This document summarizes key aspects of the documentary "Inside Death Row" in several paragraphs: 1) It describes the participatory mode of the documentary where the filmmaker interviews prisoners on death row. 2) It outlines some documentary codes and conventions used, including voiceovers to explain footage, archival footage to provide historical context, and interviews to allow audiences to learn about the people filmed. 3) It analyzes representations in the documentary, such as prisoners being depicted negatively behind a metal fence like caged animals, while some individual prisoners are shown sympathetically through long-term interviews. 4) It notes how the prison setting and guards are presented as very secure and vigilant in their work

1. Research into other
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Inside Death Row
Caitlyn Brennan

2. Inside Death Row - Mode
The Mode of this documentary is
participatory as the filmmaker gets
involved in the documentary and
takes part, as you can see in the
screenshot down below. Trevor
McDonald is taking part in
questioning and interviewing the
prisoners.

3. Inside Death Row - Codes and
Conventions.
One code / convention used in this
documentary is the use of a voice over. The
screenshot below shows an example of when a
voice over is used. The documentary shows
footage of the prisoners and the voice over
explains what they are doing. This allows the
viewer to take in footage and understand what
is going on due to the factual information being
told through the voice over.

4. Inside Death Row - Codes and
Conventions
Another common code used in documentaries is the
use of Archival footage. This is material obtained
from a film and used in a documentary to show
historical events. ‘Death Row’ uses archival footage
to retell the story and events of a prisoner. This is
useful as it helps the viewer to understand more
about the prisoners and documentary while also
being able to trust that the vents told are true as
there is evidence to support the events. Archival
footage brings a sense of realism to the
documentary.

5. Inside Death Row - Codes and
Conventions
Interviews with the people being filmed is a
very popular code and convention. Here you
can see Trevor McDonald interviewing a
prisoner. These interviews help the
audience to get to know the people in the
documentary which allows them to form an
opinion on them.

6. Inside Death Row -
RepresentationFrom the use of a panning shot we can see
that the prisoners are represented in a
negative way as they are made too look like
animals. This screenshot shows the long
rooms of the prisoners. You can see they are
behind a metal fence and look as though they
are being caged like wild animals. This
suggests that the prisoners are perhaps
volatile and thus the guards need the extra
protection from the metal fence. During this
shot you can hear the prisoners shouting ‘Get
away’. This further presents them as rude

7. Inside Death Row -
Representation
The security and workers at Death Row are
presented as feeling vigilant at all times. This
over the shoulder, two shot, highlights the
extremes the guards have to go to in order to
remain safe and know where the prisoners are
at all times as they have to pay very close
attention to them. The screenshot shows a
board that the guards use to make sure
everything is correct.

8. Inside Death Row -
representationAlongside the negative representation of the prisoners
we also see another representation of certain
prisoners. The two shot below shows a man who has
been imprisoned for 25 years. Despite the tragic crime
he committed we are made to feel sympathy for him
as he talks about the things has has missed out on in
life and as he talks about his life today, trapped in a
cage for 21 hours everyday. The interview allows him
to reflect out loud on his life and share his thoughts,
this provokes sympathy in the audience as we hear
about the awful life he has now.

9. Inside Death Row - Mes-en-
scene
This establishing, aerial shot shows a vast
desolate place with multiple buildings. It looks
rather isolated and is therefore presented as a
negative site. There doesn't seem to be much
be much evidence of civilisation around as the
place is completely fenced off and surrounded
by empty land.