Research and Development

This is where I will document all my research for the documentary project.

The Attack on Wembley (2024):

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorize this as?

Sports crime documentary.

2. Who is the target audience?

English people - They are appealed since this crime happened in London, UK which they are citizens of, making them essentially involved.

Sports fans and Football enthusiasts - This event happened in a stadium because the victory of one team for the first time in a long time in sports. The crime itself involves one of the most iconic stadiums in the world, which naturally appeal to sport fans who keep up with sports stories as well as are interested in the famous football players.

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

- The narrative went from positive (hyping up the event) to showing all the chaos that happened.

- The “crime” scene was recorded.

- They interviewed parties that were related to the crime.

- Suspenseful loud sound effect to show how intense the crime was.

- They used seemingly real footage and radio recordings of the actual event.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

One convention that it definitely subverted was the usual convention of having the crime be documented at night. The sky was bright blue during this documentary as the crime was committed during the day but it didn’t reduce the intensity of the documentary. 

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

Camera

The opening had establishing shots to show the place where the crime occurred. This created suspense as the Wembley Stadium was portrayed as very “cool” and you wouldn’t think anything bad would happen because it has been described as such a significant location (put on a pedestal). This hermeneutic code by Barthes helps to build suspense as the audience doesn’t know what to expect next. 

Sound

During the beginning of the opening, the music used was very uplifting and “hopeful” but when the chaos started, there was a large contrast as it started to become loud and intense, making the audience become more on edge as it was unexpected. 

Mise-en-scene

What the producers did was add at least one individual from each party involved in this crime. During these short interview scenes, it is noted that the backgrounds for each individual corresponded with their role in this event. Although it might seem simple at first glance, this detail allows the audience to wonder the what these people did. This allows room for assumption by using the hermeneutic code by Barthes, leaving the audience to have their own suspicions, potentially raising suspense.

Edit

Similarly to the other details I've mentioned, this introduction clearly utilizes the element of surprise and centralizes around the hermeneutic code by Barthes. It is noted that the clips during the beginning, mainly showing the environment surrounding the Wembley Stadium are longer and more drawn so that the audience is able to absorb the seemingly magnificent view. This is of course cut short by the array of short, clips filled with chaos once the disaster was starting to be described. Again, the long drawn clips in the beginning helps to catch the audience of guard as looking at the view could be more relaxing at first, leaving the audience to wonder.

What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I think I was inspired by the way they laid out their interviews as it showed what the parties were involved in during the crime. This helps the audience become more immersed into the scene as each setting showed a glimpse of the individual being interviewed.

Worst Roommate Ever (2024):

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorize this as?

Attempted homicide or survivor story documentary.

2. Who is the target audience?

Young adults - This would appeal to young adults and the female audience as the crime shown in this documentary occurred when the criminal and the victim were both young adults and female. This provides the audience with a sense that a crime like this could happen to them to, making them watch it to potentially prepare for the unlikely scenario.

People with roommates - This crime happened between roommates so people with roommates may want to watch this to see signs that they potentially need to be wary of to avoid this crime happening to them to.

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

- They used pictures from the actual crime or authentic pictures.

- The survivor is retelling the story, giving straightforward information of the main issue in the crime.

- The “crime” scene was recorded.

- They put the “interesting information” as the hook of the documentary.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

One convention they did subvert was not showing a footage of the “suspect or criminal” in the investigation room with the police officers. Normally during these types of documentaries they often add that to show the true nature of the criminal.

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

Camera

Again, they used establishing shots to show a seemingly nice and peaceful neighborhood where you wouldn’t expect a crime to happen. This leaves room for the audience to be suspicious or anxious for what happens next.

Sound

They used a lot of discordant and loud sounds in order to give a more dramatic effect while retelling the details of the crime. This usually connotes to disaster, therefore giving the audience an eerie or uneasy feeling. 

