Showing posts with label TV drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV drama. Show all posts

Berlin in the early 80's



Berlin in the early 80’s

Historical

Throughout the 50’s and 60’s, people continuously crossed between the border between east and west Germany to visit family and work. However, as communism grew in the east, the government decided to stop all people commuting by sealing off all point of entry into west Berlin. They then built a concrete wall, refraining from any refugees fleeing from the communist society. America was outraged by this and the west Berlin people expected to be helped.  In an attempt to reassure the West Germans that the United States was not abandoning them, Kennedy traveled to the Berlin Wall in June 1963, and famously declared, “Ich bin ein Berliner!” (“I am a Berliner!”). Since the word “Berliner” was commonly referred to as a jelly doughnut throughout most of Germany, Kennedy’s improper use of German grammar was also translated as “I am a jelly doughnut.” However, due to the context of his speech, Kennedy’s intended meaning that he stood together with West Berlin in its rivalry with communist East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic was understood by the German people.

During the lifetime of the wall, nearly 80 people were killed trying to escape from East to West Berlin. In late 1989, with communist governments falling throughout Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall was finally opened and then demolished. For many observers, this action was the signal that the Cold War was finally coming to an end.

Economic

To reduce dependence on imported fuels, East Germany sought to develop the capability of mining 285 to 290 million tons of lignite annually by 1985, a substantial increase over the 1980 production level of just under 260 million tons. On the consumer side, the government sought to hold prices for the basic necessities at existing levels, necessitating increasing subsidies from the state over time. The plan projected an expansion in supplies of consumer goods retail trade by 20 to 23 percent and net personal income by about the same amount. Housing construction was to continue to receive special attention, and more than 900,000 units were to be completed by 1985.

In the 1984-85 period, the agricultural sector registered a particularly good performance, and record harvests were reported. During the plan period, the state raised crop and livestock prices, and it eliminated subsidies to the input sector (for example, fuels, feedstuffs, and construction materials) to promote greater efficiency. The situation of the individual consumer deteriorated somewhat during the early years of the plan because of shortages and supply bottlenecks. In 1984 the growth rates in private consumption customary in earlier years resumed.

Social/ cultural

For one thing, housing was scarce and bare bones, the search for a room – not an apartment, just a single room or temporary sublet – way tougher than today. Everybody I knew lived in a shared flat, called a Wohngemeinschaft or WG, which packed in the bodies – as many as seven at a time when they would fit.

Many apartments were heated with coal burned in free standing ceramic ovens. The dirty, dusty briquettes were stored in heaps in the cellar. Firing up the oven was a laborious chore, and no matter how diligently you fed it, most coal ovens didn’t heat the whole apartment in the dead of winter (which in 1985-86, my first year in West Berlin, spelled sub-zero temperatures for months on end.)

Since wages were relatively high compared to accommodation – once you had a room, it was usually cheap – one could work for a few weeks and then coast for a month or more. Part-time work was plentiful, the city being severely depopulated and thus short on labour power, even though it was largely deindustrialized, too.”

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(Music) In the early 1980s the indigenous popular music in the GDR reached a high point with bands like The Puhdys, City, Karat and Silly. Furthermore, there was the possibility of a limited musical exchange between East and West Germany. Nevertheless, the bands and musicians had to fear censorship and the state influence.

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“Those regarded as oppositional or academic children, whose parents were not members of the communist party, were not allowed to study. It was the social engineering of the East German dictatorship. They wanted to ensure that children who were socialised at home to be independent thinkers and would not rise to any position.”

As the top student in her class, the seven year-old Mia had to bring her schoolmates to attention every morning and give a military salute to her teacher. Even then the schoolgirl was aware of the dreaded Stasi and the dangers they posed. We were aware of the fact that we really could not speak to anyone about certain things that were said at home.”
 
 

Tv Drama notes



Stranger things poster analysis



- The amount of people in the poster shows their will be multiple story lines. This attracts an audience to know who they are and what they go through.

- There is intertextuality within the poster crosses with ET by Spielberg show through the bikes and starry night.

-The characters at the top of the poster look afraid which suggests they have something to fear within the show.

-The center figure seems to have a power of some kind which is shown through the strength of her hand and her stare. This signifies that the show may be supernatural.

- The retro neon style font of the title suggests his show is set in the 80's which is further emphasises by the costumes and structure of the bikes. It can be said that this was influenced by Stephen King as he set many of his plays within this era.

- The barbed wire in the background connotes imprisonment of maybe more than one of the characters.

LFTVD VOCABULARY

  • Easter eggs - Hidden message or image.
  • Time shifting - Available to watch whenever you want.
  • VOD - A stream content through either a set-top box, a computer or other device, allowing viewing in real time or downloading it to a device such as a tablet.
  • PVR - A personal video recorder is an interactive TV recording device.
  • Streaming - A user does not have to wait to download a file to play it because the media is sent in a continuous stream of data so it can play as it arrives.
  • Terrestrial - A type of television broadcasting where the television signal is transmitted through radio waves.

Q. 1 News Language