Capital case study

Reviews and features:

1)
The realistic representation of London is noted and that fact that the storyline was interesting and engaging.

2)
Plot was under developed and the idea of the we want what you have postcards get lost later on in the drama.

3)
The original novel took place in Clapham 2012 whereas the TV drama is set in Balham 2015.

4)
The London Housing market hasn't changed much since 2012.

5)
Reviews highlight the fact that the problems occurring within Capital are realistic and are daily struggles that people in todays world still go through (it's still relevant in todays times) which makes it a state of the nation drama.



Textual analysis of the trailer:

1)
There is that reoccurring shot of the street that slowly zooms out to show the surrounding homes. The landscape is a very common London looking area. There is also the shot off the famous London landscape (the Gherkin) which makes it obvious that it is London.

2)
The shot of the time when the Kamal family is eating diner while on call to the mother in Pakistan I think shows a sense of closeness and warmth which shows that they have a strong bond as a family even though one member is not in the same country.

Another shot would be the shot of the mysterious character taking the pictures outside the houses. The way they never show the front face of the person makes the audience understand that something is up with him and that he's probably not up to any good. The character is dressed up in a hoodie with the hood up and with context, most people know that they are doing something that isn't right in the middle of the night.

3)
The trailer features both the Kamal family and the Yount family in which they live very different lives. The Younts have a relationship based upon money (and are not very close) whereas the scene where the Kamal family is on call to the mother in Pakistan shows the closeness between the family members and the strength of their connections.

4)
The music choice fits the genre of family quite well as the  music is not fast beats and intense music but a more 4/4/ standard track with a nice melody making it fit with the family genre of TV dramas.

5)

• Montages
• Voiceovers
• Speeding up the editing

Episode 1 preview:

1)

• Families
• Money
• Crime
• Racism

2)

The issues discussed in the drama are still relevant today making it a state of the nation drama. Racism and inequality of social classes are examples of these.

3)

The Roger on his way to work scene shows a familiar scene on the tube which is packed full of people. Another familiar view would be the sight of the corner shop which is very common in London as majority of streets in London will have one.

4)
The Officer provides the diversity policy as being accused of only taking action when a white person is in some sort of situation. To certain members of the audience, this could come with a little humour.

5)
The Kamal family is shown very positively compared to the officer. The kind vibe from the Kamal family allows audiences to get a certain view of the characters in the Kamal family.


Episode 2 preview:

1)
Upper middle-class families are not extremely close and focus more on work and money compared to relations within the family.

2)
The Younts nanny and Roger seem to discuss more than the norm when Roger talks about her bringing over a boyfriend as if he wanted to know. This may mean that the future may include some sort of romance between Roger and the nanny.

3)
Compared to his previous actions in episode 1, we start seeing a more warming and caring attitude from Roger as he sings with his son and just generally isn't talking about work which he doesn't understand or money. This is a surprise positive view from the audience.


Representation:

1)
Opening scene:

• London is presented through the skyscrapers of famous landmarks of London, the constant police sirens in the background, the accents from the characters and cut where they show the price of the house going up.
• Family and gender is presented though the way characters act (women staying at home to look after the kids and the man going out to work and earning the money), interactions within the families and stereotypical families.
• Ethnicity and religion is presented through the diversity within the area (black police woman, Pakistani shop keeper, white banker etc.) and the way those characters act. When Petunia falls, the Pakistani shopkeeper and the son rush to her aid, shows a kind heart from other religions.
• Immigration is shown through the montage of when Petunia describes the changes the area has gone through as immigrants come over. 
• Money is a key aspect in this as there is a major difference between the amount of money the different social classes ear. Roger (upper middle-class earning 30 grand bonuses whereas Quintina, an illegal immigrant earning 200 on a hard worked day).
• 
  

Work in the city:

• The familiar scene of the tube in the morning when everyone is busy off to work. A splitting image of London in the morning. The Gherkin is shown, again representing London through its landmarks.
• Mostly men in the working environment, back to the idea that men should work and women should stay at home to look are the kids. All workers in the mini meeting were men. The people in control are also men.
• All the higher status in the work space including the boss is white. White bosses don't understand their jobs yet being paid the most. The Polish builder indicates the idea of all Europeans being builders.
• The house he wats is 7,260,000 pounds which shows his wealth as Rogers aim is to buy a 7 million pound house. The statements about money turnovers including incredibly big amount of money ('600 million on a 625 million turnover').
• 
  

Which of those isn't absolutely essential:

