Deutschland 83

Deutschland 83's channel 4 trailer uses the format bars to split the page into two sections, which shows the divide in Germany in 1983 where the east side of Germany were communists and the west side took in capitalism and were developing a lot more rapidly than the east side. The split in between the page can also represent the protagonists divide in ideals where he has grown up in the east side and has become a soldier with little choice in culture, food, etc because of the communist approach the east side took. Sending him over the wall as a spy however has shown him a new side to Germany he has never experienced, one filled with booming markets with a wide array of choice for brands and a rich and diverse culture. With these two ideals conflicting each other it would suggest that later in the show the protagonist needs to make a decision on whether he will stay in east Germany or take a side with west Germany, this will set the atmosphere and tone for Deutschland 83 as being one of great tension and drama and a lot of action with the gruff man punching someone into the ground and the explosion near the end of the trailer.

We, as a viewer, can see the protagonists facial expressions when is in his home of the east side of Germany, his face appears to be emotionless and with a lack of a smile, raise of eyebrows or even a frown. This represents the protagonist as a man who has given into the communist regime of the east side and become accustomed to the mundane life of worker and solider, however, this shows that he is easily influenced as well because not many people would agree with a communist view however he has been manipulated to believe that this is the way life is meant to be. It all changes as he goes over the border however, when he reaches the markets in the trailer his face lights up with fascination and curiosity, finally showing emotion and it also plants a question in his mind; Why is life not like this back home? It is the same when he gets hold of headphones and a cassette player as well because even here his face becomes glazed with a endearing grin whilst his head bobs showing that he is becoming accustomed to life in the west side and wants to finally feel emotions like: happiness, love, curiosity and confusion because those are the things that give a person life and personality and he wants a new chance to start over and finally feel those things.

In conclusion, we as a viewer, are meant to interpret the facial expressions as development in character and witness the protagonist grow from an emotionless solider who follows orders to someone who can make his own decisions and finally feel enjoyment in his life. Also the split bars layout works perfectly with this setting as it shows the historical divide between east side Germany (communists) and west side Germany (capitalists) and instantly sets the stage for the audience as they can tell that this show will be filled with tension between the two factions.