Capital Case Study
1) What positive points do the reviews pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?
-have managed to squeeze an incredible amount into one street, one book, and then further squeeze into three hours of television. A lot of the important stuff, as well as what is most wonderful and most terrible about the place.
-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.
-Yet it was a disappointment. This was no Dickensian bird’s-eye view, but an overly schematic tangle of under-developed plotlines populated by underwritten characters.
But it’s the acting that makes this production sing. There was not a bad performance among the large ensemble cast and each brought something very different
effective opening sequence.
Making Islamic fundamentalism a mere strand within a larger fabric is unfortunate at this time of heightened anxiety, and it did not help that the motivations behind Usman’s zealotry were too opaque, too underplayed.
Some may have been frustrated by the plot which meandered like the Thames, with only the sinister postcards that were delivered to the residents (which read “We want what you have”) giving a connection to the disparate lives.
-the bonkers housing market and increasing rate of gentrification across London means that Capital’s ideas still stand.
-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.
-The characters are relatable and well-drawn, and the mystery about who’s sending the notes will have you gripped.
Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49
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
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?
2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?
The company was formed in 1992. It came to international attention with the BAFTA Award-winning spy drama Spooks, which debuted on BBC One on 13 May 2002.
3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?
2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?
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?
It looks at the idea of a community, and what it means to belong to the community from whatever background you’re from. One of the problems is that some people within a community, such as 11 Ahmed’s brother Usman, feel ostracized from it. They feel like they don’t belong and are on the outside looking in. Capital looks at that concept and also that they are all part of something bigger than themselves.
6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain?
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?
2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?
-have managed to squeeze an incredible amount into one street, one book, and then further squeeze into three hours of television. A lot of the important stuff, as well as what is most wonderful and most terrible about the place.
-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.
-Yet it was a disappointment. This was no Dickensian bird’s-eye view, but an overly schematic tangle of under-developed plotlines populated by underwritten characters.
But it’s the acting that makes this production sing. There was not a bad performance among the large ensemble cast and each brought something very different
effective opening sequence.
Making Islamic fundamentalism a mere strand within a larger fabric is unfortunate at this time of heightened anxiety, and it did not help that the motivations behind Usman’s zealotry were too opaque, too underplayed.
Some may have been frustrated by the plot which meandered like the Thames, with only the sinister postcards that were delivered to the residents (which read “We want what you have”) giving a connection to the disparate lives.
Yet it was liberating not to be anchored to an overarching storyline and to enjoy, instead, a series of vignettes of characters who represent our capital in all its baffling and beguiling forms.
-The cast is brilliant-the bonkers housing market and increasing rate of gentrification across London means that Capital’s ideas still stand.
-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.
-The characters are relatable and well-drawn, and the mystery about who’s sending the notes will have you gripped.
Lanchester started working on Capital in 2005; by the time it was published, seven years later, it had become one of the defining novels about the global financial crisis and its human ramifications.
Yet while the book seemingly captured an era, Peter Bowker’s TV adaptation is set in 2015. House prices are still rocketing skywards, the wealth gap yawns wider than ever and nothing much has changed.
Capital is a snapshot of a property boom that no one can comprehend. “
2) In the Telegraph 'behind the scenes' article, what does the writer say about the London housing market?
“If you’d said to me when I had finished the novel that they would be adapting it for TV seven years after [the crash] and it would be set in the present, I would have said that was impossible,” says Lanchester.
“I remember thinking when I wrote the book that people would never get back to that frame of mind where they thought [the economy] will just keep going up forever. I was completely wrong.”
Yet while the book seemingly captured an era, Peter Bowker’s TV adaptation is set in 2015. House prices are still rocketing skywards, the wealth gap yawns wider than ever and nothing much has changed.
Capital is a snapshot of a property boom that no one can comprehend. “
2) In the Telegraph 'behind the scenes' article, what does the writer say about the London housing market?
“If you’d said to me when I had finished the novel that they would be adapting it for TV seven years after [the crash] and it would be set in the present, I would have said that was impossible,” says Lanchester.
“I remember thinking when I wrote the book that people would never get back to that frame of mind where they thought [the economy] will just keep going up forever. I was completely wrong.”
3) What references can you find in these reviews and features to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?
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Trailer analysis
1) How does drama use camerawork to capture London life?
In the beginning, the drama uses drone shots when showing London to show how the Pepy's street is supposed to what life is like anywhere in London. Also, the fast pace editing shows how life in London is always constantly moving and how they all have very different problems which are yet so similar to one another.
