Capital: Case study blog tasks

   Capital: Case study blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to build a detailed case study for Capital. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question. Remember, for this CSP the question could be on any of the key concepts: language, industries, audiences or representations.

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?

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?

Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for Capital:



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

The director employed fast paced multiple focusing on the struggles of the people rather than the glamorous city life.

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

The trailer introduces tension and mystery through snapshots of the characters' issues, letters being delivered, pictures being taken which sparks curiosity about what is happening.

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 article defines the state of the nation genre as using interlinked and multiple narratives, with a large cast to capture the nations status. Capital closely fits this criteria

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

It has been filmed in Pepys Road in London, that offers a focused outlook that is representative of the city of London

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

Major themes arehousing, economic contrast, and immigration

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

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

The article concludes that Capital reflects the state of the nation by showing the consequences of capitalism, with the banks depicted as criminal.

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?

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

Chelps the BBC meet its public service broadcasting obligations by providing socially relevant drama that reflects contemporary issues.

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

Kudos, the production company behind Capital, has undergone ownership changes, and is a subsidiary of the Endemol Shine Group.

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

David Hesmondhalgh's ideas on cultural industries can be applied to Capital as it reflects the intersection of creative production, industry, and broader economic forces.

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

Capital meets genre conventions of crime and social realism by blending these elements with a focus on socio-economic issues, particularly in urban settings.

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

The DVD packaging for Capital conveys its serious and socially conscious themes, with design elements that hint at the drama’s urban and gritty tone.

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

Using an audience theory from the factsheet, Capital might engage viewers emotionally or intellectually, prompting reflection on issues like class and wealth.

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

The factsheet suggests that binary oppositions in Capital reflect societal divides, such as wealth inequality and the differing political and moral stances of characters.

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.

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  
London: Gentrification and inflation making houses worth more, hence home owners were described as "millionaires" 

Family gender and ethnicity: Islamic stereotypes of extremism (volunteer for Syria) are enforced, however subverted by the close-knit warmth of Kamals family. 

Many cuts+Sepia filter lead to a montage-esque scene, creates a sense of nostalgia

Immigration, asylum, aging: 

Immigrants are integrated into London life through Kamal's family, and also through the polish builders. 

Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10

London: Wide angle establishing shot of London, showing the size and busyness of it. 

Over the shoulder shot on the underground reinforces the busyness of London, which also ties into the overall wealth and power of the city.

Family gender ethnicity religion: The lack of women in Roger's workplace highlights existing gender imbalances in the world of finance

Issues: Work, Capitalist, inequality, wealth, etc: Competitive field of finance is emphasised through the mentioning of  "bonus season", with the stark inequality in London also being highlighted, with the £75 million in profits made by the banking firm. 

Issues: Immigration, ageing, asylum: Ageing: A theme of young vs old is displayed by a conflict presented between Mark and Roger. "No need to go too heavy on the terminology Mark" in a patronising tone is said by Roger. Many cuts between Roger and Mark are also made, creating a theme of contrast between Mark and Roger, also further emphasised by Over-the-shoulder shots.

Immigration: Roger's boss in German, which further emphasises how immigrants have internalised in London and how Western Europeans had moved into London being employed in high-paying jobs.

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

Gender, ethnicity, and religion: Gender: Traditional gender roles are emphasised, where Roger is the main breadwinner, and Arabella is a housewife who discusses how Roger's money should be spent, and she mentions the children

Issues: Capitalism, work, inequality: Roger and his wife are displayed as extremely privileged and careless. Roger: "You'd be surprised how little £1m covers these days" shows the huge wealth inequalities displayed in London in an exaggerated form. 

Scene 4: asylum 18.03 – 19.42 AND 31.10 – 32.40

London: Quentina as a character represents another side of London that was not represented by Roger, Petunia or Kamel, which again shows the diversity of London.

Family, gender ethnicity and religion: Stereotypes are subverted by the Black female lawyer, and the fact that Quentina is a christian. Asylum seekers in the media are usually represented as Muslim. This scene also emphasises female exploitation rampant in London.

Immigration, Asylum, aging, etc.: Quentina as a character displays how people flee to London as an escape, and to make a livelihood, and how they are just trying to survive
Scene 5: “What use is 30 grand?” 36.40 – 39.00 

London: The overhead crane shots of London shows the buzzing nature of the financial centre of the world.

Issues: Capitalism, work, inequality: This scene shows how work life and culture of London has a chokehold on the people, for example Roger losing his mind after seeing his bonus. Roger is also very out of touch with the value of money, as he is very privileged.
Scene 6: life at the corner shop 40.10 – 42.55

London: Kamel and Arabella live on the same street yet do not know each other, which shows the disconnect in London communties. However this is subverted as Kamel shows neighbourly qualities and lends Arabella a vegetable.

Gender, family,ethnicity, religion: In contrast with Roger;s family, this family is very interconnected and together, however conflict is shown through religion. One brother has more western values whereas his brother is more traditional, causing conflict.

Gender roles are emphasised as a male heads their family.

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?

Stereotypes are rampant throughout Capital, however often being also subverted. Capital uses stereotypes to effectively display key themes to an audience in an easily understandable way, with stereotypes being reinforced by the nature of Roger being a breadwinner, but also subverted as his wife has power over him.

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.

Kudos is a British film production company formed in 1992 and is part of the shine group. The studio has been bought by Banijay in 2020, but had been previously controlled by News Corp.

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

BBC, ITV, amazon, Sky, Netflix and Channel 4.

Won 2021 Venice TV award of best comedy, best performance by an actor Emmy, and best mini series Emmy.

3) How does Capital help the BBC to fulfil its remit as a public service broadcaster? You may want to look back at our work on public service broadcasting last term. 

Inform: Capital informs people about the stark class differences and the effect of the 2008 financial crisis and how it affected housing prices and inflation.

Educate: Capital educates people about the diversity of London and teaches them about class difference.

Entertain: Capital allows the audience to immerse themselves into the lives and problems of the series as a story is built throughout the series