The killing

• danish broadcaster- DR
• danish tourist board used the shows filming locations for marketing
• DR- 3 tv channels, 7 radio stations
• german company- zdf
• sophie grabol- won several awards so audiences would be engaged
• foreign language may make it hard to watch for international audiences
• longform drama- each episode represented a day of the crime scene
• ZDF created a website to promote the show
• ofcom- regulate British television,
• the bbc had several complaints about numerous swear words in the subtitles
• 2007 - shown in denmark, 2011 in the UK
• the series was shown on BBC4 in 2011, as a part of the UK deal it was sold also to Arrow Films who could distribute it exclusively in the UK on home video/DVD
• the killing is an example of a trans-national contemporary media product
• The Killing has been sold to over 120 countries and won multiple international awards
• Forbrydelsen- the killing is a very popular critically acclaimed 2007 Danish TV detective drama series originally called Forbrydelsen which is Danish for 'the crime'
• series became very popular in 2011 in the UK where it was shown with English subtitles on BBC4 and gained very good reviews from the British Press, particularly in newspapers like The Guardian.
• The show's good reviews were followed up by a direct engagement section of the Newspaper who chaired an online forum and a full series episode guide
• BBC's remit- 'to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain'
• 20 x 24 hour episodes
• Long-form dramas can also provide excitement by having fast-

  paced elements within the narrative. The Killing combines both

  elements.
• The Killing features realistic characters, from Sarah Lund who

  struggles to balance her professional and domestic roles, to Pernille

  and Theis, who are loving parents but who make mistakes and react

  badly when under pressure. Viewers can identify with them and their

  situations, heightening the emotional connection with the

  programme. This type of engagement promotes audience loyalty,

  helps to retain viewers and encourages further audience interaction

  through social media and so on.
• There appears to be a male-dominated culture in her team (Sarah is

  given a sex doll as a joke present), but both Sarah and her

  colleagues appear comfortable with her place within the group.
• When Sarah is preparing to leave for Sweden, she looks relaxed and

  feminine. She is shown with her hair loose, wearing jeans and a T-

  shirt. When she begins the investigation, she ties her hair back and,

  for the rest of the episode, is shown wearing a Fairisle jumper and an

  overcoat. Sarah’s clothes and the fact that she wears very little make-

  up allow her to avoid a sexualised gaze. She is an attractive woman,

  but this is not presented as an important part of her character.
• There have been criticisms of crime dramas and other media

  products that use violence against women as a narrative device, in

  that they may:

  • naturalise violence against women

  • repeat the perception that women are weak and vulnerable

  • reinforce the idea that women are victims

  • deflect attention away from the violence experienced by males

  • offer prurient pleasures showing the brutalisation of women.
• A counter-argument, however, could be that the use of female victims

  in these narratives reflects the fact that women are statistically more

  likely to be the victims of violence. Some crime dramas do attempt to

  sensitise the audience to the violence to draw attention to the

  horrifying nature of these acts.
• The Killing offers a representation of a female victim who is

  terrorised, abused and discarded. However, it also offers a range of

  other women who, in their own ways, show strength and reject the

  idea of being solely victims. Women in The Killing are shown as

  strong within the home and the workplace, and their feminine

  characteristics are shown positively rather than being a problem to be

  overcome, but the programme also acknowledges that violence is

  also a reality for some women.
• egyptian remake- perhaps pushed an ideology, the killing let them do this, no female lead, could have gone against it, maximise audience
• Knights theory of prolonging the inevitable can be applied to the killing, as due to common features of the police procedural drama, the audience can assume the ending of the episodes always leave another problem for the next episode.
• slow-burn story telling, the series is known for its deliberate pacing, allowing the investigation to unfold slowly and building tension over time, longform drama
• GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER- the good reviews of the show were followed up by direct engagement from the entertainment section of the newspaper who chaired an online forum and full series episode guide. The Guardian felt that it's educated ABC1 target audience demographic would enjoy the series due to its gripping story, Danish culture and strong performances from its cast.
• NETFLIX REMAKE- its success meant that it was remade eventually by US TV and shown on Netflix. It had been sold to the international global market to over 120 countries and had won numerous international awards.
• Bandura's media effects theory applied- the mass media could influence or effect a passive audience directly and uniformly by shooting or injecting them with messages designed to trigger a response eg that women are in danger.
• Cultivation theory- Gerbner would say using his effects theory, called Cultivation Theory that Television appears to cultivate people's ideologies and beliefs. The more television you watch the greater the effect. This socialisation aligns people to the world they see on television. This can lead to common middle of the road views called mainstreaming and resonance which is when what people see in media such as Forbrydelsen with violence committed against female victims. This may also be what they experience and therefore resonates in their own lives.
• Mean world syndrome- finds that long-term exposure to television in which violence is frequent cultivates the image of a mean and dangerous world particularly in this case for women. So prolonged TV or gaming can make people feel that the world is more dangerous than it actually is.
• The equality displayed through Theis and Pernille Birk Larsen's marriage emphasises the importance of power, equality and diversity ideologically
• PRODUCER PIV BERNTH- described the broad appeal of the show as 'groundbreaking', and explained what she believed to be the root of its popularity. - The killing provides a range of representational areas to explore, including gender roles, family structures and the political class. it can be argued that these are innovative representations which have been influential in the development of the genre.
• such elongated storytelling allows for detailed exploration of the emotional reactions of the victims family and friends to a horrific killing, something not often presented in TV crime drama
• as DR are a psb, this means that they do not have to rely on the selling of advertising space to make profits, this allows for them to be able to take more risks with their programmes.
• the international co-production between DR and ZDF means companies can share costs, risks, resources and can lead to easier international distribution
• cast were not globally known- harder to sell as well as foreign language