EXAMINING THE SPECIFICITY OF TV EDITING IN CONTEMPORARY CRIME DRAMA

A Dissertation submitted by Jonathan Berry

In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the award of BA (Hons) Television Production

The Media School Bournemouth University 2013/2014

Words: 9485

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER 2 CASE STUDY 1 CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDY 2 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION REFERENCES

2 3 12 23 31 34

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

INTRODUCTION Six out of the top ten shows on US television in 2005 were crime dramas. As of June 13th, 2011 three out of the top five broadcast shows were crime dramas. Viewers in the US and all over the world cant seem to get enough (Nielsen, 2011).

Television crime dramas are a form of programming that have captured audiences for decades. It is a key market within the television industry and within western media as a whole. This dissertation will examine the influence of editing in this genre and apply various conceptual frameworks, theories and approaches to evaluate two contemporary crime dramas Criminal Minds (2005-Present) and True Detective (2014). Whilst they compete in the same genre it is evident that there are a myriad of differences between the two programmes that are due to their respective editing styles. These will be analyzed, taking into account both external and internal factors, technological influences, regulatory issues and creative controls. The overall aim will be to discover the amount of creative control afforded to editors in meeting the demands of the modern television production environment.

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

CHAPTER 1

Literature Review

This literature review will begin by looking at crime television editing theory and conceptual frameworks from within the industry itself, as well as the television market as a whole. Further research will focus on specific editing theory regarding genre, narrative and rhythm, which will be compared, analyzed and synthesized.

One of the most prevalent conceptual frameworks for looking at shifts in market trends is the Innovation Radar, a methodology that can be applied to a range of businesses including the television industry. Its primary purpose is to determine the need for innovation and value creation (Sawhney, Wolcott, & Arroniz, 2006). As a conceptual framework it is effective because it examines four different dimensions of innovation, namely offerings, customers, process and presence (Sawhney, Wolcott, & Arroniz, 2006). In relation to offerings, crime television has been popular for a long time CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-Present) has been one of the most continuously popular shows in the world for almost 14 years (CBS.com, 2002) they are considered experienced goods (Sawhney, Wolcott, & Arroniz, 2006). This means an investor, such as a network or production company, feels they have security in the proven track record of these kinds of shows. However, for a program to be watched by a large audience there needs to be an understanding of the preference and lifestyle of the target demographic. The customers have to be encouraged via new digital media practices to access the product. Therefore editors have to design products that will stand out amongst a library of hundreds of similar offerings. For example, by making the opening scene something unusual or stylish that keeps the audience from turning off. In Cutting Rhythms (2009), Karen Pearlmen agrees, urging a television editor, especially with the amount of choice and channels available to the average viewer, has to grab his/her audience from the get-go (Pearlman, 2009).

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Within the actual programme itself there also needs to be innovation in regards to the post-production workflow. This includes approaches to streamlined editing, allowing for faster turnaround work. In Film Technology in Post Production (2001), Dominic Case reasons that if post-production costs can be reduced, potentially more episodes of a show can be made, or costs can be covered elsewhere. Perhaps most importantly, improvements in post-production technology and techniques has lead to a general increase in the quality of television, during what writer Robert Thompson has deemed Televisions second golden age (Thompson, 2005). He outlines the idea that as technology has become cheaper and more efficient, such as advances into HD editing, television can compete with cinema and is no longer seen as the gross aesthetic inferior (Thompson, 2005, p. 150).

There have also been other influences and changes in regulation within the production process that have allowed television to compete with Hollywood. With the everincreasing popularity of cable television, television editing has found a new freedom, a freedom to experiment with style, tone, rhythm and story (Crandall & FurchtgottRoth, 1996). During publication, presence is also important. Services such as Netflix not only acquire programmes but also produce their own shows internally (Madrigal, 2014). This potentially gives editors a new freedom to work on productions that are developed through a more linear and in-house system. Netflix is a good example of a different conceptual framework disruptive technology which media theorist Arthur Lugmayr discusses in Digital Interactive TV and Metadata (2004). He argues that disruptive technologies have played a part in editing innovation more than the explanation given by the innovation radar approach. The disruptive technology view of innovation argues that changes in editing have occurred due to initially inferior products aimed at consumers who disrupt the production industrys market structure. A good example of this would be the digitization of storage systems, which allowed consumers to edit and create content, something which breached the relationship between post-production and the professional clients (Case, 2001). Now television programs are being made on the same software you can pick up for a three-figure-sum, so editors have been forced to re-evaluate what makes an edit professional. In In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing (2001), editor Walter Murch discusses what distinguishes an amateur 4

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

edit from a professional one. In his opinion, it is not an issue of software or hardware, but rather knowing when to cut. He outlines a number of general criteria when making this decision. He asserts that whilst rhythm is important, the two most important decisions to be made when cutting are emotion and story. An editors job becomes asking whether a cut mirrors what the audience should be feeling and whether the cut in question develops the story (Murch, 2001). Murchs analysis of editing is an approach and framework that can be applied across numerous sub-topics in editing, such as pace or narrative. Its adaptability makes it an invaluable tool that has been developed through the lens of first hand experience.

