12 year old lifer

Themes

The main theme of this documentary was growing up and life in prison.

Sound

Non-diagetic eerie music is used quite frequently throughout the documentary which is effective as it makes you feel un-easy. A camera noise is used whenever a picture of the young boys and father are flashed onto the screen which makes it more interesting to watch.

Diagetic sound of cars and nightlife are used when showing the boys in Peru.

GraphicsThe graphics used in the documentary are placed in the

middle of the screen in a white bold font which makes it look unusual but effective as it is eye catching.

The documentaries title is placed on a white brick wall which represents the boys are in prison.

Mise en scene All of the interviews that took place were in the relevant setting

to do with that person i.e The young boys were in prison cellsThe boys teachers were in a school classroomThe boys mothers and sisters were shown at their home.The police officers who caught the boys are in a police station.When interviewing the boys in their cells they are spotlessly

clean and everything in their cells are white which shows a strong contrast when seeing an interview with their parents where they are in their houses.

The setting of a park is used quite frequently when their mothers and teachers are talking about how young they are as the park is used to reinforce that.

Camera work

A tracking shot of the young boys is used when they are getting arrested by the police and handcuffed.

There are many establishing shots of the town were the boys grew up which makes the town look peaceful and a nice neighbourhood.

When the boys are being taken back home, there is a lot of extreme long shots of Peru’s nightlife which reinforces the fact that the boys shouldn't be there and how young they are.

When the police go to the crime scene there is an extreme close up of the police tape.

Archive footage

At the start of the documentary images of the boys mug shots when they got arrested flashed on the screen followed by pictures of them now, three years later and in prison. There is also pictures throughout of the boys with their families and the man they killed.

There are three different news reporters outside the scene of the crime talking about how the 12 year olds ‘slayed’ his step-father.

There is archive footage of the boys being interviewed by the police and confessing.

Editing

There is fade in/out’s when the boys are running away to Peru and at the end of the documentary after they find out they will be spending the majority of their lives in prison.

Narrative

Beginning: is the story of what the boys did to Colt’s step-father and how. It shows interviews with both separate families and how they feel about the young boys.

Middle: is interviews with Paul and Colt and how life in prison is and what happened on the night of the murder.

End: shows how it has effected the families and Paul and Colt adjusting to prison life and moving up to an adult prison.