• London is expensive to live in.
• Roger becomes very critical of how he blame his wife for spending all the money through the list of where the money is going to.
• Roger talks about his German boss and the stereotypes about Germans. Roger acts as an example of how White upper middle-class men who earn a ton have no clue what their job is about and the privileges white people get.
• Again touching on the topic of wealth as Rogers wife says 'which of those isn't absolutely essential?' which signifies their wealth. 'You'd be surprised how little a million pounds actually covers these days' which is a direct contrast as we see Quintina who lives on 200 pounds per day when she works extra hard.
• 
  

Asylum:

• Government controls everything that goes on and has control  over lives of immigrants in London. A big difference compared to the Young family as money is pretty much everything in todays world.
• The guy who pays Quintina sexually harasses her to she his domination he has on her. The male characters always have the money.
• Immigration problems and the refugee letter shows the disadvantage immigrants are at. The black female lawyer breaks stereo types.
• Government marks Quintina with a refugee status. Immigrants are not enabled to work. Quintina talks about what will happen to her if she ever returns to her country.
• 
  

What use is 30 grand:

• The fact that Roger thinks 30 grand gets him nowhere in London shows how expensive it is to live in London.
• Irony in what the boss says about Roger being strong in all aspects because in reality, he has no clue what he's doing.The boss ad Roger are not that close because the boss barely remembers Rogers sons name.
• 'Fundamentally not fair' shows the sheer entitlement of the white upper middle-class middle aged man. Represents White British representation.
• Roger claims it is 'fundamentally unfair' but compared to Quintina who is barely able to even stay in the country.
• The Swiss Subsidiary.

Life at the corner shop:

• The advancements in technology define London as it is quite evolved and advanced. Corner shops are common in London.
• Kamal family is caring and friendly seen through their actions of giving coriander to a customer for free even though it was not from the shop. There is a good vibe around the Kamal family until the dad explodes in anger.
• The mother is in a different country yet still have connection to the family in a different country. Global nature of the world.

2)

Capital uses stereotypes in order to show action and enigma codes to the audience and to create discussions based on the drama itself. Showing Petunia as a vulnerable old lady will have some sort of effect on the audience making them act or react a certain way. Some stereotypes reinforce these stereotypes but some subvert them like how the Kamal family subverts the typical stereotypes  for Muslim families.

Industries and production context:

1)
The Endemol Shine Group

2)
Either 'A walk to remember' or 'Hours'

3)

• Tin Star
• River
• Humans
• Gunpowder
• Flowers

They won awards for best drama series, best lead actress, best supporting actor and best drama series.

4)

• An engaging story line
• Good cinematography
• Personal relationships and identities

Marketing and promotion:

1)

The previous works of the cast and crew along with the success of the transformation between the book to the show.

2)

It is a attempt to attract fans of the directors work to watch their newest production.

3)

Ben Stephenson and Charlotte Moore.

4)

Roger isn't an evil banker but a complacent banker. Toby Jones states that he spends a lot of money on things that other people don't spend money on simply because to him, it is what is normal.

5)

Adeel Akhtar believes that there are slow changes socially, economically and culturally.

6)

Shabana Azmi believes that there is a fair representation of Asian families through the quote of 'if you look at the subject of Capital, and the number of communities that are being represented, there's awareness that the world is shrinking, and becoming a global village. We are absorbing cultures, and understanding them or at least trying to understand them within their own paradigms.'

7)

• When Rogers wife abandons him on Christmas morning because he realises that life is changing but it's done with such comedy.
• The family dinner with the Kamal family scene because of its sense of humour despite the sudden outburst from the father.
• When Bogdan talks to Matya about the Londoners they work for. He finds it fascinating.

8)

He says that the more he read the book, the more he thought it was similar to Dickens because of the big decisions we take on a day to day basis. About how we live today, he says that 'we live next door to people for years and never say anything other than hello and goodbye. People who live there, work there, and deliver stuff there, all have their own lives but all intersect in this one location' and appreciated the accuracy of the novel.

DVD packaging:

1)

The packaging names 2 very successful shows (humans and Broadchurch) which may attract fans of those shows to watch Capital.

2)

The design hints the location of which Capital is set. There are pictures of some of the characters within the drama so people can assume certain sub genres and narratives to play out.

3)

A warm and familial tone which allows audiences to expect a family genre in which they can identify with because it will reflect their current daily lives.

4)

The packaging delves into more than just London's famous landmarks and tells the story of what normal life in London is really life. The hardships we go through.