Overall, both innovation radar and disruptive technology show that evolutions in editing can move from being unconventional to being a key tool in the industry. In a similar way, consumers can also move between existing in a disruptive market and existing in a current market. It is clear that both external and internal factors have to be given full consideration when looking at the specificity of contemporary crime television editing. TV genres are ways of grouping shows primarily by style and story a genre text can be easily recognized and categorized by virtually any audience. Genre provides consumers an easy and focused way to choose between particular shows. This applies to both live, recorded and on-demand TV. For example, Sky Television customers are given genre tabs in the TV guide to give you quick and easy access to the shows you love (sky.com, 2010). Western genre theory, as we understand it today, began at the height of European classicism in the eighteenth-century. Genres were seen as preferred forms for how artists working in music, theater etc. could express themselves. During the 19th and 20th century, when Romanticism was culturally dominant, a growing number of artists came to see the classic genres as archaic and, most importantly, over-regulated. Throughout the birth of the motion pictures in the late 1890s, genre had become a shamed word amongst artists, via its inherent links to mass-market publication. As the Victorian gentle-reader became the centre of the publishing worldgenres were associated with popular culture and a brand name system against which any authentic artistic expression must necessarily struggle (Toby Miller, 2004, p. 32). Critics of the era often saw genre as an object of derision; it was not until the 1940s that film theorists began to question whether genre had 5

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

become an integral part of a texts production as opposed to a distribution tool applied during the publishing process. During this revolution in film and television theory, writer Lawrence Alloway stated in American Crime Film at the Museum of Modern Art that the majority of film reviewers write as a hostile minority primarily interested in works that are above obsolescencethis book emphasizespopular movies to be viewed in sets and cycles rather than as single entities (Stanfield, 2011). Alloways mention of sets and cycles resonates in television today due to the role of intertextuality and reiteration in the structure of television programs. Linking the movies to car design, Alloway argued that the annual style changes were sufficient to entertain us with a comedy of newness but not radical enough to disrupt continuity with earlier models (Stanfield, 2011).

When reviewing television over the last 25 years, it is clear that production techniques available to editors have been adapted and become more sophisticated to offer this comedy of newness (Stanfield, 2011). The result is a huge number of programmes being offered to consumers, without compromising the economic model. In the 2010s, with the advances made in on-line and on-demand technologies, genres have become both more expansive yet recognizable and brandable. In other words, the same conceptual framework that developed during European classicism and Romanticism still exists today, but in a more expanded format. An excellent example is the explosion of micro-genres in services such as Netflix, which has built upon the well-established communal genres such as drama, thriller, horror, comedy, etc. Netflix has 76,897 separate categoriesto my knowledge, no one outside Netflix has ever compiled this mass of data before (Madrigal, 2014). Netflix tags films and television shows with descriptors such as romantic, visually strikingfast-paced, complex (Sweney, 2014). This has a huge influence on the role of the editor, primarily due to how Netflix and other content producers have monetized their microgenre data. The traditional TV series commissioning and producing model has been revised drastically. Instead of making a show and then hoping it catches on with a big audience, Netflix crunches its subscriber base data to identify fans of specific genres. From there they can identify subscriber populations that gravitate around genre areas such as horror, thriller and crime. That allows them to project a threshold audience size to see if it makes for a viable project. (Sweney, 2014). Now producers utilise the microgenre model to create more focused programming that can capture an audience 6

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

successfully and also maintain that viewership. To an editor, this only increases the importance of genre. If content is commissioned to fit into crime subgenres containing tags such as visually striking, burner or complex, then the structure, pace, styling and rhythm would be far different to crime genre content aimed at an audience that identifies with tags like fast paced or action packed.

Genre has never been more important to an editor, and in a market where crime and police procedurals have become over-saturated, editors are being required to both reinvent and rediscover a well-trodden genre, whilst maintaining its identifiable core motifs. The idea of both aesthetic divergence (and convergence), and the inherent dissonance when trying to cater to both is something crime television has to negotiate constantly. In Dead Ringers: The Remake in Theory and Practice (2002), Jennifer Forrest discusses remake theory in regards to television when a writer, an editor, or any of the creative team, is working on a new episode they are in many ways remaking the pilot (Forrest, 2002). Forrest views an editor as someone who has to repeat and converge certain elements of a production with every new episode. However, this does not account for instances where episodes are drastically different from the house style, which are frequently found in many crime TV series. Often these are bottle episodes which are designed to take up as little money as possiblethey are often a change for a slow, characterization-filled episode after a big special-effects-laden action episode (tvtropes.org, 2004). As police procedurals and crime TV shows are typically of a faster pace, a bottle episode can allow for a much larger amount of experimentation and less aesthetic convergence. While Forrests argument that television is essentially a remake factory line (Forrest, 2002, p. 194) resonates with many successful programmes which have produced hundreds of episodes, its limitations begin in its inability to account for production factors such as budget, or changes in the creative team. The smallest change in the organization of a television programs production can mean changes to an editors style and technique, which ultimately affects aspects of the finished product. To summarise, it would appear that genre has deep roots within the television business model but that the impact of the financial imperative can have a whole range of effects on a programmes editing and production.