1) How does drama use camerawork to capture London life?
In the beginning, the drama uses drone shots when showing London to show how the Pepy's street is supposed to what life is like anywhere in London. Also, the fast pace editing shows how life in London is always constantly moving and how they all have very different problems which are yet so similar to one another.
2) How does the trailer use mise-en-scene to capture the family element of the drama?
The use of the dining room scene where the Kamal family are all having lunch around a table captures the family element of the drama. Also, the frequent scenes of homes show the family element of the drama.
3) How does the trailer introduce narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
3) How does the trailer introduce narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?
The drama all the different characters in the 40 seconds which shows the multi-strand drama and shows each character going through some sort of drama which creates tension. The fast-paced editing also creates excitement and enigma as we see parts of the characters' life under a couple of seconds.
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Watch the Episode 1 preview for Capital:
1) What does this preview clip suggest about the potential sub-genres for Capital?
1) What does this preview clip suggest about the potential sub-genres for Capital?
According to the clip, one of the sub-genre could be family because clearly, the shop is a family run business and the Kamaal Couple mentioning their kids. Also is a state of nation drama because of the mention of Islamaphobia and white privilege.
2) What elements of the clip might suggest this is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama?
2) What elements of the clip might suggest this is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama?
The postcards are relating the current dilemma within the country and the fact that the characters are referencing to them.
3) Analyse the mise-en-scene in this clip. How does this provide realism and familiarity for audiences?
3) Analyse the mise-en-scene in this clip. How does this provide realism and familiarity for audiences?
The clothes the Kamal family are wearing are casual and suggest realism for the specific social class to wear. The setting of the corner shop creates a sense of familiarity because it is also identical to the typical corner shop.
4) What audience pleasures are provided by this scene?
4) What audience pleasures are provided by this scene?
According to Blumers and Katz Theory one of the audience pleasure, they may receive is a personal relationship. Since the characters are being to made to make the audience feel a sense of familiarity and comfort it is easy for the audience to grow a connection between Kamaal and his wife
5) How is the audience positioned to respond to the different characters in this particular sequence?
5) How is the audience positioned to respond to the different characters in this particular sequence?
The audience is positioned in a particular way to respond to certain characters in different ways, for example Usman, seems as though as if he is stubborn, There is clearly an investigator trying to figure out the situation, however, Usman is sort of violating the status of someone who works for the Metro-politician police, Kamaal is positioned in the scene by making him seem interested and concerned, as he is explaining the immature behaviour of the other characters.
Watch the Episode 2 preview for Capital:
1) How does this clip represent upper-middle-class family life?
The fact that the setting is placed in an open kitchen shows how much wealth the family owns and wine bottle in the background creates a sense of superiority and smart. They also have a nanny which may show their lack of work ethic has cannot look after their own children. Also, Roger is wearing a suit to show how much power he holds to wherever he works.
1) How does this clip represent upper-middle-class family life?
The fact that the setting is placed in an open kitchen shows how much wealth the family owns and wine bottle in the background creates a sense of superiority and smart. They also have a nanny which may show their lack of work ethic has cannot look after their own children. Also, Roger is wearing a suit to show how much power he holds to wherever he works.
2) What narrative strands are suggested in this sequence?
The conflict between roger and his wife especially when she enters at the end and the whole room becomes silent. Also introduces a new character, the nanny, which therefore adds to the multistrand narrative.
3) How is the audience positioned to respond to Roger Yount, the main character (banker and father to the two boys)?
3) How is the audience positioned to respond to Roger Yount, the main character (banker and father to the two boys)?
In this very scene, the audience is positioned to respond to Roger as a 'joyous father' as he is playing with his kids and is singing along, Until, towards the end, Roger is seen as passive towards his wife, shown as being controlled, when the wife had come in and silenced everyone.
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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.
1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in class:
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.
1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in class:
Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49
PLACE: LONDON
Ariel shots of London- Pepys Road- shows it represents the whole of London
House price- £2,275,000
"Not real millionaires"
Multicultural - accepting
"He gets verting o going North of the River " - London street
FAMILY AND GENDER
Flashback scene- typical London, family life
Lower middle class- "social Clark"
The white family are seen as less happy even if they have more money unlike the Kamal family
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
Old lady mixed up the ethnicity - "Indians like yourself" "I'm Pakistani"
'My duty as a Muslim'- comedy - mocking extremism - reinforces stereotypes- the corner shop
but actually subverts stereotypes.
