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?

• The Guardian review highlights how Capital, which explores the diversity and evolution of the lives of its leading characters, manages to paint an allegorical picture of the vast metropolis of London in a relatively short amount of time. The star cast and the characters' relatability are highlighted in the London Evening Standard review. 

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?

• In particular, the Guardian review highlights Capital as a drama about the state of the nation and praises its portrayal of a complex London ("How much of a city of 8.5 million can you get into one south London street?"). and Capital is described as "a series that truly gets it" in the London Evening Standard review.
  

Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for Capital:

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

• The trailer uses a combination of medium close-ups and close-ups to show the diversity of people and lifestyles in London. To accurately portray the location, numerous camera pans from aerial shots are also employed.

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

• The trailer introduces separate narrative strands through its quick paced editing and cuts.

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?

• State-of-the-nation dramas set out to offer social or political commentary. Capital’s main focus is alluded to in its title. It is set in the build up to the banking crash of 2008 and in some ways acts as a satire on the impact of capital – money – on everyday lives.

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

• In the context of a multi-stranded production, London makes sense because it draws people from all over the nation and the world. As seen by the establishing shots at different points in the first episode, concentrating the action on a single street then aids in giving the story some focus.

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

• People with ties to the street are used to address some of the themes. Quentina, a traffic warden who was born in Zimbabwe, serves as a vehicle for exploring immigration. We also have foreign-born nannies and Polish builders. Petunias stand for continuity and community. Important life events are depicted in the opening scene, all on the street: marriage, parenthood, ageing, and losing her spouse. Then, we see her receiving assistance from Ahmed in the corner store.

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

• The majority of the other characters pit Arabella and Roger against each other as "good" people. We have Ahmed, who is also very community-minded, Petunia, who is borderline racist, the diligent Eastern European builders, and Quentina, who is vivacious despite being a traffic warden. Simple drama is created by portraying rich versus poor, good versus evil, and diligent versus careless. Even though Ahmed is presented as helpful and kind, Islamic fundamentalism is still a part of his family's story. A man named Iqbal pays a visit to one of his brothers and makes anti-Western remarks. Iqbal is seen using a laptop in a surreptitious manner, which is likely connected to terrorist activities.

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

• You can choose which aspects to focus on for each scene: e.g. London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, aging etc. Feel free to use bullet points for each scene - a summary of your notes is fine.

Capital Media Factsheet

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login) to find Media Factsheet #194 on Capital (BBC TV Drama). 

Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

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

• The various residents provide different perspectives on the multistranded narrative. The drama's focus on the status of the country is further illustrated by the characters. Petunia Howe (number 84) and Roger and Arabella Yount (number 92) are the main subjects of Episode 1. The corner store's proprietors, the Kamal family, and Quentina Mkfesi, a PhD-holding religious asylum seeker employed illegally as a traffic warden, are also introduced to us. The conflicts between various cultural groups are reflected in the interactions between the characters, and the various character roles are rapidly communicated through clothing.

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

• Capital was produced for the BBC, and fulfils the requirements of a public service broadcaster. The BBC are primarily funded by the licence fee, and has a set of values and public purposes that govern the content that is produced. Fundamentally the BBC seek to educate, inform and entertain.

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

• The ownership of Kudos reflects a horizontally integrated company.

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

• A key idea that Hesmondhalgh discusses is that the cultural industries are a 'risky business'. Kudos is a horizontally integrated company, which helps to reduce the risk created by producing shows such as Capital. 

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

• 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.

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. It also shows the London skyline which makes the setting also easily recognisable.

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

• Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory applies to Capital as audiences may watch the show for personal identification, due to its nuanced and diverse representation of Londoners shown in its characters.

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.

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, ageing and more.

These notes from a lesson analysing these clips will help with this element of the case study. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document.

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

Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10

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

You can choose which aspects to focus on for each scene: e.g. London, family, gender, ethnicity, religion, immigration, asylum, inequality, wealth, aging etc. Feel free to use bullet points for each scene - a summary of your notes is fine.

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?

• Through its characters, Capital both exploits and subverts stereotypes found in British society. Both Arabella and Roger are portrayed as arrogant and oblivious to their own privileges, reflecting stereotypes about upper middle class people. The 'banker and rich wife' archetypes serve to further the anti-capitalist beliefs of the show. The show fails the Riz test because the Kamal family's narrative still includes Islamic fundamentalism and mentions of terrorism, portrays one of the men as resistant to Western culture, and portrays some Muslims as anti-modern or "backward." Nevertheless, it could be argued that the Kamal family still adheres to racial and religious stereotypes, despite an evident attempt to show some nuance of the British Asian and Muslim experience. 

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.

• In late 2006, the company was sold to Shine Limited for around £35m. In 2015, it was included in a 50–50% joint venture between 21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Management's Endemol and CORE Media Group, as Endemol Shine Group.

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

• Kudos 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 (US:MI5), Hustle and Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes.