The key notes from the lesson are here:
Novel adaptation
- Capital is a BBC TV drama series adapted from 2012 book by John Lanchester.
- The book was set in 2007-8 either side of the financial crisis but the TV drama updates it to 2015 and changes the location slightly (Clapham to Balham).
Capital: a state-of-the-nation drama
- Capital is a ‘state-of-the-nation’ drama – designed to capture the issues facing the country at the time it is written and produced.
- In Capital, it focuses on the economy and the financial crash, immigration, London’s housing market and the incredible mix of people in a city of 8.5 million.
Reviews
Reviews of the Capital TV series drew attention to the state-of-the-nation aspect of the drama:
- Ben Lawrence in the Telegraph wrote: Capital shows “an eternal London, riven by inequality and quickened by diversity”.
- Ben Dowell in the Radio Times: “It shows Londoners trying to work out very real problems… there is a fierce intelligence at work here, a script which asks some very interesting and important questions but doesn’t force the answers down your throat.”
London 2009-15
- Following the global financial crash in 2007-8, London was not expected to quickly recover economically.
- However, house prices soared with some properties almost doubling in price in five years. By September 2015, the average London house price was £531,000.
- Traditionally working-class neighbourhoods in London suddenly had houses worth £1m+.
London: immigration
The Oxford University Migration Observatory published a report in 2011 regarding migration to London. Key quotes:
- “One in three London residents was born abroad, and a quarter of these migrants arrived since 2006. Nearly a half of the UK’s migrants live in London.”
- “London’s population is characterised by rapid flux. Area stability – the proportion of a neighbourhood’s population remaining in place over time – is far lower in London than the rest of the UK.”
- “Some of the most deprived migrants in the country reside in London, and some of the most privileged too… vulnerable migrants in London include asylum-seekers with subsistence-only support.”
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?
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?
Trailer analysis
Watch the trailer for Capital:
1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?
2) How does the trailer use mise-en-scene to capture the family element of the drama?
3) How does the trailer introduce narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
Watch the Episode 1 preview for Capital:
1) What does this preview clip suggest about the potential sub-genres for Capital?
2) What elements of the clip might suggest this is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama?
3) Analyse the mise-en-scene in this clip. How does this provide realism and familiarity for audiences?
4) How is the audience positioned to respond to the different characters in this particular sequence?
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 notes from your feedback in the lesson analysing these clips will 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
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 or notes for each scene.
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?
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?
2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?
3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?
4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer?
Marketing and promotion
Read the BBC Press Pack for Capital.
1) How does the programme information on page 3 make Capital sound interesting to audiences?
2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?
3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?
4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?
5) Read the interview with Adeel Akhtar (page 10). What does he suggest Capital says about the fictional Pepys Road and the sense of community (or lack of it) in London?
6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain?
7) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?
8) Read the interview with Derek Wax, the Executive Producer for Kudos (page 16). Why did he produce Capital and what does it say about the way we live now?
DVD packaging
Look at the DVD packaging for Capital. There are many marketing techniques employed here.
1) How does the packaging use other critically acclaimed TV dramas to promote Capital?
2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?
3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?
4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?
There is a lot of work here - easily 3-4 hours in total if you do this in the depth required for the top grades at A Level. However, you will have two weeks to work on this.
Due date: on Google Classroom.
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 or notes for each scene.
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?
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?
2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?
3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?
4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer?
Marketing and promotion
Read the BBC Press Pack for Capital.
1) How does the programme information on page 3 make Capital sound interesting to audiences?
2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?
3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?
4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?
5) Read the interview with Adeel Akhtar (page 10). What does he suggest Capital says about the fictional Pepys Road and the sense of community (or lack of it) in London?
6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain?
7) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?
8) Read the interview with Derek Wax, the Executive Producer for Kudos (page 16). Why did he produce Capital and what does it say about the way we live now?
DVD packaging
Look at the DVD packaging for Capital. There are many marketing techniques employed here.
1) How does the packaging use other critically acclaimed TV dramas to promote Capital?
2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?
3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?
4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?
There is a lot of work here - easily 3-4 hours in total if you do this in the depth required for the top grades at A Level. However, you will have two weeks to work on this.
Due date: on Google Classroom.
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