TV: Exam question

"Realism is a vital component of television drama". To what extent does an analysis of your television close-study products support this view? [25 marks]

Deutschland 83 contains many aspects of realism within the drama. This is done to make the story line more believable. For Deutschland 83, the drama is based of a real event (the cold war) which means that certain aspects of it to certain audiences can be related to. Realism for Deutschland 83 is something that is important in how successful they end up becoming. This is because there are still audience members at the time it was produced that remember the cold war from being a child. This to them would be the dramas USP. Other audiences such as people who have an interest in German past history would appreciate the idea of accurate representations of the events. There are definitely scenes within the drama that have been identified as very accurate. For example, the scene when Martin had to take pictures of the confidential documents, some people say that the documents were either the real documents used back then or an exact copy of them.

In Capital, it also shows many aspects of realism within the drama. One example of this would be the scene when Roger is on his way to work and on the underground. The shot from underneath another passengers armpit onto Rogers face in the middle of a packed morning underground train is very accurate and is a very familiar sight to office workers who take the same route as Roger. As a result of the realistic side to Capital, it may have been a possible USP to the drama which attract audiences to choose to watch it. Audience members may find a sense of escapism while watching Capital since the realism is done so well that some audiences may find it hard to tell reality from drama.

While Deutschland 83 is retelling the story of the Cold war, Capital shows some of the day to day issues within todays society which means it becomes more relevant to the audience members of this current generations within this society. By recreating an accurate representation of the events of the cold war, it could attract audiences that are interested in the Cold war but not so much to a wider audience. On the other hand, everyone who lives and works in London understands the morning struggle and the issues around the society at this current time therefore allowing Capital to target not just a small group of people but a mass audience.