Mise-en-scene

The coloring of the introduction was noticeably quite dark and had less saturation. This makes the scene look unsettling like what would be experienced in a horror movie as darkness and dull colors usually connotes to fear and general unhappiness.

Edit

In post production they added a bunch of red color tint on the screen while describing some details of the crime to make it seem more gruesome. Throughout the introduction, they also added a lot of glitching effects which could give some of the audience a bit of a startle. The combination of all this makes the scene builds up a general theme of scariness and suspense.

What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I think that the blood effects helped the gruesome nature of the story settle more as it was bright red, contrasting all the other dull parts of the scene. 

Jimmy Savile - A British Horror Story (2022):

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorize this as?

Sexual assault and predatory crime documentary.

2. Who is the target audience?

British people and previous fans of Jimmy Savile  - Jimmy Savile was an extremely famous and prominent figure for all British in the past, especially since he even was once affiliated with royalty. Because he was always shown on British TV shows, almost if not all British people knew him. This documentary could evoke a sense of curiosity in British people and fans who have only seen his "good side". They become attracted essentially due to the star appeal.

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

- The narrative went from positive (hyping up the and showing all the positive side to the criminal) to showing all the chaos that happened.

- They interviewed parties that were related to the crime.

- Suspenseful loud sound effect to show how intense the crime was.

- They used seemingly real footage and radio recordings of the actual event.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Based on the previous crime documentaries I've watched, this opening did seem to conform to the usual conventions for this genre.

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

Camera

On most of the scenes even though they are taken from real life footage of the criminal, the producers often chose clips with close up shots in order to clearly show us Savile's face and appearance which at first glance seems friendly. I am unsure if this is intentional, but in some of these scenes Savile's eyes seem to be dull which would be considered unsettling. This could build suspense as the audience tries to figure out what is wrong with him. 

Sound

Since most of the opening consisted of spliced up real footage of Jimmy Savile and his show, there was a conscious choice to keep the sound of the noise there instead of editing it out. Besides making the scenes seem more authentic, the noise also could be interpreted as creepy as it sounds disturbing and is constantly going on in the background. This may heighten the feeling of suspense.

Mise-en-scene

The coloring of the scenes seemed very saturated, highlighting the eccentric and seemingly bright personality of Savile. Although saturation could usually connote to happiness, in this scenario it helped to further add more suspense as the colors seemed almost unnatural and inhuman.

Edit

There were some scenes where the footages of Savile were interrupted by a grey background with bold statements relating to his crime. For the audience who were not paying much attention to the sound or background describing the crime, this could help them to become aware much more quicker and ask more questions, building suspense.

What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I liked the grainy effect and the almost vintage style of the introduction since the crime was carried out quite a long time ago, therefore the footage of the criminal was in bad quality. However, instead of making it bad, this actually helped the scenes to feel creepy, therefore I might want to implement that into my own project.

Girl In The Picture (2022):

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorize this as?

Homicide.

2. Who is the target audience?

Women (young adults from 20-30) - When this string of crimes occurred, the victim passed on at a very young age. Women around the age of the victim may become interested in watching the documentary as they feel as if they are able to relate more to the victim and should also watch out for the thing that happened in the crime.

Fathers and mothers - Since the criminal of this case was the father, parents may want to watch the documentary to see what may potentially happen if they let their guard down and disregard dangers just because someone is a parent and doesn't seem like they have the heart to harm anyone.

People who live near the area of the crime - Naturally, since the crime occurred near them, this evokes a sense of fear and curiosity since a crime like this could have or will potentially happen to them, leading them to watch it out of curiosity of what the crime may have been like.

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

- There is a reenactment of the crime scene. 

- There is a person narrating the details of the crime.

- Suspenseful loud sound effect to show how intense the crime was.

- They used dark colored scenes for most of the introduction.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

It kind of subverted the conventions for this genre because usually, they would use actual clips of the criminal and real video footage of interviews but instead, they just chose to act out the crime scene instead.

