interview with a murderer analysis

1. Interview with a Murderer

3. Type of Documentary Interview- the whole documentary was set out in an interview form because criminologist, David Wilson, who was the interviewer constantly asked Bert Spencer questions regarding the murder of Carl Bridgewater. The documentary had intercut fragments which allowed radio reports and pieces of evidence to play through In this documentary, the camera was often acknowledged by Bert Spencer as he was using direct address towards the audience to get his point across that he was an innocent man and deserved to have his name cleared

4. Themes • Crime- the main focal point of the programme as it investigates who murdered Carl Bridgewater • Justice- Bert Spencer, the man in the forefront of the investigation is looking for justice, to clear his name of murder. However, the theme of justice can also be viewed through the family of murdered schoolboy Carl Bridgewater as they want to find justice for their son and find the person who murdered him • Lies- many people throughout the process have told lies with the main culprit of telling lies being Spencer • Evidence- the use of evidence allows the police to gain access to the person who killed Carl. Any evidence leads to Spencer with some being wrong

5. Narrative Structure Linear- the narrators voice told us the story of what was taken place in the documentary. This was very strong at the beginning as the narrator told the background story of the case that the documentary would be investigating

6. Camerawork • Low Angle Shot- the camera man quite often used this style of shot to almost make the audience feel like they were inferior to the person speaking on the screen • Close-Up- another popular camera technique that was used whenever someone was speaking but not to another person, only the camera • Two Shot- used whenever Spencer was speaking with Wilson. This allowed the audience to gage how Spencer reacted to Wilson’s questions and how his body language changed

7. Over the Shoulder- this allows the audience to feel like they are watching in on the action as it takes place • Mid Shot- this was often used when Spencer made direct speeches towards the camera, he was viewed as the main point of focus due to a plain background and him in the centre • Camera Shake- another camera technique that allowed the audience to feel like they were really there as the action was being shot

8. High Angle Crab Shot- this style of shot was only used briefly but showed university students sifting through evidence • Long Shot- used when Spencer was walking away from the camera as the titles rolled • Zoom- this was used both in zooming in and out, this action was rather quick and would sharply change to zooming in or out. This allowed the audience to capture the persons emotions in crucial times when they were answering a question

9. Mid Shot Two Shot Long Shot Close-Up

10. Mise-En-Scene • Bert Spencer’s House- this was a key setting to the documentary as this house was where he was interviewed often. This is quite significant as it allows the viewer to see what his surroundings are like to create a better image of what Bert is like as person as our homes are often a way of showing someone your personality • Yew Tree House- the place where the murder took place. Was revisited and was mentioned often throughout because it was such a significant scene to explain the story of the documentary. This gives an eerie feeling surrounding the audience because by revisiting the house, you almost feel like you were there when the crime took place because you are given every piece of the story • Lab- University students looked at all given evidence in the case this makes the source more reliable because its a very professional setting • Staffordshire- where Bert lives now • The costumes for those in the documentary wasn’t set and didn’t link to the job that they did. All of those shown were dressed smartly

12. Sound Non-Digetic Sound- Narration played over the top of the archive material to tell the story of past events. Archive Material also falls in the category of non-digetic sound Digetic Sound- interviewer asking questions and direct audio towards the camera which can be heard in the trailer for the documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxImS3XkCYY

13. Editing • Long take- the most popular form of editing used as most of the shots were shown for a long period in time • Cut- also another popular form of editing as the shots would be either slowly cut or quickly cut with another shot to make it look seamless • Fade- often when archive material was used the shot would fade into the evidence • Dissolve- this wasn’t used often but was however used when the reconstructions were shown

14. Archive Material • Police Reports • Newspaper Articles • Mugshots • Photographs Cut always- television interviews and reports, Reconstruction from the 70s

15. Graphics • Names of people interviewed • Where the archive material was taken from • Name of the programme shown before and after adverts