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Syd Field, an American screenwriter, outlined a framework called the Three Act Plot Structure which can be applied to the story of any contemporary media, in particular film and television. A typical Hollywood film, according to Field, can be separated into three dramatic acts: the setup, the confrontation and the resolution. In The Fiction of Postmodernity, Stephen Baker defines the set up as the most importantit is vital for the filmmaker to give the audience a sense what the picture is going to be about, who the main character is, the nature of the problem facing the hero (Baker, 2000). The second act, confrontation, is the longest actwe see the main character in a number of more and more extreme problem situations where they confront their enemies normally quite helplessly (Baker, 2000). The final act, the resolution, sees the hero finally taking controlachieving a final, decisive victory (Baker, 2000). Field then goes on to propose the Causality framework. When a films narrative and structure is being designed in the edit, Field believes that causality theory best explains the choices made. Causality is the simple structuring by which one thing leads to another. The claim here is that a narrative is not only an arrangement of events, but also rather an arrangement of events that compose a mechanism. This is supported by the work of psychologist Mark Turner in The Literary Mind (1998), who examined the idea of an underlying mechanism, writing, a narrative is a reproduction of a mechanism in the cognitive domain (Turner, 1998). Its relevancy in television is that narratives themselves inherently consist of smaller meaningful parts, which Turner classed as units of meaning (Turner, 1998). These form a mechanism, a system that can then be repeated. Furthermore, when it comes to TV editing, there are often important narrative choices to be made and such questions may arise as Why do certain scenes deserve to be arranged in a narrative? or Do these scenes belong to the same narrative? According to linguist George Kampis, the key to editing is imposing order (Kampis, 2003). Kampis, asserts that order is artificialit looks natural because it reflects the actual temporal succession of events. Narrative mechanisms are not only subject to works of film editing, but also on every level of human expression, there must be psychobiological factors such as memory that play a role in how we construct and order a narrative. When an editor is working, he is trying to reconstruct this experience in a films narrative as best he can. However, in Fine Cuts, Roger 8

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Crittenden outlines the disadvantages to the cognitive approach, pointing towards the myriad of different ways a narrative can be edited and approached. Crittenden gives as an example the common narrative technique of parallel events (Crittenden, 2005). The amount of cognitive dissonance it would cause means that the human mind will naturally construct singular narratives. In TV, parallel narratives are common, especially in police procedurals, where you may follow the journey of multiple characters in the same time frame. Crittenden argues that this is different to how the brain approaches narrative, and that other elements play a larger role in creating a natural feel to a motion picture. One of the other factors Crittenden puts forward is rhythm, the fundamental tool of the editor; when a filmmaker adjusts the length of shots in relation to one another, he or she affects the entire pace, structure, and mood (Pearlman, 2009, p. 42). Once again, one of the main approaches in the analysis of rhythm is the cognitivist approach. David Bordwell, one of the most prominent film and psychology researchers, described cognitivism in relation to rhythm as the seeking out of an understanding of human thought, emotion and action by appeal to processes of mental representation and processes (Bordwell, 1989). Essentially, the cognitivist conceptual framework focuses on the psychobiological factors involved when we are affected in any particular way by a film. It largely asserts that the audience are all hard-wired by nature with certain knowledge and assumptions Bordwell gives the example of the assumption of a three dimensional environment, the assumption that natural light falls from above, and so forth. These contingent universals make possible artistic conventions which seem natural because they accord with norms of human perception (Bordwell, 1989, p. 29). This includes conventions such as rhythm, which cognitivism explains as something that is innate to every human. This is due to factors such as attention, which dictate when a scene feels unnaturally slow on screen. In The Hudson Review, Erik Neher examined the concept of boring filmsthe lack of viewer involvement, a desire for the work to be over, even a sense of exasperation (Neher, 2013) in relation to art-house cinema. Neher proposed that the fact we find almost universally, across multiple demographicsthat audiences will find certain films boring is a trend that cannot be ignored (Neher, 2013). He suggests that there must be at the very least something hardwired into our cognitive processes that determines when a rhythm is natural or not. However, Neher does not go as far in his 9

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

assertions as David Bordwell, or the cognitivist approach. He maintains that the adoption of the term boring is inappropriate, instead focusing on the idea that Modernist and art-house films can feel slower when it is hard to followespecially at a deliberate pace, which can cause feelings of frustration (Neher, 2013). The nature of a deliberate or frustrating pace leans towards the idea of an innate sense of rhythm. In the edit suite it becomes the editors job to therefore deliver a product that comes as close to this natural pattern as possible in order to maximize attention span. This obviously has huge financial implications the longer an audience will watch a single program, or weekly series, the higher the revenue from advertising or the greater the value of the programme grows.

The importance of rhythm is also supported by an extensive research project from Cornell Psychologist James Cutting who, in 2008, measured the duration of every single shot in every scene of 150 of the most popular films released from 1935 to 2005 (Herbert, 2010). What Cutting was analysing in his research was patterns of attentionspecifically a pattern called the 1/f fluctuation (Herbert, 2010). The 1/f fluctuation is a key part of chaos theory, it is a pattern of attention that occurs in the human mind organicallyit can be found in nature, in music, in economics and in engineering (Halang, 2006). Cuttings research found that modern films and television programs were much more likely to be closer to the 1/f fluctuation constant than older films (films made before 1980) (Halang, 2006). Most interestingly, Cutting also found that overall, action picturesusually in genres such as crime, thriller or adventure, are those that most closely approach the 1/f pattern (Herbert, 2010). Cuttings research shows that whilst there is an innate sense of rhythm, there is also an element of evolution and refining that has occurred in editing. This is where other methodologies such as the neurological approach are relevant. The neurological approach considers that rhythm in editing is not just a felt phenomenon, but rather something that is learned. More recent theorizing by neurologists in areas of study related to recognition and the functioning of mirror neurons during intentional movement (in film this is cutting) have led to alternative proposals to our understanding of editing rhythm. In Cinema 2: The Time Image, Giles Deleuze, a noted supporter of the neurological approach, discusses the sensory, kinetic, intensive, affective and rhythmic (Deleuze, 1989, p. 29) areas of cinema editing. It proposes a model in which the body harvests, records, retrieves and reiterates 10

