Capital: case study blog tasks

Reviews and Features - 

1.

- The cast is brilliant; 'Toby Jones is well on his way to true national treasure status'.

- Rings a lot of truth about Londoners 
- Gripping story-line

2.

Some bits of the story are too vague and not developed enough which left audience feeling a bit uncomfortable as they weren't able to pick up the story line fully.

3.

In the beginning of the series, there is a time lapse showing different time periods and how London has changed over time and the diversity in the city.

4.

Average London house price hits £500,000 as capital's housing market shows no sign of losing steam.

5.

Textual Analysis - 

1.

They have used shots such as birds eye view to show the streets of London, they have also used close-ups to draw attention to detail such as the postcards and the street sign. They've also used jump cuts to show all the main characters in the series which shows diversity in London. 

2.

They have shown an Eastern European man as the builder which is a stereotypical representation in the British/London society. The British family are represented as more posh and well-off compared to the rest of the characters; dressed formally.

3.

The mise-en-scene used to represent family element of the drama includes actors; the two Pakistani brothers are shown working together. 

4.

The music gets more intense as it goes which represents how the story builds up as it goes on. It's also ironic how the song is called 'the streets' and the story-line is based on a street in London.

5.

In order to portray the idea of tension, they mainly used character facial expressions and body language as it is one of the easiest things for audiences to pick up on. They also used jump cuts when showing snippets of the major events that occur during the series to make the audience curious as to why it happens or what happens after.

Episode 1 preview for Capital:

1.

The sub-genres suggested in the preview could be family life, British values and mystery because of the posters the family was receiving.

2.

The setting is the first thing that suggests it is a state of nation drama as it is set in a corner shop which is a common aspect in London and it helps audience pick up straight away what kind of atmosphere they're around. The characters also suggest it as their is diversity in race which is a typical aspect in London. 

3.

Mise-en-scene includes setting as London audience would be able to pick up certain elements straight away as they have used familiar locations such as the corner shop. The actors also provide realism as they have used diversity instead of just showing one race. The costume of the police officer also created realism and familiarity as British people would know what police officers wear straight away. 

4.

Audience pleasure could include the realism portrayed in the scene. It could also be the dialogue used as some may take what was said as a joke but others may also realise that it is an actual issue in British society; white privilege. 

5.

 Audience are expected to feel more sympathy towards the Kamal family as they are the ones receiving the threats and it's unsafe for their family. From what we can see in the scene, the police is doing much which may show ignorance and trigger some audience. 

Episode 2 preview for Capital:

1.

The upper middle class are represented in a posh way with their strong British accent.They also have a wealthy lifestyle with a modern household. They were able to afford a nanny for the children which represents wealth.

2.

Narrative strands that I was able to pick up were family issues between the parents, the dad beginning to show interest in the new nanny.

3.

The audience would be left confused as he is a successful banker and also a father of two but now seems to have an eye on another woman once him and his wife had an argument although they are still together. 

Representations: close-textual analysis - 

1.

Scene 1 - Is a time-lapse that shows the different years and how the street has changed over the years and also how one of the main characters life's has changed. 

Scene 2 - Shows London life; Central London and how busy it is. It shows typical aspects of London Life such as packed trains to and from work, busy streets of central London, big buildings...

Scene 3 - This scene once again shows the London life which creates the binary opposition between the middle class vs upper class people that live in the City.

Scene 4 - A hardworking asylum seeker works hard during her day even though she doesn't get her whole salary as she doesn't want to rely on benefits or other peoples money. She comes to a point where she loses her job and is at risk of getting deported back as she is illegal in the country.

Scene 5 - This scene shows how the upper class people are very needy and money minded. They are just striving for more and more money as the dialogue used in the scene helps us understand that they think £30 grand is a small amount of money.  

Scene 6 - This scene shows life at the corner shop and the bond the Asian family have as they give more value to living together as a family rather than anything else. Unlike the upper class, they are not money minded and wealth is not a major issue for them as long as they have food on their plate. 

2.

Capital has used certain stereotypes such as the Asian family running a corner shop, the man is the breadwinner in the middle class family whiles the woman is spending all his salary etc. However they have also subverted stereotypes we tend to see in the media as immigrants are sometimes portrayed in a negative way whereas in Capital, they have been represented in a more friendly form where they get on with all their neighbours and there aren't any issues because of them. 

Industries and production context - 

1.

Shine Limited

2. 

Spooks

3. 

Broad-church reward, televison bulldog reward.

4.

It gives a vast amount of shows which Kudos produces so that it is available for the audience.

Marketing and promotion - 

1. 

The descriptive summary of the story; 'anonymous postcard, mystery of the postcard deepens, stories bursting with piercing and funny observations...' 

2.

To show that they have been able to accomplish other things as well. If people have watched their previous productions and enjoyed it, they will now want to also watch this series as it is by the same director or producer or if they enjoyed this series they may wish to then watch their other creations as well; method of promotion.

3.

Produced by Kudos and commissioned by Charlotte Moore. 

4.

He contradicts most peoples opinion by saying 'Roger isn't an evil banker', instead he feels sorry for him as he is forgetting about his duty of being a dad and solely focusing on making more money.

5.

He says that Pepy's Road shows evidence of the social, economical and cultural things that are slowly happening; a nutshell of what is happening on many streets of London and Britain. 

6.

Her role of Mrs Kamal challenge stereotypes of Asian women as she was a woman made of steel and bossy but also has a heart unlike the typical whimpering Asian woman. 

7.

Peter Bowker's favourite moments include Roger's Christmas morning when he had been abandoned and had to look after his 2 sons, Roger's realisation that his life is changing is done in a funny way.

8.

He loved the big, expansive panorama of life along with the small details of human life.
Shows the changing in London and the country now; e.g. the change in housing prices. 

DVD packaging:

1.

It says 'From the makers of Humans & Broadchurch' at the top so people that know the previous show was a success would now want to watch this. 

2.

They've used images of the main characters which would give them an idea of what type of genre the show is but also have them wondering what role each person. 

3.

They have quoted 'A dazzling, able cast... before you know it, the story has got you gripped...' This shows that reviewers have enjoyed the show and builds up excitement for audiences and makes them more and more eager to watch it. 

4.

The packaging shows diversity in London as there are different race characters being represented and their facial expressions also connote messages about their role and characteristics.