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
"Albert didn't much like change"- Ageing- Older generation not liking change (immigration)
House price- 2.7m
Working-class or lower-middle-class street- not worth millions
Social change in London and Society
""Doctors and bankers"
Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10
PLACE: LONDON
Ariel shots- Powerful;, Dominating London- Uk politicians
London- The depressing state
'Under the armpit shot'- the experience of London- juxtaposition- unhappiness and commuting
Roger feels small and insignificant to the large world
colour grading grey
Roger in long shot- insignificance
FAMILY AND GENDER
Subverts gender roles cause Roger doesn't need to know about housework
Reinforces traditional family roles- housewife
Workplace us utterly male-dominated
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
Rodger's family extremely rich and wealthy, always spending their wealth
Inequalities of wealth
Capitalism- Work hard, play hard''
'Bonus season'
German boss- Global nature of business
Senior management presented as clueless- very negative portrayal of the financial industry
PLACE: LONDON
Inequalities
German stereotypes
Shows English arrgorance
FAMILY AND GENDER
'Your frock money' - Reinforces patriarchy society
'Im no feminist'
Suggest Capital promoting a left-wing ideology
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
White British upper-middle-class presented very negatively
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
Wealth + inequality
"You'd be surprised by how little £1m covers these days"
PLACE: LONDON
Quentina's chaotic living arrangements
FAMILY AND GENDER
Male dominance
Abuse of power- "Perhaps a little kiss"
Subverting black female stereotypes,
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
Diversity of capital
Capital criticised for 'woke' or PC elements - eg. Culture war
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
Positive representation of immigration
Hard-working - stereotype?-counter stereotype?
"You do know you're not permitted to work?"
Inequality- exploited twice- close up on playslip- capitalism
Traffier takes £100 of her earning
The contrast of Roger + Quentina- Roger just wants to escape, Quentina just wants to live and work
PLACE: LONDON
FAMILY AND GENDER
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
The contrast in Roger and Quentina receiving less money than expected- "It's not a question of greed"- presentation of money and wealth
"This is fundamentally unfair"- applies to most narrative strands
Lother (German Boss) can't remember Roger'sd children names'- comment on Capitalism doesn't care about you
Editing- fast-paced - mess around with time
Global nature of Capitism- "Context to all this ...Swiss subsidiary"- no one has control
PLACE: LONDON
FAMILY AND GENDER
Close family- which you never see in the Roger family
ETHNICITY AND RELIGION
ISSUES-immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, capitalism, aging and more.
Pro- immgration
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?
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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?
Kudos is part of Endemol Shine Group.
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?
Kudos is part of Endemol Shine Group.
2) What was the breakthrough show for Kudos in 2002?
The company was formed in 1992. It came to international attention with the BAFTA Award-winning spy drama Spooks, which debuted on BBC One on 13 May 2002.
3) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced? What awards have they won?
BroadChurch
TV Choice Award- BEST DRAMA SERIES
National Television Awards 2018- BEST CRIME DRAMA 2017
Gunpowder
Humans
4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer?
4) What audience pleasures does the showreel suggest Kudos productions offer?
Offers personal relationship which allows the audience to build a relationship between the character and the viewer. Also, provides personal identity where the audience can relate to the character's problem.
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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?
One day, the street’s residents all receive an anonymous postcard through their front doors bearing a simple message: “We Want What You Have.” Who is behind the anonymous hate campaign? And what do they want? As the mystery of the postcards deepens, we learn more about this vivid and unforgettable ensemble of characters. Interweaving stories reveal lives filled with love and loss, fear and greed, fortune and envy and most recognisable of all, family and home - stories bursting with piercing and funny observations on modern life and urban existence, of ordinary people who find themselves caught and changed by a city at a time of extraordinary flux.
Read the BBC Press Pack for Capital.
1) How does the programme information on page 3 make Capital sound interesting to audiences?
One day, the street’s residents all receive an anonymous postcard through their front doors bearing a simple message: “We Want What You Have.” Who is behind the anonymous hate campaign? And what do they want? As the mystery of the postcards deepens, we learn more about this vivid and unforgettable ensemble of characters. Interweaving stories reveal lives filled with love and loss, fear and greed, fortune and envy and most recognisable of all, family and home - stories bursting with piercing and funny observations on modern life and urban existence, of ordinary people who find themselves caught and changed by a city at a time of extraordinary flux.