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

Camera

Through observation, it is clear to see that the producers intentionally hid the actors or characters faces to build a sense of mystery in the start. This way the audience will ask: Who is she? What happened to her? What did her husband do? It gives the audience a sense of wanting to know more after watching the opening.

Sound

The sound of the narration of the crime is very loud and clear which gives the audience a bit of a sense of understanding of the scene, however there is really loud discordant sounding synth that plays in the background of the narration, building a sense of unease as the audience may wonder: Does the situation get worse than this?

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene builds suspense by using more dull or darker colors for the scenes. Audience’s minds may interpret dull and dark colors with a sense of danger or a sense of mystery especially because in some scenes, the lighting makes some details of the clip harder to see.

Edit

Similar to other crime documentaries, in some scenes, the opening for this documentary has a glitch effect that makes the scenes look a bit creepy. Usually, the glitching effect means that the video file is corrupted or broken in some way. This can be interpreted as this crime being almost cold and buried, therefore the crime video was almost broken in a way. This makes the audience feel uneasy, therefore building suspense.

What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I really liked how the crime was acted out as it made the audience more immersed in the opening. I think I may use some elements of that in the opening as I want the audience to interact with the opening in some way.

Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso (2023):

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorize this as?

Homicide documentary.

2. Who is the target audience?

Citizens of Indonesia - Especially since production of content from Indonesia is quite uncommon for Netflix to produce, this may attract the attention of Indonesian citizens.  Other than that, this case was already so big in Indonesia so the people may just watch the documentary just for surveillance (Uses and gratification by Katz and Blumler. 

Those from high social classes (elites) - Since both the victim and the criminal are from high social classes and families with higher than average reputations, elites may recognize them, making them watch the documentary out of curiosity and possibly relatability.

Regulars of the Cafe that the incident took place in - Regulars of the cafe most likely never expected something like this crime to happen there because it is not just a regular cafe, but a cafe catered specially towards the elite. Those regulars of the cafe may stumble upon this documentary and watch it due to the shock factor of this crime happening in their usual coffee shop and also just out of curiosity.

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

- They interviewed parties that were related to the crime.

- Recordings of the actual criminal in the courthouse.

- Images of the deceased victim.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

This opening seemed to take the more realistic approach compared to others, not using too many elements such as super loud background discordant music. It used a lot more real life footage than the other openings that I have watched, most likely since this crime and what happened in the court was recorded by news companies a lot more than for other crimes. Other than that, the opening showed the personalities of the parties involved instead of just having the regular question and answer format, allowing the audience to choose whose words they are willing trust based on their personalities.

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

Camera

For the camera, many of the clips of the criminal's court case were used in the opening. While this may just seem like a simple choice at first glance, by doing this, the audience is lead to wonder what the criminal must have done in order to gain so much attention and how severe the crime must have been. Again, this uses the Hermeneutic code by Barthes. The camera angle used in these clips are also high angles, making the criminal scene even more looked down upon or red-handed. 

Sound

The sound of the interview playing on the background allows the audience to keep track of the visuals happening on the screen. As the audience understands what is happening, this allows the opening keep the attention of the audience, making them more aware of what is happening. Other than that, the interview audio playing in the background conflict each other, one siding with the criminal and one opposing her. This may create a sense of tension as the audience must keep up with the conflicting ideas, resulting in a sense of suspense because one of them may be right and one may be siding with the wrong person. 

Mise-en-scene

The dark lighting creates a sense of anxiety as it connotes to the scenes being shrouded by mystery. Some of the clips chosen also show the criminal smiling so the audience can debate whether she is smiling because she knows she is innocent or if she is just a cold blooded killer. 

Edit

The edit of one of the scenes with the pictures of the victim and the criminal together, smiling again makes the audience have a sense of suspense as the audience may think "does the criminal not have a sense of shame smiling with the victim innocently like that" and makes the audience wonder what kind of person the criminal is behind the mask she puts on for the public and the media.

