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1. BaldeepGahir
Media documentary analysis: Domestic violence
(4mins-8min)
The documentaryisaboutdomesticviolenceandincludesdifferentclipsof expertinterviewsanda
varietyof backgroundfootage whichlinkstothe topic. Atfourminutesthe scene startswith medium
close upof an olderwomanwhoiscarrying outan expertinterview,whichisshownbythe title that
she isgivenonthe screen. She haslight,fluffyredhairwhichhasconnotationsof amotherlyfigure
(as opposedtoa womanwhohad slickedback hairand wouldstereotypicallypresentastrictand
professionalindividual.) bythe wayshe issoftspokenandthe ideasshe putsacross. She uses
diegeticspeechtosaythe quote “we needtogetthese womenthe helptheyneed”whichshows
that she isa sympatheticandunderstandingcharacter.
The nextscene startswitha fade inand shows a crowdof people at4 minutes,17 secondsbut
lookingcloserwe cansee that all of the audience membersare femalesare beingshowna
presentationondomesticviolence.The womenare beingeducatedandinformedof thismajorissue
whichseemstobe mainlytargetedatfemalesinparticular.The scene iseditedinaway that
zoomingintosome of the womenfroma mediumlongshottoa mediumclose up,allowsthe
viewerstocapture theirfacial expressionsandatthispointtheylookveryseriousandengagedwith
whatis beingsaid.Manyoverthe shouldershotsare alsousedtogive the audience aperspective on
whatit wouldbe like tobe inthat exactroom, and alsoto exaggerate the numberof womenthat
are presentthere.The overthe shouldershotalsofocusesonthe blue screeninthe backgroundof
the scene whichshowslarge writingexplaining“physical indicationsof abuse.”

2. BaldeepGahir
The nextscene isintroducedthroughawhippan fromlefttoright where there are manychildren
sat at a table playingwithpensand paper.The lightingof the roomisbrightand the wallsare of a
vibrantgreencolourwhichbothsymbolize and connote ideasof liveliness,hope andenergy.The
diegeticbackground noiseof the childrenalsoadds tothisenergeticatmosphere.In thisscene there
are multiple shorttakesof the childrencreatingartsandcrafts and the shotsare takenwhenthe
childrenare busyandnot focusingonthe camera whichonce againfocusesonthe ideaof naivety
and innocence.
The clipof the womanwhoappearsto be the motherof these childrenisintroducednextthrougha
mediumclose upwhichemphasisesherfacial expressionsandbody language.This isparticularly
importantbecause of the contextof whatshe is talking about.She isdiscussingherownpersonal
storywhichadds to the intense emotionsof the interview.The misenscene of the background
whichappearto be similarlyidentical masksof people couldsymbolicallyconnote the effectsof
violence andthatviolence couldaffectanyone nomatterwhatthe personsage,class,genderor
ethnicity is.The misenscene of herappearance,ie hermessy,tousledhairalsolinkstothispointof
howviolence hasperhapshada physical toll onherhealth.
A blackscreenwithwhite writingappearsnextonthe screenandisshownthrougha fade transition,
it saysthe words“the debate”withthe word“the”makingitseemlike itisthe ultimate debate and
that itis special and dramatic.Non-diegeticmusicisalsoplayedatthispointwiththe musicsteadily
increasingwhich representsthatsomethingsignificantisabouttohappen.

3. BaldeepGahir
The nextminute showsamontage of variousexpertinterviews.One of the females“CarolynFish”is
wearinga white shirtwithablack blazerand representsthatshe isinan office type environment
and connotesthatshe is a figure of authorityandpowerandthat she is knowledgeable onthe topic
of domesticviolence.Itisinterestingtonote thatall of the expertinterviews thatwere conducted
are of olderpeople whocouldrepresentthem ashavingmore experience andknowledgeonthe
subjectmatter.
Lastly,whenthe womanisinthe car at the endof the fourminutes,aside shotisusedina medium
close upshot. A handheldcameraisalsousedto representthe feelingof uneasinessandperhaps
discomfortwhichrelatedtothe purpose of the scene asshe ispickingup her belongings fromher
oldhouse where the domesticviolence fromherhusbandusedtohappen.Thisissome wayaddsto
the technicalityof realismelementasthe shakinessof the cameramakesthe audience feellikethey
are inthat situation. There isalsoaclose up of the cigarette inherhandthat she is holdingwhilst
driving.Thisreinforcesthe negativestereotypeof how issuessuchasviolence anddrugsare a lotof
the time linkedinsome wayandcome underthe same fieldaseachother.The woman`s facial
expressionseemssullenandshe seemstobe deepinthoughtwhendriving. Atthe endof the scene,
the non digeticmusicof a harp isplayinginthe backgroundandcreatesa light-heartedmoodwhen
the camera focusesonthe childat the back whichonce again representspurityandinnocence. At
one pointthe womanlaughsand says“Dakota” because of somethingfunnythe childsaid.The use
of herlaughingcouldrepresentthatthe situationisbecomingmore positiveandthatthere isalways
a way to combatdomesticviolence,andthisislinkedtothe orderof the documentaryandalmost
showsthe woman`spersonal storytohow she isconqueringherexperienceof the issue.