TV: Capital case study

 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?

It’s more complicated – and more interesting – than just wonderful and terrible. It’s not just a brilliant allegorical portrait of London. There are stories to tell, the postcards keep coming, then DVDs, someone really WANTS WHAT THEY HAVE. Probably everyone does.

The cast is brilliant but John Lanchester’s novel of the same name offered a hilarious and incisive look at the boom-and-bust economics of 2007 and 2008 as the backdrop for its characters. It received significant praise from critics, and its themes remain disappointingly relevant almost a decade later. Personal identities and relationship between audience and chracters. It will ring true for a lot of Londoners. Yes, the series explores how London’s economy affects us all, which sounds a bit dull – but come back. The characters are relatable and well-drawn, and the mystery about who’s sending the notes will have you gripped.

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?

The house prices flick up at a terrifying rate, like the numbers on a petrol pump in full flow. And, if we just rise up from the street and look in a north-easterly direction, there in the distance are the towers, the gherkins and cheese graters, of the City – mainly to thank/blame for the madness, as well as being where Roger scuttles off to each morning.

On the one hand, Capital offers a microcosmic metaphor for London at large, but it also feels real in the portrayal of its characters, from the financially-sound to the economically-struggling.

Trailer analysis

1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?

The straight cuts and medium close up of the houses and some rich white people areas with nice houses and some crowded and diverse as we see the black woman and the Pakistani man working and lots of jobs and work during the day as we also see Roger rich with a fancy house wearing a suit and also the clear massive window view to the city while he was dancing at work or in his office. 

The drone shots  within the episodes showing London streets and the fancy city showing how rich and expensive the place and housings are. 

2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?

There is a lot of difference introductions to characters and that shows us a bit into their life and each person and what they do and where hey work as we can see their uniforms and that shows us a bit into their life. As we can see the equilibrium and the post cards those people are receving and opening audiences would be curious to find out what they are and how the problem with be resolved. 

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?

The shadowy hooded figure, mentioned above, is shot in grainy, handheld footage. Their presence sets up an enigma, with a series of questions to be resolved. Framing a state-of-the-nation drama with this crime element helps to hold the viewer’s attention. But it also has an artistic purpose. All of our lives are framed by a hidden, sinister force, one that the drama clearly identifies as capital.

2) What does the article suggest regarding the setting of Capital?

Setting the drama entirely in the capital city might enrage those who see the UK as being too London-centric, but it makes sense in the context of a multi-stranded production. Aerial shots of large chunks of the city zoom in to smaller segments, before zooming in on Pepys Road in particular, and then a single house or character.

3) What are the major themes in Capital and what does the article suggest regarding the impact of money on communities?

However, only top earners can afford to buy houses by the time the drama is set. This thematic exploration of housing and house prices is established early on by the street’s oldest resident, Petunia. Given the houses are unaffordable to large numbers of Londoners, some of the themes are tackled through people with links to the street. Immigration is explored through the character of Zimbabwean-born traffic warden, Quintana. Thematically, it seems that money is breaking up the community and, by extension, breaking up social bonds up and down the country. The opening sequence foregrounds this sense of disharmony.

4) What different representations in Capital are discussed in the article?

The production leaves us in little doubt that the banks are the bad guys. Banker Roger is a weak, feckless character, in thrall to wealth and capable of uttering phrases like ‘What use is £30,000 to anyone?’ His wife Arabella, obsessed with interior design and foreign holidays, is only with him for his money.The representations of good versus bad, rich versus poor and industrious versus feckless make for straight forward drama.Almost all of the other characters are set against Roger and Arabella as ‘good’ people. The Daily Mail was outraged by what it saw as yet another attack on the banks and an uncritical portrayal of immigrants as unfailingly good and hard-working.

5) What does the final section of the article suggest regarding genre and overall message of the drama?  

Capital as a state-of-the-nation drama, but its opening sequence draws on the crime genre.All of our lives are framed by a hidden, sinister force, one that the drama clearly identifies as capital (in the money sense).bankers moving trillions of dollars’ worth of financial assets around the world without anyone really knowing what was going on. When that all went wrong (the assets became worthless almost overnight) banks around the world collapsed and governments had to bail them out.Capital positions the actions of the banks as criminal. So hidden are their activities, so complex and difficult to track down, that a straightforward state-of-the nation drama could not possibly hope to cover them adequately.

Capital Media Factsheet

Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What does the factsheet say about the characters on the first page?

Episode 1 focuses on Petunia Howe and Roger and Arabella Yount (no. 92). We are also introduced to the Kamal family, who run the corner shop, and Quentina Mkfesi, a religious asylum seeker with a PhD working illegally as a traffic warden. The interactions between the characters reflect the tensions between different cultures and costume is used to quickly communicate the different character roles.

2) Focusing on the industrial contexts, how does Capital help the BBC meet its obligations as a public service broadcaster?

1-To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.

2-To support learning for people of all ages.

3-To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom- The narrative includes a range of ethnic and socio-economic groups.

4-To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world- The sequence shot introducing the different residents on the street uses binary oppositions to establish the cultures within Pepys Road.

5-To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services-Opening sequence – use of POV shots, and tracking shots to establish the narrative disruption ,Multi-stranded narrative, Genre hybridity.

3) What do we learn about the ownership structure for production company Kudos? 

The ownership of Kudos reflects a horizontally integrated company.The parent company, Endemol Shine UK, own a range of TV production companies across different formats and genres. Endemol Shine UK is owned in equal share by Apollo Global Management (an American public equity firm) and 21st Century Fox.

4) How can David Hesmondhalgh's ideas in The Cultural Industries be linked to Capital and Kudos? 