What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I liked the parts where they give us a little peek onto how the people interview acted and it was quite entertaining too. I'm not sure if I will use something similar for my team's documentary opening but I think that it would be pretty nice if we did as selectively constructing, picking and choosing the clips would help us steer the audience's dominant reading a certain way.

Clapper Board:

During media class, we learned about the clapper board. Although I knew what it was beforehand as it is quite iconic, I never thought that there would be a practical use for it. I learned that the clapper board is used to signify the start and ending of a scene and the scene number or attempt. For editors, they are able to see the wavelength of the audios recorded for scenes. Now, the use for the clapper board is to create a loud noise at the start and the end of the scene so that the editor saves time from searching through each recording for the parts that they will need to use. The loud noise created causes the wavelength to become a straight line which is very visible compared to other audios from the scene. The editor can now choose to cut the recording from when the line appears in the audio to when it appears the next time on the same recording. Since we don't have a clapper board, my team and I decided that we will just use the sound of us clapping to create the same effect that the clapper board does on a budget.

Here is the little drawing that our media teacher (Mr Nick) drew in order to demonstrate the capabilities of the clapper board. I personally think it was very effective and straightforward to understand!

Documentary Development:

The documentary development was written by me, Jasmine. I discussed with my team and we brainstormed, resulting in these ideas that we made. This also includes all the ideas we decided to scrap as well as why we decided to choose some options above others.

Documentary name development:

• Where did Christopher go?

Notes: We were inspired by the documentary: What Jennifer did Since it was a very simple title yet evokes the curiosity of the audience. It seems to do so by using the Hermeneutic code by Barthes by raising a statement which could be questioned that the audience can’t answer unless they watch the documentary and see for themselves.

• Two Weeks of Torment.

• In Plain Sight.

• Silent Street.

• The Chase for the Unforeseen.

We ended up choosing the title: Where did Christopher go? as it is very straightforward and catchy. We really like how it hooks the audience into watching the documentary as again, it asks a question that the audience can’t answer unless they watch the documentary. Aside from that, the title itself is the question that most people would ask in the scenario that the documentary sets.

Character ideas:

Criminal

Victim

Police

Here are the sketch concepts that I made for the potential police character that we unfortunately scrapped.

Ultimately, we decided not to have a police interview on the opening because it would consume too much of the screen time for the opening. We also wanted to make sure that the focus is mainly drawn to just the criminal and the victim, so removing an extra character would help us achieve that better. Instead, we will just have interview audios playing in the background from parties that are affiliated with the victim so that it would be more of a background chatter instead of something the audience needs to focus on entirely.

Character name development:

Harper: 

Harper is a name that denotes “one that plays the harp”. The harp connotes and symbolizes harmony, angels as well as a representation of life and death. Since the main idea of the concept for our documentary is the unexpected being the criminal, this name would be a great contrast to the personality and actions of the character. On the outside, Harper seems to live up to her name being known as kind and friendly. However, she is hiding a sinister part of herself as she was willing and able to kidnap someone seemingly bigger and stronger than her, contrasting the loving and soft nature of an angel.

Christopher:

Christopher is a name that denotes “bearing Christ”. Typically, this name connotes strength and reliability. Our team wants to portray the victim as someone who seems strong on the outside. By choosing this name, this could be portrayed. This will raise the question of how he got kidnapped by the audience as he may seem more superior in strength than the criminal, Harper. This aims to show that even if someone seems strong, they still can fall prey to crimes such as in this case, kidnapping.

Character development

The character development was recorded by Jocelyn while we discussed with other little details of the characters which could give them sort of a personality.

We discussed the personalities of the characters together as it may help us decide what the characters would do and act like in the documentary. In some scenes of the documentary, we are also planning to record audio of other students talking about the characters so this will also help direct what the other students will say about Christopher or Harper.