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

evidence about rhythm. Whilst this concept appears to have validity, it is nonetheless important to remember the strengths of other approaches, such as cognitivism. Interestingly, James Cutting also found in his research that individual films from every genre and every era have almost perfect 1/f rhythmssuch as Rebel Without A Cause (Ray, 1955) or The 39 Steps (Hitchcock, 1935) (Herbert, 2010). The fact that films have matched this 1/f fluctuation since the birth of film is supportive of a more cognitive approach.

To conclude, this literature review has investigated and documented some of the key conceptual frameworks, theories and approaches that drive editing. This includes scientific frameworks such as the cognitive approach as well as more anecdotal approaches, such as Walter Murchs criteria for deciding when to cut. Outside of the edit suite, a number of frameworks such as the innovation radar will be useful in understanding the production process on crime dramas. It is often forgotten that editing is something unique to film (Pearlman, 2009), and is often coerced and influenced by the impact of the industry business model. The nature of this coercion and the level of influence is yet to be contextualised, and is something the two case studies will help determine.

11

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

CHAPTER 2

Case Study: Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds (Davis, 2005-Present) is a police procedural that follows a specialist team of FBI agents who investigate the most disturbing cases of violent crime all over the United States. The aim of the team is to profile and catch the criminal before he or she attacks again. The programme is a product of CBS, one of The Big Four television networks in the United States and has enjoyed success for over 9 seasons with a strong fan base (Jensen, 2012).

When applying the innovation radar framework to Criminal Minds it is interesting to see how many external forces affected the editors who work on the show. In terms of offerings, Criminal Minds was developed and released at a time when there were dozens of series in a similar vein. Crime Television was a well-established genre, and Criminal Minds offered a variation on this format without straying too far from the formula, providing fast-paced action that was easy to pick up and follow (CBS.com, 2011). According to creator Jeff Davis, Criminal Minds target demographic is 18-49 females, typical of police procedurals which seem to grab a large female audience (Beele, 2009). This 18-49 female audience are what demographic researchers term Generation V. Generation V are a group of consumers who have radically shifted their media habits to accommodate the range of new platforms that fit into their busy lifestyles. They are the earliest adopters of technology out of any demographic, as well as watching the least live TV, preferring to stream recorded broadcasts instead. They require content that grabs them immediately and connects with themes such as family, love and revenge (Google and YouTube, 2012). From an editors perspective, this means a show like Criminal Minds requires an arresting opening scene that emphasizes such themes, or the target audience will simply turn off. The result? In Season 3, 12 out of the 20 episodes introduce in the opening scene the kidnap or murder of a mother or son. (CBS.com, 2011). The method by which the editor has constructed and ordered these scenes means that from the very first frame of most episodes the target audience has a character they can easily connect with. 12

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

In terms of process, Criminal Minds has felt the effect of numerous external and internal production forces. Externally, as a network television show, it is subject to tight regulation by the FCC, and cannot broadcast content that could be deemed obscene by the average viewer (FCC.gov, 2003). For example, in season 4, episode Cold Comfort, there is a scene in which a character turns to make a lewd gesture i.e. flipping the bird but the editor cuts away to an angle which hides this (CBS.com, 2011). This is a case where the edit may well have been compromised due to regulation, which understandably has a large impact on the editing. With various guidelines on what can and cant be shown, it becomes the editors task to instead imply mature content. However, in this case, an argument could also be made that the editor cuts away from showing the gesture for another reason - to maintain the lighthearted tone of the scenes dialogue. By using Walter Murchs criteria for editing, it seems unlikely an editor would want to offend a programmes audience within the first 5 minutes. When it comes to the violence in Criminal Minds, Murchs approach to editing doesnt necessarily hold up. In violent scenes, it is probable that the editor wants to emote fear and horror from their audience. But, like foul language, violence also has rigorous regulation. Whilst Criminal Minds is a show that has often been criticized for its high level of violence, the violence is not allowed to be lingered on for a significant portion of time (FCC.gov, 2003). As a result, the editor is almost forced into cutting a scene as he or she would an action scene. There are typically quick and sharp cuts between shots that disorientate the viewer whilst minimising the amount of time focusing on the physicality of the bloodshed. For example, examine the use of cutting between extreme close ups, such as in the example given in figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - Scene from S07E02. Timestamp: 00:04:03:22 to 00:04:07:13

