Analysis on Ross Kemp on Gangs- Documentary

Link to Documentary:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4221922153764278699&q=ross+kemp+on+gangs&total=161&start=30&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=7

‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ is a popular documentary journey, which explores through various issues. The issue that Kemp will be investigating is gangs in El Salvador, and the effects of it. I will be analysing the various techniques used in the documentary to show how Kemp portrays the violence.

The documentary is opened with a sunrise and a voice over by Kemp, stating facts about El Salvador. From the sunrise the audience can see the setting of the documentary, and it can also show the start of the documentary as a day to follow.

The use of fast editing is used to gain and hold the audiences attention, as the images show the danger of the country and the action. This is also reinforced by the use of archive footage, of news from the past about crimes; this can surprise the audience as they will see how real the issue is.

The presenter Ross Kemp makes eye-contact with the audience to make them feel connected with him. This also makes the audience trust Kemp and his views.

Kemp conducts many interviews, to get various opinions on the gang issue in El Salvador. The first interview he has, is with Tom Gibb a British journalist, who uses statistics on death rates from crime to shock the audience, he says ‘2% of the population were killed…that in British terms would be like a million people.’ This can also surprise the audience and make them feel emotional, as there is a high rate for deaths.
He also interviews many victims of the violence, to show the negative effect that has been made. The use of close up is often used when interviewing to show how the victim is feeling; this can also make the audience emotional as it is upsetting.
Kemp does not only interview the victims but also the members of the gangs, the criminals. This is to show what their side of the story is, and to find out why they are brutal.

Within the documentary, other media is used, for instance newspaper articles are shown, to show reality and to reinforce what he is saying is true. He also reveals his own opinions about the crime, and says the crime in El Salvador is the worst in any other country he has seen.

Throughout the documentary a hand held camera is used, to show the action and the authenticity of the footage.

The sound is diegetic, this allows the audience to hear what Kemp is hearing, and to make them to feel connected. But in some scenes music is added to make the scene seem striking. For example, when the police have broken in to the flats, a sound like a heart beat racing is added, to show the fast paced action and how it feels being there.

Near the end Kemp follows a family, and shows how gang crime has affected them. The family are portrayed as sufferers; this can show how emotional it is to be living in a country like El Salvador.
Emotions are used again to show the realism of the situation, this is by interviewing female gang members. This scene can be seen as sad and depressing, this is because what happened to them is against their will.

At the end of the documentary, the sun has set, to show the day has finished and the investigation is over.

The documentary shows how realistic it is to be living in El Salvador; this is shown through techniques such as interviews and archive footage.