Christopher: 

At school: quiet kid, prefers to spend time alone, awkward, introvert, doesn’t like participating in class and gets picked on for that, has friends but doesn’t really hang out with them 

At home: spends time in his room playing games, doesn’t leave his room unless it’s necessary, doesn’t really talk to his parents because they’re rarely home due to work, only comes out to go biking 

Outfit: Something more suspicious or comfortable looking like a hoodie.

Harper:

At school: very cheerful, participates a lot in class (sometimes too much), always volunteers to be the leader in groups, very likable, friendly, pretty, popular, clumsy

At home: Always online so if anyone were to text her she would respond, when parents get home she always greets them, goes out a lot, always says yes to hangouts, she enjoys being in her house a lot (doing chores, texting other students, etc.)

General:

• Doesn’t open up to her friends, no one knows about her fully

• Too nice that it’s concerning

In the background audio, they could say something like this:

• “Harper has always been such a cheerful girl, she always makes people feel included! Everyone loved her.” 

• “I don’t know, she was always a little too much for me, i never liked having her around but she’s nice i guess. Too nice, sometimes.”

• “She’s always tripping on things and dropping things. I would have never expected her to do something so appalling, so well-planned, and thoroughly executed.”

Outfit: Something light-colored and soft looking.

I, Jasmine drew concept sketches for Harper and Christopher based on these characterizations as seen below:

Christopher:

Harper:

Casting:

Harper:

• Jasmine

• Rachelle

Rachelle and I were the main candidates for Harper especially since we look quite similar to each other. To take this into our advantage, I will take over the role of “real life” Harper while she would act in the recreation scenes since the actual criminal and the recreation actor can’t be the same person. 

Christopher:

• Thompson

• Devasya

• Jocelyn (Emergency)

Originally, we felt like our decision to choose Thompson for the role of Christopher was solidified, however due to him being unavailable in such a short notice even after recording some scenes with him already, we had to switch actors. Instead, our classmate Devasya accepted the role which was great since he is also quite tall which further solidifies the image of Christopher being stronger than Harper.

Shooting Locations:

We all decided to use Jocelyn’s house to shoot the project as it has a basement as well as it being in an area that is suitable (in a quite quiet neighborhood).

Ideas:

• Interviewing each party involved inside an “interview room” (just inside Jocelyn’s room).

• TV live interview scene which will happen somewhere outside of Jocelyn’s house or in the garage.

Reflection:

The first 5 analysis of the documentary openings were quite tedious and really slow to make but it did help a bunch for the documentary project. It helped me identify the typical genre conventions used in crime documentaries. After a while and watching all 5, it became apparent what similarities all crime documentary had with each other and how each documentary would subvert the conventions in their own ways. In producing our documentary, this helped us in deciding what details to add such as dark lighting in order to make our documentary opening fit the conventions of typical crime ones. Analyzing these documentaries also helped us identify the intentions of each one of those conventions and how they work together in order to attract audiences into watching the documentary.

Other than that, I also wrote the documentary development for this project. Writing down different ideas after brainstorming helped us collect our thoughts better and make the best choice when picking details such as the name of the characters, title of the documentary and etc. I had a lot of fun researching the denotations of the names for the characters.

One of the main problems I encountered during this process was the lack of motivation. During the start of the research it was actually quite fun since I got to watch documentary openings as well as research for creative ideas. However, after a while it became very very repetitive. While developing the ideas for the documentary, I also had hit multiple stumps where I would run out of inspiration and wouldn't know what direction to take for the development. This again made me lose a bit of hope. I did have fun with drawing the character ideas for the character concepts though!

Honestly, there wasn't really a big solution that I used to overcome this problem besides the extra motivation of the deadline pushing me to finish everything quickly due to my procrastination problem. Once I did get started though, I did get the momentum to finish all the research because I got out of my writer's block. I'm really glad I got this role because I think that my research and development of idea skills did definitely improve and it helped me to think creatively and more outside the box.