‘The Devil Made Me Do It’

Documentary Analysis

Public Enemy Number 1

The Devil Made Me Do It was part of a series on Channel 4 called Public Enemy Number 1. The Programme was broadcast at 9pm.

Type of documentary; MixedThe documentary is mixed as it contains a number of interviews alongside archive material therefore displaying a variety of content.e.g

ThemesGood vs. Evil- This is known as a binary opposition.This theme is shown through the use of religious symbols such as churches, religious ceremonies and religious icons along side the somewhat evil storyline and name of the programme.

Power of the media is also a theme in this documentary. It makes the audience ask the question ‘can the media influence peoples behaviour?’ As it is believed that it was the music and performance created by ‘Manson’ that made the three girls plot and perform a murder. It could also show how Manson is made to be something he is not through the media, as he is shown doing everyday things that a person of a ‘normal’ status would do throughout the documentary.

Religion- The theme of Christianity and Catholicism is heavily shown by the continuous use of religious symbols, such as churches, religious icons, crucifixes etc. This is then contrast by the clear use of satanic worship. Throughout the programme there is archive material of Manson burning bibles and claiming to worship he devil during his concerts. The three girls also claimed to worship the devil.

Youth is another theme of the documentary as it states the problem with society and youth today and how it is dealt with.

Narrative StructureOpen; As there are questions left unanswered. Did Manson actually influence the girls?

Single Strand; There is only 1 narrative thread… only one storyline. The documentary sticks to the one storyline of the crime and everything revolves around or back to that.

Non linear; It doesn’t follow time order. There is use of flashbacks and flashforwards. Archive material from Manons’ gigs, interviews etc

CameraworkThere are many establishing shots of locations so the audience knows where it is set.

The interviews follow the typical code and conventions of a documentary interview. For example;• they are shot in either a medium close up or close up•Framed to the left or right of the screen•Eye line is a third of the way down, regardless of the shot type.

The interviews with Manson are filmed in low angle, which gives him power The dark and dimmed lighting creates light and dark sides to Manson.

Handheld camera work is used on actuality footage in order to respond to events quickly, for example, when Manson and Dita Von Tease are eating in McDonalds. Also when the press are standing outside the court trying to get a glimpse of the girls leaving court.

The camera is placed in the crowd during scenes of Manson’s concerts. This positions the audience in the crowd.

Shots used;Pan- Merchandise stand at Manson gigHigh and low angle- historical artefactsCrane- throughout gig Zoom- Nuns brother in the car coming away from courtTracking- following solicitor Extreme close up, medium close up, close up, big close up- interviewsLong shot- View of city

Titled frame- The tilted frame gave an example from the nuns point of view as she was being murdered and lying on the floor.

Mise-en-sceneThere is lots of religious imagery throughout the documentary.

The lighting is very important when showing religious artefacts and there is a ‘golden glow’ on all religious iconography which is in contrast with the harsh, dark lighting which is on Manson all the time.

SoundVoice over- Male, standard English and gives a calm un-emotive delivery. The voice is age appropriate for the subject matter. The voiceover constructs the narrative and is the thing that holds everything together.

An interesting part of the documentary is when the girls confessions are being played over a reinactment of the murder scene. However this is done only through the use of sound effects such as dogs barking, hitting and stabbing sounds etc.

There is are also a number of voiceover translating Italian . These are all gender appropriate.

Music that is considered to be religious such as choral singing, organ, and orchestral are all played over scenes that include religious imagery and church bells are played over the scene where the nuns coffin is being carried through the streets to the church.There is simple strumming during some parts of the documentary and this gives it an eary edge. This is used to create and atmosphere.A piano is also used to create the atmosphere, almost like a horror film.

EditingInterestingly, there is a juxtaposition of choral choir music which could be considered religious, on top of a video of Manson fans and using ‘inappropriate’ behaviour. This visual of the fans is in slow motion.

Another example is from the murder scene where every time the sound effect changes the image changed also.

Cuts are also involved in the documentary to break it up and to ensure it is unobtrusive.

Archive MaterialManson’s music videosNewspaper cuttings

GraphicsInterviews; The name is the biggest piece of text on the screen and there is a smaller size description underneath. This anchors the person and their relevance to the topic.

Information at the end of the programme; This is to conclude the narrative.

Title; Gothic symbolism and relevant to the topic.

The font is always simple, clear and white!