Analysing a Documentary - Conmen Case Files

Type of Documentary
Mixed

Themes
Power of the Media
Conmen captures

Narrative Structure
Non Linear
Single Strand
Closed Narrative Structure

Camerawork
Interviews

• Framed to the left or right of the screen
• Eye level 3rd of the way down
• Medium close up
• One interview man is leaning against the wall

Camerwork

• Medium close up of security camera
• Reflection in camera lense of 2 people walking (creativity)
• Establishing shot of sussex (hometown of conman)
• Pan of beach
• Close up of cars
• Long shot of people walking along the promenade
• Pan up to show a location sign (moved locations)
• Close up of British flag waving
• Recording of camera recording
• Granada TV long shot - goes out of focus
• Long shot of Eiffel Tower
• Long shot of plane landing

Mise-en-Scene

• Brick wall behind interview (chromakey)
• Eiffel Tower
  
• Airport (both places the con artist has been)
• Offices of police investigators

I have used this image to show the brick in the background as a chromakey


Sound

• Voiceover - calm, standard english, clear, male, someone who is likely to be the same age as the con artist
• Printing sound
• Eerie music played htrough reconstructions

Editing

• Title sequence - omages of technology but with a blue light over it all and scrolling text
• Cut between interview and reconstructions
• Dissolve in and out of different interviews
• Printing in background and graphics fly over it as if they are newspaper headlines

Archive Material

• Reconstruction of people pretending to con
• Video footage from a dance club
• Pictures of conman
• Reconstruction of trying to rob cars etc
• Titled frame on still images spin into straight images or carry on spinning
• Slow motion reconstruction of paper documents printed out by police
• Slow motion of media taking photographs and trying to speak to conman

Graphics

• Title Sequence - red text
• Name of Person top line, relevance to the documentary second line, white text
• Location in white text
• Fade in names and relevance
• Credits, white text
  

The video below is a clip about one con artist that the show was about