The set up of crime watch

I will now attempt to analyse the Crimewatch setup. I will be looking at transitions, music, shots and zoom, and lighting.

Transitions

• All transitions in reconstruction are a straight cut
• When ever a picture of victim is shown, it is parenthesised by a fade to black transition. If there are multiple images of victim, a straight cut is used to separate them.
• Genuine Police footage (not CCTV footage but crime scene footage) is parenthesised by fade to black and footage is separated by a cross dissolve.
• Transition from studio to reconstruction and from reconstruction to studio is a cross dissolve

Music

• During opening scene (before opening credits) there is slow sad music playing in the background
• Music from opening credits continue into studio shot but gradually fades out
• No music in studio scenes
• There is light background office noise. Most of the noise is probably actual noise but enhanced with sound effects
• There is slow sad music playing in the back ground during the opening scenes of the reconstruction
• There is a track change of slow sad music at the beginning of the reconstruction
• No background music is played during the reconstruction while there is dialogue
• During the fight/murder scene sad suspense music is played quite audibly in the background
• The fight scene music ends on a high fast note
• During interviews with the victim family and pictures of victim on screen slow sad music is played in the background
• Light suspense music starts a few seconds into the analysation of the CCTV footage and ends a few seconds before it finishes.
• A 'shock' sound is sounded above the background music when the e-fit of the suspect of shown on screen
• Slow sad suspense music builds up during the final interviews with the victims family and ends with a fade out at the beginning of the studio scene

Cameras and zooming

• In the opening studio scene it looks like two cameras were used both doing the same shots; moving around the studio to the presenter and zoom in on her to a mid-shot
• Panning was used on footage of the establishing shots
• A zoom out was used on the key shots during the opening scenes of the reconstruction; the finding of the body
• When the presenter is shown during the reconstruction the camera follows him keeping a full/mid shot
• When a still image of the victim is shown a ken burns effect is used
• A sharp focus is used during the reconstruction
• When intervieing members of the victims family the are sat infront of a dark creepy background with one family member facing the right and one the left.
• Close up shots have been used when interviewing the family
• During the fight/murder scene the camera cuts between the fight and a zoom in focus on a pair of spectacles that had fallen to the ground thereby increasing suspense
• Shadows of the fight are shown to add to the horror
• In the second studio scene, three possibly four cameras have been used.  one was focused primarily on the presenter, one, possibly two, were focused primarily on the detectives and, one was used to show 'group shots. i.e. of all three together, or of the presenter and one man, or even both men.
• The individual cameras (focused on just one person) is a mid-close up shot. The camera used to get a 'group' shot was a wide shot.

Lighting

• The studio scenes mainly use the natural lighting of the studio and a spotlight on either side of the presenter
• An eery glow and a blue strobe light is used during the fight/murder scene
• During the fight/murder scene the focus lights are coming from behind the actors and to the left
• When interviewing members of the victims family, there is very little background light with just a spotlight on either side of the subject but slightly brighter on the front than the back
• Outdoor scenes use natural outdoor lighting