A2- MEDIA COUSEWORK- ANALYSE DOCUMENATRY

1. 12 year old lifer- Documentary

2. Type of documentary
The 12 year old lifer is a mixed documentary as it included many different elements, such
as:
• Interviews with a variety of people, the two boys (Colt and Paul), family members,
police officers, prison guards etc.
• Rule of thirds- interviews (particularly with Paul and Colt) had them sat on the further
corner in the screen and looking in to the other parts of the screen to the non- visible
interviewer.
• Elements of voice of God- no particular narrator. There were some voice of god
narrations of audio from interviews with similar images/ footage to go along.
• Archive Material- Mug shots of the boys, pictures (before the crime, arriving at prison,
3 years later), Three different news report of the crime and footage of the boys being
interrogated and confessing.
• Range of opinions/ perspectives- It shown the parents of Paul feeling disillusioned with
him participating and him being bullied into doing it, while also showing Colt saying
Paul seemed fine with doing it (no bullying involved).

3. Themes
The main themes which seem apparent during the documentary are:
• Family disputes
• Teenage crime
• Prison life
• Teenagers being impressionable on others
• Children/ teenagers growing up/ living in prison

4. Narrative structure
Circular narrative with some complex elements- The documentary begins with the ending
result (the murder of Colt’s stepdad) and then went back to introduce the culprits (Colt and
Paul) and looking into how and why they murdered him. The documentary goes into looking
at how life continued for both of the boys (separately) and their families. Paul was in a young
offenders unit and appeared to improve his aspirations for himself and his future; became a
star prisoner for others. He is being prepared to move onto adult prison whereas Colt went
there straight away (making him the youngest there). They are ending with simply adjusting
to prison life and trying to move on from the crime they have committed. There is at least no
mystery, everything is cleared up.

5. Camerawork
There are many different types of camera shots/ movements during the documentary,
such as:
• Establishing shot- this was to show the audience that the crime was committed in a
normal, quiet neighbourhood.
• A tracking shot was used whilst the boys were being arrested- this is so the audience
can see the whole seen and enhances the tension/ serious aspect.
• There are a few long shots when the boys are being taken home, this is to show the
night life and reminds the audience the young age the boys are and that they
shouldn’t be there.
• A close up was used on the police tape- a reminder of how serious the crime is.
• Rule of thirds- during the interviews (in particular with Paul and Colt) which had them
sat in one third of the shot and them talking to the other two thirds (to the unseen
interviewer)

6. Mise-en-scene
• Most of the interviews took place in prison which was relevant to the subject/topic of
the documentary.
• The boys wore typical prison clothes which is a constant reminder of the crime they did.
• The boys family were shown at home.
• The boys were shown at the police station when being interrogated.
• The setting of a park is shown quite frequently to remind the audience of the young age
the boys were- the shock of the crime.
• Reconstruction of parts of the crime- sneaking into and walking around the house in
search for the step dad.

7. Sound
Non- diegetic sound: Eerie music is used frequently throughout the documentary which
enhances the uneasy feeling for the audience and the reminder that it is a serious murder.
A camera sounding effect was used whenever a picture of the boys or the stepdad flashed
on the screen.
Diegetic sound: Voice over audio from interviews, Dialogue along with image from the
interviews. Sounds from cars and night life in Peru when the boys were out and found by
the police.

8. Editing
• Pace of editing: It was generally fairly slow, particularly during the interviews as the
mood was accepting of the crime (towards the end) and was trying to get as much
information out of the interviews as possible. However, during the reconstruction, the
speed was much quicker as it was increasing tension and anxiety levels so the audience
knew the murderous moment was upcoming.
• There was use of a “fade in/fade out” when the boys are running away to Peru.

9. Archive Material
There are a few instances of archive material used throughout the documentary in order to
help support the evidence and narration of the story:
• Towards the beginning of the documentary, images of the boy’s prison mug shots flashed
onto the screen, followed by past pictures of them (pre crime), followed by pictures just
post crime and then 3 years later. Also, pictures of the boys during the space pan of their
life (especially when they were younger) and of the man they murdered is flashed on
during a few points during the documentary.
• There are about 3 different news reports reporting the murder outside the crime scene,
saying they had “slayed” the step father.
• There is also police footage of the two boys being interrogated separately and confessing.

10. Graphics
There were not too many graphical elements to talk about within the documentary however
there were a couple to point out:
• The introductory title of the documentary (also shown after each commercial break) is up
against a white brick wall which gives the representation of prison which connects with the
themes of the documentary (the two boys in prison).
• The names of the interviewee’s and their connection to the story/ crime (whether its by
relation or career) typically was laid in the bottom left hand corner.