The Killing overview
Contexts
The Killing is a Danish crime thriller series created by Soren Sveistrup and co produced by DR (danish broadcasting cooperation) and ZDF enterprises who hold international distribution rights.
The Killing season 1 episode 1 was first broadcast on the Danish national tv channel DR1 in 2007 and has also been shown in other countries such as the UK on BBC4 through ZDF enterprises.
The regular audience figures in Denmark were 1.7 million and in the UK there was around 500,000 viewers (mainly middle class) per episode. The killing exemplifies the popularity and success of Danish television drama and demonstrates the first class TV drama can be produced in Europe.
The Killing has had global success but it particularly spread across Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. The Killing was so successful that an American remake was produced by Fox 21 television studios for the US domestic market, which Netflix globally distributed in 2014.
The Killing also won awards for best international drama series including a BAFTA in 2011.
In episode 1, the detective chief inspector Sarah Lund is the centre of the narrative. Each episode represents a day in the police murder investigation- it is a 'whodunnit' narrative. The such elongated story telling allows for detailed exploration of the emotional reaction of the victims family and friends to a horrific killing- which isnt usually represented in TV crime dramas.
Sarah Lund is represented as petite, feminine and charming: a female detective wearing jeans and sweater while she investigates a brutal killing.
The Killing is described as 'nordic noir' as a way of defining its stylistic and narrative elements. The Killing employs a visual style that relies upon open, forloan spaces where it is often cloudy or rainy, and interior shots with muted lighting (warm) with a monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look to the drama.
The Killing episode 1 is set in the Danish capital city, Copenhagen, and is filmed as a crime drama with elements of family drama and melodrama (dramatic with emotional events) overlaid. This hybrid mix was intended by producers to attract both male and female audiences. Episode 1 presents different perspectives on the crime with a narrative that unfolds at a slow pace to reflect the cases daily progress in each episode.- each 50 minute episode reflects a 24 hour period of the investigation with the first series consisting of 20 episodes. This makes it a European long form television drama.
It also reflects the economic context of a small, publicly owned national broadcaster that can finance just one long form drama per season. This is only achievable with cooperation with other European television producers. Only 5% of Danish drama is financed by the Danish public service license fee. DVD box sets and international co producers like BBC4 and distribution ans cooperation agreements have aided the global success of Danish Dramas, including the killing. It is known as producing high quality dramas, with the recognition of the public.
Representations
The Killing is a Danish crime thriller series created by Soren Sveistrup and co produced by DR (danish broadcasting cooperation) and ZDF enterprises who hold international distribution rights.
The Killing season 1 episode 1 was first broadcast on the Danish national tv channel DR1 in 2007 and has also been shown in other countries such as the UK on BBC4 through ZDF enterprises.
The regular audience figures in Denmark were 1.7 million and in the UK there was around 500,000 viewers (mainly middle class) per episode. The killing exemplifies the popularity and success of Danish television drama and demonstrates the first class TV drama can be produced in Europe.
The Killing has had global success but it particularly spread across Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. The Killing was so successful that an American remake was produced by Fox 21 television studios for the US domestic market, which Netflix globally distributed in 2014.
The Killing also won awards for best international drama series including a BAFTA in 2011.
In episode 1, the detective chief inspector Sarah Lund is the centre of the narrative. Each episode represents a day in the police murder investigation- it is a 'whodunnit' narrative. The such elongated story telling allows for detailed exploration of the emotional reaction of the victims family and friends to a horrific killing- which isnt usually represented in TV crime dramas.
Sarah Lund is represented as petite, feminine and charming: a female detective wearing jeans and sweater while she investigates a brutal killing.
The Killing is described as 'nordic noir' as a way of defining its stylistic and narrative elements. The Killing employs a visual style that relies upon open, forloan spaces where it is often cloudy or rainy, and interior shots with muted lighting (warm) with a monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look to the drama.
The Killing episode 1 is set in the Danish capital city, Copenhagen, and is filmed as a crime drama with elements of family drama and melodrama (dramatic with emotional events) overlaid. This hybrid mix was intended by producers to attract both male and female audiences. Episode 1 presents different perspectives on the crime with a narrative that unfolds at a slow pace to reflect the cases daily progress in each episode.- each 50 minute episode reflects a 24 hour period of the investigation with the first series consisting of 20 episodes. This makes it a European long form television drama.
It also reflects the economic context of a small, publicly owned national broadcaster that can finance just one long form drama per season. This is only achievable with cooperation with other European television producers. Only 5% of Danish drama is financed by the Danish public service license fee. DVD box sets and international co producers like BBC4 and distribution ans cooperation agreements have aided the global success of Danish Dramas, including the killing. It is known as producing high quality dramas, with the recognition of the public.
Representations
- Politics and the media are shown to be mostly male-dominated
- Women are represented as skilled professionals, such as journalists
- Masculinity is represented as positive from a female perspective
- Danish family life is at the heart of the drama, reinforcing family values
- Denmark is represented as a multicultural society
- Welfare state in Danish society
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