Horizontally integrated so is a part of many industries that they aren't specialised in and so are at risk of losing money and links o Hesmondhalghs idea of a risky venture and is involved in FOX and News Corps .

5) How does the factsheet suggest Capital meets the genre conventions of crime and social realism?

 Kudos' many of their programmes include themes of diversity and difference, exploring the tension that cultural difference can create as well as more conventional crime drama. Capital fits well within these two genres, and uses generic conventions from both areas. It reflects genre development, and contains aspects of crime genre and social realism.

Crime genre: Mystery to be resolved. Tension and suggestion of villainy.

Social realism: At the end of the episode, Roger and Mashinko meet for the first time at the park. Explores themes of diversity and culture.

6) How does the factsheet analyse the DVD packaging and what this communicates to the audience?

The DVD cover uses the same promotional images that feature in media pack, website and press coverage. This creates the recognisable brand for the audience. The silhouette skyline of London contains clear geographical markers that denote the setting, and also establish the themes of British culture and financial issues. The layout of the characters on the cover carries a connotation to the crime

drama, with medium close-up shots of DI Mills, The Kamal family and Bogdon. The intertextual reference to a mug shot is evident here, and gently hints at the crime genre. The colour, however, seeks  to draw the audience away from a stereotypical crime drama and as yellow is not associated with crime, but instead moves towards the contemporary state of the nation representation.

7) Look at page 5 of the factsheet. Choose one of the audience theories in the table and apply it to Capital.

Uses & Gratifications –Blumler and Katz

Personal identification: Some may relate to the character such as Quentina or Roger 

Surveillance:the fact that London house prices have risen extraordinarily, has only intensified the sense of a society of haves and have-nots.

Social Interaction: the audience will feel sympathetic towards Quentina and 

Diversion: audience are curious and wants to know what would happen to the characters and who is giving them the postcards. 

8) What does the factsheet suggest regarding binary oppositions in Capital?  

The multi-stranded narrative uses binary oppositions throughout to highlight the difference or inequality in Pepys Road, and then raise questions about inequality in London more widely. The character of Roger Yount is a clear example of this. Their initial highly stereotyped dialogue (“How do you feel about cedar wood cladding?”) serves to position the audience to understand the change in society and the Pepys Road community from ‘normal’ residential street to million-pound properties.

The camerawork establishes a binary opposition between the two men, who are literally at different ends of the social and economic spectrum – sitting at different ends of the bench. The dialogue, however, seeks to challenge these stereotypes about Roger. He reveals that he too feels poor by London standards. Machinko reveals he does not like the capital city, again another subversion of the negative stereotype often associated with immigrant workers perhaps.

Representations: close-textual analysis

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

• Diversity of London
• House pricing gone up to £2.75 million 
• High class(Roger) and working class(Kamal)
• Petunia lonely in a big house 
• Immigration changed London

Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10

• Roger boss German European immigration is good.
• Two bosses clearly does not understand what mark was talking about
• Crowded London, Train underground 
• everyone wants to work in London
• drone shots of city 
• 3 white upper class rich men

Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35

• London unsafe mystery spy taking pictures of rich peoples houses
• traditional stereotypes women spending their husbands money
• Roger wife said i am no feminist 
• Roger and wife right wing conservative capitalists 
• listing unnecessary luxuries and calling them essentials 
• "its all politics i am afraid"

Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40

• Quantina" would have been killed" she is not allowed to work she work illegally
• "not legally permitted to work"
• Austerity politics in 2010
• Hard working Quantina, working class the man stole off the money she worked hard for
• juxtaposition of immigrants rich German male and very poor black female

Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00 

• Roger is ungrateful for the £30 thousand he was expecting a 1 to 2 million bonus 
• cross cutting sped up editing to show Rogers state of mind
• Roger white privilege "this isn't how it works" 
• Contrast with Quantina black female working class immigrant "this is fundamentally not fair"
• Roger "its not a question of greed its justice"
• global nature of finance reflects modern global capitalism

Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55

• integration of immigrants in London life 
• Kamal " maybe you would know the responsibility of providing food"
• London education better for immigrants they have bigger ambitions "Medical Degree"
• social class; Arabella doesn't know how to react to basic kindness 
• "white people have no idea" Kamal's family 
• Petunias family dinner lonely, cold contrasts with Kamal warmth close family  

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?

Arabella Yount is a vehicle to represent stereotypes about class she reinforces rich white people stereotypes. Roger also reinforces white male British banker stereotypes. The dialogue (when Roger and the middle class man talk while they are sitting on the bench) , however, seeks to challenge these stereotypes about Roger. He reveals that he too feels poor by London standards. Machinko reveals he does not like the capital city, again another subversion of the negative stereotype often associated with

immigrant workers perhaps.

The Kamal family are also positioned with an expected framework, the cornershop, and reflect the stereotype of an Asian  Muslim family in a positive way. Mills enters the Kamal’s

cornershop to discuss the matter. This section of the narrative sees a subversion of the stereotype of both Asian family and police officer.

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.

Banijay UK Productions is the parent. First sold to Shine limited in 2006 and acquired by News corps in 2011 and shared 50-50 with Endemol shine studios that then was bought out by Banijay.

2)  Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced and for which channels? What awards have they won?

It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Amazon and Netflix and its productions include Tin Star, Humans, Broadchurch, The Tunnel, Grantchester, Apple Tree Yard, Utopia, Spooks , Hustle and Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes.

2013-  Peabody Award for Broadchurch

2009- Broadcast Magazine Supplement, The Indies – peer poll ,Televisual Bulldog Award – Best Indie

2008- Televisual Bulldog Award – Best Indie

2007- Broadcast Magazine Supplement, The Indies – peer poll

Broadcast Awards – Best Independent Production Company – 2007