13

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

These three shots take place within 3.8 seconds, giving each shot an average duration of 1.2 seconds. The extremely fast rhythm of cutting allows the editor to communicate the nature of the violence without graphic detail. This editing technique is usually part of something called a blip clip where the editor shows the audience around 10-15 seconds worth of the crime happening, followed by a hard cut away to a completely different scene, allowing a quick transition straight into the driving narrative (Brown, 2012). The practice of less is more is reinforced by Roger Crittenden in Fine Cuts (2005), who explains that an editors job in television is to strip the edit down to its bare bones of emotioninsinuating to the audience how they might feel, rather than showing them (Crittenden, 2005, p. 361). This approach applies very well to network television shows such as Criminal Minds, which are subjected to much tighter and rigorous regulation both internally and from the FCC. For the editor, it is more about implying violence rather than showing violence. In a press release at the time of the shows premiere, The Mark Gordon Company, one of the shows producers, insisted that the shows instant success came from its focus on the criminals themselves rather than the crime itself (Messer, 2013).

14

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Criminal Minds is defined by its broadcaster, CBS, as a procedural crime thriller (CBS.com, 2011). It fits into this genre well but has made changes from season to season due to a number of reasons. Lawrence Alloways theory of the comedy of newness has particular significance here because Criminal Minds has been making the small and incremental changes Alloway discusses.Examine the changes made to the cast over the shows first to current (ninth) season in figure 2 above, for example.

Figure 2 Opening titles - Top left-right: season 1 and 4, bottom left-right: season 6 and 8

Creator Jeff Davis explained that the nature of network television shows is such that scheduling and long shoots for up to 24 episodes worth of footage over 9 seasons can be challenging amongst much of our creative team and talent (Beele, 2009). This has a direct impact upon the creative control of the editor. For example, Mandy Patinkin, an actor who played the lead character of Agent Jason Gideon, left the show abruptly, stating that he didnt know the writers were going to kill and rape all these women every night (Taormina, 2012). Patinkin only agreed to film one scene at the beginning of season 3, leaving the writers and editors in disarray. As a result, the first 5 episodes had to be restructured and character arcs had to be edited out entirely (Beele, 2009).

These same kinds of issues can also emerge during episode re-ordering too. This is when the network decides to air particular episodes out of the order they were edited in. There are a number of reasons for episode re-ordering, such as budgetary concerns or issues with re-shoots or re-writes. Therefore, the editor has to create a finished 15

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

product that can be potentially shown in any order in relation to other episodes. What usually results is a minimization of character storylines or development, and a heavier focus on that episodes particular case. Character arcs often then become secondary, such as in Season 7 when one of the lead characters, Dr. Spencer Reid, begins to develop signs of bi-polar disease (CBS.com, 2011). However, a writers strike occurred during this time and this storyline was dropped and has not yet returned. One of the shows editors, Paul Jensen, described how they will get about 20-30 hours footagethen get 5 days to put together a cut (Jensen, 2012).

What has become clear when looking at Criminal Minds is that editors are under huge pressure from a number of different angles that seem to exist in network television programme production. From regulation to writers strikes, it seems editors have less and less control over the final creation. Instead, they are tasked with constructing a product, week-after-week, in a process that Jennifer Forrest would call remaking the pilot (Forrest, 2002). Due to heavy regulation, there has also been a small revolution in the presentation of violence. Criminal Minds editors have the task of emoting and implying high levels of graphic and sexual violence, without showing more than is allowed - a skill and technique that a network televisions environment has helped improve and develop.

16

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Syd Field used the Three Act Plot Structure framework in order to analyse contemporary action-picture narratives. The problem that editors on Criminal Minds encounter lies in the inherently commercial nature of network television specifically advertisement breaks. In US broadcasts of the show, there are 3 advertisement breaks within each 60-minute broadcast, which forces a four-act structure upon the narrative. It then becomes the editors task, during what Criminal Minds editor Paul Jensen described as the final revision of the script (Jensen, 2012) to adopt Fields approach into a four act structure (see figure 3 below).

Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4

Same as act 1 in Field's Three Act Structure Establishes the nature of the problem facing protagonists

Same as act 2 in Field's Three Act Structure Another problem occurs (usually another victim), unsuccessful attempt to confront enemy
Repetition of act 2 in Field's Three Act Strucutre, except stakes are higher Time is running out for the protagonists to confront the enemy Same as act 3 in Field's Three Act Structure Protagonists take control and achieve a final decisive victory

Figure 3 4 act structure (personal use) What this adaptation ends up achieving is a commercialized restructuring to the edit. Mark Lawson, a writer for The Guardian, argues in his article Do Ad breaks make for better dramas? that as a result the body count, nine times out of ten, will always rise (Lawson, 2014). In Fields 3-act structure this would only need to happen once, but in the commercialized programme there is a need for multiple twists in order to maintain the attention of the audience. In TV fiction, the advertising industry is the friend of the serial killer (Lawson, 2014). These twists before the advertisement breaks have become a staple of the crime genre, and are what Mark Turner would define in his approach to narrative as cognitive mechanisms.

17

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

In Criminal Minds, there are several stand-out mechanisms in the editing that weave into the shows ability to be recognized and branded. When repeated and often sharpened they become essential tools for the construction of any given episodes narrative. For example, almost every Criminal Minds episode features the following audio and visual motif, shown in figure 4 below. It is a long shot of the BAUs private jet as they travel to and from the location of each particular episode. Off-screen, the audience will hear something called a bookend quote. This is a quote read off-screen by one of the characters that appears at the beginning and/or end of the programme. It usually reflects or hints at the theme present in each particular episode.