2) Why does the programme information mention the other shows that the director and producer have worked on?
To show other successful programmes the director and producer may have created and to show what capital may be like.
3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?
3) Who commissioned Capital for BBC?
Commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One and Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC
Drama.
4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?
Roger isn’t an evil banker, he’s a slightly complacent banker. He’s become used to a certain way of life and has a self-imposed pressure to live that way. He spends a lot of money on things that other people don’t spend money on – for example, fixtures and fittings - but that is normal to him and his wife. He is not totally in charge of his life or his work. 5 What really attracted me to the part was that he’s a very well educated, functioning human being on one level, who has obeyed the rules and earned a lot of money, but on another level, something is happening to him internally that he doesn’t have the language to articulate. Something is shifting and changing within him, and what happens to him in the story makes him realise that his life is not all it might be. It’s a creeping dissatisfaction, a creeping sense of loss and directionlessness. He has no way of expressing that or even understanding it himself. He’s not self-reflective in that way and lives with someone who seems to be totally unself-reflective too.
4) Read the interview with Toby Jones. What does he say about the character of Roger?
Roger isn’t an evil banker, he’s a slightly complacent banker. He’s become used to a certain way of life and has a self-imposed pressure to live that way. He spends a lot of money on things that other people don’t spend money on – for example, fixtures and fittings - but that is normal to him and his wife. He is not totally in charge of his life or his work. 5 What really attracted me to the part was that he’s a very well educated, functioning human being on one level, who has obeyed the rules and earned a lot of money, but on another level, something is happening to him internally that he doesn’t have the language to articulate. Something is shifting and changing within him, and what happens to him in the story makes him realise that his life is not all it might be. It’s a creeping dissatisfaction, a creeping sense of loss and directionlessness. He has no way of expressing that or even understanding it himself. He’s not self-reflective in that way and lives with someone who seems to be totally unself-reflective too.
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?
It looks at the idea of a community, and what it means to belong to the community from whatever background you’re from. One of the problems is that some people within a community, such as 11 Ahmed’s brother Usman, feel ostracized from it. They feel like they don’t belong and are on the outside looking in. Capital looks at that concept and also that they are all part of something bigger than themselves.
6) Read the interview with Shabana Azmi (page 12). What does she say about Asian representations in Britain?
I think so. If you look at the subject of Capital, and the number of communities that are being
represented, there’s the 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) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?
Christmas morning where Roger has been abandoned and left to look after his two 15 children are one that Euros (Director) has done brilliantly.I also love the Kamals’ chaotic family meals. They are quintessentially archetypal family scenes that everybody lives through but played with great comedic panache. And when Bogdan the Polish builder talks to Matya the Hungarian nanny about the affluent Londoners they are working for, it’s fascinating.
7) Read the interview with Peter Bowker (who adapted Capital - page 14). What are his favourite scenes in the drama and why?
Christmas morning where Roger has been abandoned and left to look after his two 15 children are one that Euros (Director) has done brilliantly.I also love the Kamals’ chaotic family meals. They are quintessentially archetypal family scenes that everybody lives through but played with great comedic panache. And when Bogdan the Polish builder talks to Matya the Hungarian nanny about the affluent Londoners they are working for, it’s fascinating.
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?
The novel really spoke to me as it has a sweeping Dickensian ambition to it, all living in one street. I
loved the sense of this big, expansive panorama of life as well as the small details of human
behaviour. The whole of London seen through the microcosm of one street. And the characters are
so complex, real and believable.
It definitely speaks to me about where London and the country are now. The obsession with property,
the fact that London house prices have risen extraordinarily, has only intensified the sense of a
society of haves and have-nots.
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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?
Showing all the characters shows the drama is a multistrand narrative and use of placing reviews on the top and bottom gives some publicity to the show.
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?
Showing all the characters shows the drama is a multistrand narrative and use of placing reviews on the top and bottom gives some publicity to the show.
2) What does the use of design and images suggest to the audience about the drama?
The silhouette of London on the top shows how it is a state of the nation drama and the use of geometric shapes that assemble all together shows how the characters lives are assembled like a large jigsaw puzzle.
3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?
3) How are review quotes used on the cover and what do they suggest to the audience about sub-genre, narrative and audience pleasures?
The reviews are placed on top of the characters and on the bottom to make sure viewers see it first and know the show is valued.
4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?
4) What representation of London does the DVD packaging offer?
The colours of the DVD show the rigid lives of London and silhouette gives a positive representation of London.
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