundance TV in June 2015, the show was the first German-language TV series to premiere on a US network. The fact Germany’s commercial RTL channel received Deutschland ’83 five months after the US both signifies the series’ global appeal as well as foreshadows where the German crime thriller was (and is) to find its audience.

2) The article contains important statistics on viewing figures in different countries. What were the German viewing figures for the first and last episode? What were Channel's 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83?

 

Whilst Deutschland ’83 received significantly fewer viewers in the US than Germany, with its US
premiere garnering 0.066 million viewers compared to Germany’s 3.19 million, the series proved
more successful in the US than its homeland. Channel 4 saw viewing figures reach a peak of
2.13 million viewers in a prime time TV slot, earning it the title of the UK’s highest-rated foreign
drama. Like in the US, its success brought impressive reviews. 

3) Who are the two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 and what did they announce in October? 

 

SundanceTV and FremantleMedia finally announced in October that there will be a second series of Deutschland 83 (called Deutschland 86, more likely than not followed by the pivotal year of 89).
 

4) How does Walter Iuzzolino use social media to engage audiences in new international TV dramas? How does he suggest this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK?

By promoting it using his own terms and promoting it to the most popular counttries which likes foreign dramas the most he said uk products are reglated to the elite and art house

The Guardian: How tech is changing television

Read this Guardian feature on how tech is changing television. This has some particularly useful aspects from an industry perspective - how TV is made, the different formats of TV drama and more. Answer the following questions:

1) How have streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime changed the way TV drama narratives are constructed?

 

Other streaming networks, including Amazon, are also working on “choose your own adventure” shows. Such developments remain at the far edge of thinking, but are merely an example of how radically digital technology is changing storytelling.

2) Why has the rise in streaming led to more complex storylines and an increase in cliffhangers?

 

The audience is more younger and likes the thrill and will come back if there is another season coming out. 

3) How have the "economics of production" kept TV drama largely sticking to the 45- or 60-minute episode format?

 

In order to maximise the use of time, and minimise the cost of actors and crew, while part of a drama is filming, another team is prepping the next section. So, while a streamed drama theoretically need not be divided at all, it still makes logistical and financial sense to hire on episode basis.

4) How has "permanent 24/7 connectivity" changed both the production and consumption of TV drama?

Permanent 24/7 connectivity has radically altered viewer responses. Live-tweeting by audiences has usefully democratised criticism, but the downside of this new media interaction has been in giving the old media a stick with which to beat broadcasters.

Media Magazine: Netflix and the Cultural Industries 

Finally, go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on Netflix and the Cultural Industries (MM63 - page 45). Answer the following questions:

1) What does David Hesmondhalgh argue with regards to how the creative industries have changed since the 1980s?

 

 Digitisation has allowed the technology sector to compete directly with traditional media companies and Niche audiences are increasingly targeted.

2) What is technological convergence? 

 

Technological convergence is the digitisation of the media which means that every form of media can be accessed on computers.

3) How are technology companies challenging traditional broadcasters in the TV industry?

 

They distrubte through emails and text to challenge broadcasters. Netfilx which did postal service then along the years moved onto digital streaming

4) The global nature of modern television means producers are having to consider international audiences when creating content. What example from Netflix does the article use to explain this?

 

Global media behemoths like Netflix may foster intercultural understanding around the globe by creating and distributing content. They may introduce viewers to other cultures and promote empathy and understanding by showcasing a variety of tales and viewpoints from across the globe For example, take the monster in Stranger Things named the Demogorgon after a Dungeons & Dragons demon prince. To ensure that connection transcended language barriers Netflixs team dug into old D&D materials to nail down how various cultures translated Demogorgon in the mid-1970s.