Figure 4 - Top left-right: S07E02, S04E18. Bottom left-right: S04E14, S03E04

Key to genre theory and to many of the conceptual frameworks outlined in the literature review was the term action picture. This was an audiovisual text that adhered close to the 1/f fluctuation pattern, as outlined by James Cuttings research in relation to chaos theory. There are two noticeable types of scenes in which the editor has controlled the rhythm of his/her edit in order to achieve the modern, action-driven pace. These are the dialogue scenes and the action scenes. In the following analysis, action scenes are any section of the episode in which the overall physical movements are more dominant than conversational dialogue.

18

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Firstly, the dialogue scenes are tightly edited. Take for example the first scene after the opening credits from Season 3, episode Children of the Dark (2007). The duration of the first 10 shots, beginning on the first shot in which the dialogue began, have been counted (see table 1 below).

Shot No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Shot Duration (frames) 115 53 40 45 130 48 28 102 57 98

Shot duration (seconds/frames)) 4.6 2.1 1.6 1.8 5.2 1.9 1.1 4.1 2.3 3.9 2.8 (70)

Average Shot Duration

Table 1 - Shot Duration from S03E04 "Children of the Dark" (2007) scene An average shot duration of 2.8 seconds demonstrates the snappy rhythm of the edit. There is also frequent use of J-cuts, an editing technique whereby the audio portion of the next clip plays prior to the video cut. This audio lead-in transition allows the editor to tighten the phrasing of the dialogue, reducing the pauses between line deliveries and creating a sense of urgency and pace. (Robertson, 2012). As previously discussed, this is essential due to a network television shows actual running time of 42 minutes. The cognitivist approach to this style of editing would argue that the editor has tightened the pace as much as possible to match the natural pattern of attention.

Furthermore, a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in 2014 found that the modern media audience attention span had reduced from an average of 12 minutes to an average of 5 minutes. A number of factors were cited in influencing this, though the primary focus was on social media (NCBI, 2014). With this dramatic change in a programmes key demographic, editors are now under pressure to cater to 19

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

an ever-changing audience with ever-changing demands. This recent study also supports cognitivisms psychobiological elements. The NCBI found in their research that the chemical effect on the brain caused by hormones has also changed. Stress hormones and adrenaline respond faster to a change in environment, but dont last as long, and oxytocin, the hormone that stimulates empathy, spikes more frequently and in higher amounts (NCBI, 2014). As a result, editors on successful shows concentrate on crafting an edit that fulfills the need for longer stretches of fast-paced, adrenalineinducing scenes. There is also a need to keep focus on characters that the audience can sympathize with the victims which explains the need for parallel narratives. Interestingly, as shown by table 2 below, the average length of a pre-credits scene across the 3 episodes analyzed is just over five minutes.

Episode Season 3 Episode 4 Children of the Dark (2007) Season 4 Episode 18 Omnivore (2008)

Pre-credits scene(s) total duration 420 [4 minutes 20 seconds] 625 [6 minutes 25 seconds]

Season 7 Episode 2 Proof (2011) 453 [4 minutes 53 seconds] Average duration 512 [5 minutes 12 seconds]

Table 2 - Pre-credits scene duration(s) and overall average across 3 case study episodes of Criminal Minds (2005-present) After the pre-credits scene and the credits themselves, the first advertising break is taken (in US broadcasts) (Thompson, 2005). It cannot simply be coincidental that the first act of an episode is almost identical in length to the average attention span of the modern viewer. However, this recent research by the NCBI does have its drawbacks. Many neurologists argue that it is impossible to draw these kinds of conclusions as social media is such a new phenomenon and it is difficult to complete any meaningful diachronic analysis. Therefore it may be many decades before evidence of changes in attention span can be verified. (Goldacre, 2011).

Alongside the commercial imperative present in primetime television shows, the editing approach in terms of action and storytelling is an attempt to grab the audiences attention. Furthermore, the structuring of the edit around commercial 20

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

breaks implies an understanding of the innate lapses in attention and the need for a regular contrast of content in this case the contrast between the programme itself and the networks advertisements. If the cognitive approach to editing is valid, then the approach predicts an above-average level of success, due to increased audience longevity and attention. Erik Hehers article on Boring Films (Neher, 2013) maintains that if audiences find the rhythm of an edit frustrating or deliberate they will simply turn off. When examining the popularity of Criminal Minds the prediction made by the cognitive approach appears to hold some validity. From its debut in 2005 it has gone from strength to strength, eventually overtaking Lost (2004-2011) in overall viewership. It then went on to be chosen as the post-Super Bowl spot in 2007, a highly competitive scheduling slot, and is still one of the most watched US primetime shows in 2014 (Turcuit, 2014). It is evident that there are a number of factors that have allowed a large audience to connect with the show, and the rhythm, narrative and structure is clearly one of these. However, there are certain assumptions that have been made in this approach. There is an automatic assumption that the consumer enjoys both the genre and action pictures in general. Audiences outside of the generation V demographic of 18-49 females may well not have any interest in the crime or thriller genre at all, and this alone is enough to influence their attention. It is drastic to say that the editor is the only influence on a consumers decision to connect and maintain consistent viewership

