TV: Capital case study
Capital screening
You can watch all three episodes of Capital using our school's copy via Google Drive here. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access this.
Capital: Case study blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to build a detailed case study for Capital. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question. Remember, for this CSP the question could be on any of the key concepts: language, industries, audiences or representations.
Reviews and features
Read the following review and feature on Capital:
Guardian review by Sam Wollaston
London Evening Standard: five things you need to know about Capital
1) What positive points does the review pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
Positives:
-acting and characterisation
-atmosphere
-ensemble cast
-multi stranded narrative
Negatives:
-structure and pace
-plot is repetitive and boring
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?
House prices rise dramatically which is a relatable situation to most audiences because over the years inflation has risen drastically which would mean an increase in home prices and can overtime lead to an economic crisis.
1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
The drama uses camera work through medium shots that capture snapshots of each characters lives.Furthermore there is low angle shots when the letter comes through the letterbox which creates enigma and action codes.The camera angles also create binary oppositions through happiness and sadness.
2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
It creates tensions because of the characters lives.The use of an ensemble cast allows tensions due to a multi stranded narrative.Each characters in the trailer face a different problem with the notes and in the trailer it reveals the true colours of the characters.
Capital in Media Magazine
Issue 83 of Media Magazine has a feature exploring Capital as a media product. Read ‘We Want What You Have’ in MM83 (p10). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:
1) What does the article suggest about the 'state of the nation' genre and how Capital is an example of this?
State of the nation genre shows politics and social quality of society.The capital drama displays a state of the nation drama through the Banks crashing and house prises rising dramitically month by month.
2) What does the article suggest regarding the setting of Capital?
The article suggests that the setting of London is a known area
3) What are the major themes in Capital and what does the article suggest regarding the impact of money on communities?
A major theme of Capital is economic crisis because it displays how inflation places a burden on people in Capital as well as house prices rising.
4) What different representations in Capital are discussed in the article?
-Poor represented positively
-Rich is presented as greedy
-Banks are seen negatively due to failing
5) What does the final section of the article suggest regarding genre and overall message of the drama?
The genre shows a state of the nation drama which displays the underlying struggles Britian faces.
Capital Media Factsheet
Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login) to find Media Factsheet #194 on Capital (BBC TV Drama).
Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What does the factsheet say about the characters on the first page?
Characters are all represented diffrently wheather it is positive or negative.They create tensions and enigma and action codes due to true colours of characters.
2) Focusing on the industrial contexts, how does Capital help the BBC meet its obligations as a public service broadcaster?
It provides information and struggles faced in britain which provides the form of surveillance for audiences
3) What do we learn about the ownership structure for production company Kudos?
Its a subsidary for Endemol Shine UK
4) How can David Hesmondhalgh's ideas in The Cultural Industries be linked to Capital and Kudos?
Conglomerates tend to spread risk by buying other companies to increase profits and buy out their competitors.This also makes them opinion leaders and be seen as the only source of media.
Crime-resolution of a mystery,enigma and action codes,betral
Social realism-known and authentic locations
6) Look at page 5 of the factsheet. Choose one of the audience theories in the table and apply it to Capital.
Personal identity-ensemble cast
Personal relationships-Each character has their own narrative (multi stranded)
Diversion-Narrative is seen as intresting and relatable so people are more likely to be invested in capital and forget about real world struggles
Surveillance-educates people about real world struggles in britain
7) What does the factsheet suggest regarding binary oppositions in Capital?
Rich vs poor ,Old vs Young
Representations: close-textual analysis
Capital offers a range of fascinating representations - from London and asylum seekers to capitalism and inequality. You need to be able to confidently discuss these issues in the context of 2015 London - with reference to key scenes from episode 1. Representations include: London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
These are our notes from this year analysing the episode in class. There are also these notes from a previous year analysing the clips in case this is useful. Use this to help with this element of the case study. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document.
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
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
Place;London
-Known setting which is seen as authentic and realistic
-Sense of personal identity to people who live in london
-It is seen as a city that never sleeps which creates enigma codes
Family and gender:
-flashbacks to earlier days with old women and her beloved husband
-reinforced traditional gender stereotypes
-women are seen as the homemaker and the man is seen as the breadwinner
-a montage creates a sense of nostalgia
Ethnicity and religion:
-white middle class background
-pakistani family seen as shop keepers which reinforce traditional ethnic stereotypes
-cultural clash->taking down western magazines
Issues:
-wealth is at risk
-setting represents everyones wealth
-economic crisis such as house prices
Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10
Place:London
-compacted train shows the setting is seen as unplesant
-large office->creates sense of personal identity
-all screens contain the same work(everyone does the same thing)
-birdseye view of financial buildings
Family and gender
-men are seen to be business men and hold the role of being a breadwinner
-ian provides money for his family
-ian holds a picture of his two children in his office which shows his love for them
-professional sterotypes are subverted as ian starts dancing alone in his office
Ethnicity and religion
-white middle class background of working in the city
-traditional nuclear family
-boss is from germany
Issues
-high amounts of wealth
-working in banking and finance
-trains could connote lack of transport due to over crowding
Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35
Place:London
-inside a master bedroom which creates a sense of personal identity
-picture of house being taken->stalker
-binary oppositions between mc house and wc house
Family and gender
-gender stereotypes reinforced such as breadwinner and homemaker
-wife could be seen as a gold digger
-traditional nuclear family
Ethnicity and religion
-white middle class family
Issues
-economic crisis
-money problems
Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40
Place:London
-poorer side of london
-sense of overcrowding
-london is seen as a safe alternative for immigrants
Family and gender
-reinforced gender stereotypes
-isolated from her family
-fear of rape
Ethinicity and religion
-church music in the background
-ethnic struggles such as migration
-unable to hold her own bank account
Issues
-immigration
-house prices
-struggles with identity
Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00
Place:London
-london is seen as overly expensive
-finance is costly
Family and gender
-wife relies on ians bonus for stability
-family struggles with money
Ethnicity and religion
-white middle class family
-British
Issues
-economic crisis
-family struggles
Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55
Place:London
-london has a diverse range of ethnicities
-shop seen as an asset
Family and Gender
-family struggles and has problems
-old women is seen as lonley and isolated
Ethnicity and religion
-pakistani heritage
-fear of failure and judgement
-doing good deeds for rewards from God
Issues
-family struggles
-postcards
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.
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 reinforces stereotypes through their ensemble cast and multi-stranded narrative.This is because each character faces different hardships that we see in most media.For example migration is a wide problem faced in society and we see it being represented in capital which reinforces stereotypes.We also see traditional gender stereotypes being reinforced through the roles of a breadwinner and homemaker
Industries and production context
Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.
1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.
Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.
1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.
Bought by Endemol Shine Group UK in 2015 and it is now owned by Banijay since 2018.
2) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced and for which channels? What awards have they won?
2) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced and for which channels? What awards have they won?
Produced River,Law and order.They have won two BAFTAs
3) How does Capital help the BBC to fulfil its remit as a public service broadcaster? You may want to look back at our work on public service broadcasting last term.
It fufils the remit of education because it teaches people real world struggles faced by people in britain.Furthermore it is informative because Capital displays what inflation can do to people in the future.
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