‘Behind Bars in San Quentin’ is an actuality documentary by
Louis Theroux informing the viewer what life is like inside the maximum
security prison, San Quentin. Louis Theroux is the ‘Talking Head’ of the documentary
and is in 90% of the shots.
The camerawork is primarily handheld to give the viewer a
sense of realism, this is further enhanced by the use of handheld pans rather
than static shot reverse shots during interviews with the inmates. It is easier
for the cameraman to move should they need to as well as it allowing the viewer
to feel like they’re actually standing between them, reminding the viewer
they’re in of the most dangerous prisons on the planet.
At the very beginning of the documentary, it fades in from
black and we see an extreme long shot of San Quentin to set the mood for the
rest of the documentary as it informs the viewer of the dangerous situation
they’re being taken into as well as to instantly portray that this documentary
has been filmed professionally. As Louis enters one of the prison’s most
dangerous areas, extremely upbeat, contrapuntal music begins to play. This is
too separate the viewer from the reality of everything somewhat as it is a
horrible place to be but also because this scene needs to use this style of
music as anchorage for the BBC logo which appears, confirming that the viewer
can expect a high quality documentary.
Whilst inside this ‘ward’ of the prison, the ambient sound
levels have been raised slightly to surround them in violent banging and
shouting, to link back to the general theme that flows throughout as
aforementioned (extreme danger). However, the ambience levels are still low
enough for a clear voice over to be heard stating facts and figures for the audience
to keep in mind for the remaining duration of the documentary, a common
convention of documentaries.
The editing is relatively basic with it being a documentary
rather than a film. The main bit of editing is the opening titles which are
still very simplistic but convey a clear message that links to the name of the
documentary through the images used. Apart from this only basic fades,
transitions and cuts are used to convey the passage of time or because they’ve
changed location.
There is only natural light throughout the documentary which
often results in very dark rooms with only a small glow in them. This is
extremely effective as it is in fact the reality of the situation, the only
light a lot of the people in the documentary see is natural. The camera crew do
not bring artificial lighting equipment with them for that reason, to add
effect, and because it isn’t logical to have such a large amount of equipment
with them when they’re in such a vulnerable situation.
The prisoners are dressed in traditional jumpsuits, often
with handcuffs on making them rather intimidating to the viewer despite them
being restrained. As well as this, the guards carry weapons loaded with live
ammunition which brings around a sense of realisation for the viewer that this
is real and those people are dangerous. Despite this though, the body language
of the guards and inmates juxtaposes this due to how ‘friendly’ they are with
each other.
In conclusion, Behind Bars in San Quentin is an effective actuality
documentary that informs the viewer about life in San Quentin.