21

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

In summary, Criminal Minds is a show that has enjoyed an enormous amount of success in a network television environment. It has found a sizeable audience by using its genre to its advantage, and connected with its key demographic, 18-49 women. It appears that the role of the editors on Criminal Minds is to produce a product that achieves certain criteria. Firstly, it has to grab the audience from the very beginning. The result is pacing and rhythm that you would find, according to James Cuttings research, in an action picture. The second criteria is regulation. Regulation has been shown to have a huge influence on a show such as Criminal Minds, which deals with horrific violence. It has become the editors function to communicate the emotion and horror in such violence, whilst regulating and ultimately minimizing how much graphic violence is shown on-screen. Finally, there is the commercial imperative behind network television, which has had a massive impact on television editing. They work to tight deadlines to reduce cost and streamline production and have to create episodes in which the structure, rhythm and mechanisms are recognizable to the consumer. In terms of specificity, an editor working on a show such as Criminal Minds is subject to very detailed controls and criteria.

22

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

CHAPTER 3

Case Study: True Detective

True Detective (2014) is an original HBO-commissioned anthology crime drama written by novelist Nic Pizzolatto. Taking place in 2012, Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart are brought in to revisit a homicide case they thought solved in 1995. As the inquiry unfolds in present day through separate interrogations, the two former detectives narrate the story of their original investigation, reopening unhealed wounds, and drawing into question their supposed solving of a bizarre ritualistic murder in 1995. The timelines converge in 2012 as each man is pulled back into a world they believed they'd left behind (HBO, 2013).

As a content producer, HBO is a prime example of disruptive product becoming a main market competitor. From HBOs inception, it aimed to undermine and challenge the Hollywood-controlled television industry. Initially airing content such as R-rated movies, due to the lack of regulation of cable and subscription services, it grew into financing its own productions. (Mair, 1988). A clear case of disruptive market innovation, it eventually became a leader in quality programming with exclusive access (Leverette, Ott, & Buckley, 2009). HBO also made a bold move in distinguishing itself from the TV industry or precisely, the image associated with the TV industry. In the 1990s, television was seen as an inferior medium in terms of overall quality to cinema. HBO began incorporating into its promotional slogans Its not TV. Its HBO, the implication being is that TV is everyone else (their competitors). As a result, HBOs demographic became the quality demographic ages 18-49, with the audience expecting quality language, sex and violence (Leverette, Ott, & Buckley, 2009, p. 33).

23

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

For example, the scene below (figure 5) from episode 4 Who Goes There (Pizzolatto, 2014) - demonstrates the amount of graphic on-screen violence that is allowed on channels such as HBO.

Figure 5- S01E04

This opens up a number of opportunities for editors. Previously, Criminal Minds (2005-Present) demonstrated how editors were required to imply violence rather than show it. As discussed previously the two main reasons for this are regulation and where violence is inferred rather than graphic. Criminal Minds is a show about understanding why criminals do the awful things they do (CBS.com, 2011), and ultimately holds an optimistic premise if we can understand them then we can catch them. In stark contrast, True Detective holds an incredibly disheartening philosophy at its core that humanity is an error of evolution and ultimately meaninglessand that we should stop reproducing (Calia, 2014). As a result, the imagery, violence and sex have to be appropriately lurid and explicit. The editor has to construct the same set-ups and payoffs of violence that the editors of Criminal Minds have to, but use a completely different technique.

In Criminal Minds the scenes of the violence are essentially action-scenes, featuring incredibly sharp and quick cutting (see figure 1), with the average shot lasting around 1.2 seconds. It is about escalating tension until breaking point, and the release from this tension comes when the blip clip or scene ends and transitions to a dialogueorientated scene centered usually around the protagonists. In True Detective, the quicker cutting and build up of tension takes place prior to the actual violence. When the violence occurs, this is the release. The editor lingers on the violence, taking longer to cut away. Take for example this scene towards the end of episode 6, in 24

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

which the relationship between the protagonists Cohle (played by Matthew McConaughey) and Marty (played by Woody Harrelson) comes to breaking point. The lead up to the fight as Marty prepares to ambush Cohle is the real build up in tension, the real action scene. There is quick, frenetic cutting between the same shot (see figure 6 below) - the edit is unpredictable in the same way Martys mental state is unpredictable. Shots (edit moving top-bottom) Shot duration 31 frames [1.6 seconds]

49 frames [1.9 seconds]

26 frames [1.1 second]

59 frames [2.35 seconds]

81 frames [3.25 seconds]

Average shot duration

51 frames [2.04 seconds]

Figure 6 lead up to Marty and Cohle fight scene, Season 1 Episode 6 (personal use)

25

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Now compare this to the scene that follows (figure 7), in which the violence breaks out when Marty assaults Cohle. Shots (edit moving top-bottom) Shot duration 102 frames [4.1 seconds]

93 frames [3.7 seconds]

124 frames [4.95 seconds]

151 frames [6.05 seconds]

113 frames [4.5 seconds]

Average shot duration

101 frames [4.06 seconds]

Figure 7- Marty and Cohle fight scene, Season 1 Episode 6 (personal use)

