The Thin Blue Line

Non-diegetic sound is also used fittingly in The Tall Man. In interviews, often there is subtle instrumentals playing. When the film is detailing more of the distressing components of this case, suspenseful and tense music is playing. One key scene where non-diegetic sound is utilised, is when a picture of Doomadgee is focused slowly zoomed to and in the background the song, “(San Francisco) Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair,” is playing. Not only was it one of Doomadgee’s favourite songs but the jovial melody forces viewers associate him with it. Effectively, emphasising that a good man wrongfully died.

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

The idea of a documentary being an artistic or even personalised expression of a director is long gone, or so it seems in recent times. In Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Bowling for Columbine, he attempts to get across to viewers his, and essentially only his point of view, on the topic of gun laws. Although what Moore is trying to say is not necessarily wrong, he is at the same time not taking into account the other side of the argument either; all he is trying to do, essentially is hypnotise viewers into thinking

Imagine capturing a homicide on film by accident when you are just a child. Well in this short story titled “Videotape” by Don DeLillo which was published in 1994, a young girl by the age of 12 was recording with a video camera when she caught a murder. The story is being told by a man who is watching this footage over and over again. He is clearly in awe and shock of what he is witnessing in the video. Witnessing a murder is not easy for some people, and sometimes people do not know how to react to these type of things.

Some examples of this pathos include the words spread across the screen claiming, “What you see on the news is a story 150 years in the making” (“13th, Trailer”). This is to say that African Americans have been fighting for freedom for longer than most think or assume, and this documentary is going to get to the bottom of that. This is the same way that the video uses Kalief Browder’s personal testimony to bring the audience to tears and just feel what Browder feels, emotionally binding you to the documentary and causing you to want to see it to empower this man who committed suicide to escape police brutality. Adding to this idea, pictures of the brutality and unjust treatment add to this pathological tempt. It forces the viewer to want to watch the documentary because it makes the viewer feel that bad for all of the people shown in the documentary simply because of how they are being treated. Thus, pathos is an effective tool used to convey the message of the documentary and draws readers

This allowed the audience to build an image of Emmet Till, which also something many documentaries fail to do. An ordinary documentary would give the audience cold hard facts about the case, The Murder of Emmet Till, however; builds upon emotion by building up these people like an author would build a character. The film uses the audience’s emotions to emphasize the importance and tragedy of this event, the use of emotion also encourages the audience to care more about what happened. Instead of relying on pure facts, which often only appeal to only some people, they use emotion which appeals to all and they, of course, include facts to support their overall

Richardson’s non-interventionist style is a prime example of observational documentary, and works specifically well in capturing and promulgating the subject of death. According to Nichols, observational documentaries started appearing in the 1960’s as result of more mobile and smaller equipment. Furthermore, observational documentary stresses non-intervention, as filmmakers objectively observe indirect speech, candidness in the form of long takes, and create a world out of historical reality not fabricated with

Thin Blue Line is a documentary directed by Errol Morris that centers around the murder of police officer Robert Wood, and the conflicting stories of Randall Adams, David Adams, and all others involved. To do so, viewers watch recurring reenactments of

In Dear Zachary, a film that captures the life of a deceased but soon-to-be father, the viewer is heavily influenced by impactful plot twists and various literary strategies. The filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, originally created the movie with the purpose of showing the father’s son, Zachary, how great of a man and father that he would have been. However, Kuenne’s argument shifts after Zachary is killed into one that criticizes the Canadian Court System and the killer. Through a buildup of sound, short and abrupt camera shots, and a negative voice inflection, Kuenne is able to support this argument.

This documentary can be sickening at some points, and this is done on purpose in tangent with Spurlock’s filmed experience. While the interviews and human interactions promote creditability and integrity, the spectacle of hair in foot, puking, surgery, and grossest animation serves to offset and drive the messages of the documentary. This use of collision montage heightens the reality of the argument by showing the rhetoric with the visual reality. Spurlock successfully edit the film in this manner while still being able to create a strait narrative piece in a classical Monroe

From the beginning of the film, the score was a peaceful piano piece that went along with the scenery. It was gentle and non-threatening. There is a flute, or other woodwind, that joins the piano, and this is when a car is seen driving by. Later strings join the ensemble and the music all continues to be soft. This reassured me that the movie would not be dark or overwhelming. The theme music and film’s focus on

The video has a compelling narrative that people, who have been affected by police brutality, can relate to. It parodies court proceedings, presenting

It is an underrated way to make you feel a certain way in the scene. We can hear a dark, opera type singing at the part when he is beat. When one hears this type of music being played in certain scenes, it shows a person’s dark side and gives the impression that one is ultimately the bad guy in the movie. Demonstrating violence is one of the most important factors in the film. An important part of the film that shows this, is when Elliott Ness is trying to catch the bookkeeper at the train station. It then turns into a shootout scene between the Mob and Ness. In this scene, at the beginning, slow motion was used to help convey the violence that was happening. When things are in slow motion, it helps to bring about the detail and gore that is unfolding before our eyes. After this, the shooting unfolds, and the slow-motion stops. Next, it was filmed with a wide screen which was effective for showing intricate movements, like this shoot out scene. Throughout this part, quick cuts were used to conveys that things are out of control and this brings out the intensity of the violence. All these techniques help show the violence that played out because of prohibition.

Ever since there was civilization there were laws, lawmakers, and law enforcers. The Founding Fathers established the U.S. with special laws that give citizens the freedom that the British had denied to them. When they traveled to the country, the documents that the Founding Fathers wrote permitted them freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to a speedy and public trial. Reading newspapers or watching TV at home, at least we find one article or news describing a killing, a shooting, or an armed robbery. With all these problems, we are in fear but cannot avoid hearing and dealing with them. They happen every day and some time justice system blunders and leads to wrongly convict people for what they do not commit. This is the reality of a wrecked system that is resulted from injustice and corruption. Ultimately, Errol Morris confirms this reality based on a true story of an innocent convicted Randal Adams for a criminal case by creating a film, The Thin Blue Line. David Harris, an important accuser, claims Adams was a murderer and shot Robert Wood, a Dallas police officer. With Morris’ suspicion of Adam's’ innocence, he turns himself to be a detective movie director and investigates the criminal case that occurred in Dallas, Texas in 1976. His goal is to show that Adams was wrongly convicted and justice system was flawed. By using juxtaposition, recreations, and archival footage. Morris successfully contrasts Adams

(Mulvey, Nov. 2, 2017) Our society today is engrossed in the visualization of gore, horror, and violence. In the infamous scene where the murderer is unveiled, an orchestra plays a staccato melody that rises in tempo. “Incorporating music into your own films can not only make your final cut more interesting, but it also allows the audience the ability to connect emotionally to your characters and their situation, and you, the filmmaker, to reinforce your story and/or message.” (Bell, Nov. 2, 2017). Nevertheless, this would explain why a viewer's interest would peak at the moment of each murder. The music being played pre murder builds suspense and creates the feeling that the viewer knows what is going to happen before it even happens. For example, a creepy tune plays every time the mysterious murders carriage drives around the town. The viewer is left to assume that a murder is about to occur, but is left at the edge of their seat wondering if their assumption is a correct inclination of where the plot is going. Music not only builds suspense by allowing the viewer to have freedom of their own foreshadowed outcomes, but it keeps their interest as well.