26

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

The rhythm of the cuts has slowed down and upon the violence exploding, the editor choses to move, for the only time in the entire scene, to a wide shot. It is this that signifies the release from emotional tension the violence provides. The editor is releasing the audience from shaky, hand-help mid shots and close ups into a comfortable, still wide. The violence that follows lingers, as the editor re-introduces the hand-held mid-shots. They cut between these only when the action dictates, dropping the rhythm and pacing of the cuts significantly. Using Walter Murchs approach to cutting, it is easy to see why the editor has cut this way. It is primarily about the build up and release of emotion, and the editor has cut based on emotion, Murchs most important criteria (Murch, 2001). On the other hand, Criminal Minds (2005-Present) is a show where you could argue that the editing is more orientated towards story. This is because the victims of violence are often new, little-introduced characters, so there is no real emotional arc being completed in the violence. Instead, the cutting in Criminal Minds is rapid, aiming to advance and set up the plot. During scenes of violence, the frenetic editing style is designed to emote confusion and horror from the audience, whereas as weve seen with True Detective, the editing of the violence is almost ritualistic and sexual. It focuses on showing the audience the emotion of the characters, but not necessarily telling the audience how to feel.

In a recent interview with Matthew McConaughey, the Film Society of the Lincoln Centre asked him how True Detective was structured. McConaughey answered that the whole production team treated the 8 episodes as a 450-page film scriptsplit into three acts (McConaughey, 2014). Creator Nic Pizzolatto is from a literature and novel-writing background and in Kevin Macfarlands review of True Detective he praises the show for taking the same amount of time (eight hours) as it would take to read a crime novel. This, alongside numerous Lovecraftian horrorblended into new-age Nathanial Hawthorne territory has helped it attain a compelling cinematic style, argues McFarland (McFarland, 2014). If True Detective is essentially cinematic in structure, then it becomes the role of the editor to divide Fields three-act narrative over multiple episodes, as opposed to stuffing multiple acts within each episode the case with Criminal Minds. Below is a broad outline of how True Detective was structured throughout all 8, 60-minute episodes.

27

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Episodes 1-3 [ACT 1]

Set-up: Victim(s) introduced, backstory of protagonists Additional set-up: Themes, tone and mysteries/redherrings

Episodes 4-6 [ACT 2]

Confrontation of villain(s) Success followed by immediate failure

Episodes 7-8 [ACT 3]

Resolution of mystery Confrontation of villain
Figure 8 - 3 act structure over 8 episodes (personal use)

Within each episode, there is a range of experimentation with the presentation and telling of the narrative. There are three time frames in which True Detective takes place: 1995 when the original crime was committed, 2002 when Cohles breakdown and obsession with the case begins, and 2012 - the present. The film is presented through various narrators, some reliable, some unreliable, which work in parallel with flashbacks. True Detective takes in this sense a very cognitive approach to narrative editing. Parts of the characters testimony are often left out or twisted and distorted, much in the same way time affects our ability to retrieve and recall memories. There is a form of reconstitution and reconstruction happening on screen and the audience only knows as much as the detectives up until the final episode. In the final episode, the audience is fed information, such as the identity and activities of the real killer that the detectives do not know. This results in the finale effectively becoming a traditional police procedural. The change in narrative editing may well have been made for a number of reasons, but it seems realistic to assume it was to help create a definitive end to the show. In Criminal Minds, almost every episode ends with the criminals identity being revealed after confrontation and capture. When True Detective shifts its narrative to echo that of a police procedural, it is communicating to the audience to expect a finite conclusion. McConaughey explained that from the very start everyone knew that True Detective would be a finite piece of workthat 28

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

we shot for three months (McConaughey, 2014). Once again, it appears that virtually all the production elements were designed to create a cinematic product. For a crime TV editor this is a huge step in a different direction. Programmes such as True Detective are the most novelist form of television. As Kevin Macfarland points out, it can air week-to-week in order to take advantage of the Internet publicity machine, but remains blissfully unaffected by the demands of audience expectations (McFarland, 2014). This is where we can begin to see immediate differences between True Detective and Criminal Minds in terms of the external factors that influence editing. With Criminal Minds, there is a huge reliance on Nielsen ratings and repetition of certain mechanisms and genre motifs. In True Detective it is almost immune to these factors. It was made as a stand-alone piece to be aired in a shorter 8week span, and its primary selling point was not the genre, but rather the label of quality television assigned to HBOs productions.

However, it would be nave to ignore the simple fact that HBO is a business. Ultimately, there is still a responsibility upon the editor to create a marketable product. Due to the fact that True Detective is designed to be an anthology series where each season features a different story and different set of characters (TV Tropes, 2004) it is the editors role to create mechanisms, pacing and tone that can be replicated in further series. Due to the immediate success of the first season at least two more seasons have been ordered (Littleton, 2014), and keeping the aesthetic and tonal elements the same will be key to HBO in creating a recognizable and successful product. Jennifer Forrests work in remake theory has particular significance here, as the editor takes on the role of reiterating and reinventing the source material in this case the first season of True Detective. For future seasons the core motifs will likely remain and the editor has to use rhythm, tone and cutting techniques to achieve a level of aesthetic convergence. However, with the production of season 2 of True Detective yet to begin, it is difficult to say to what degree the editing will vary. It is important to remember that when talking about the remake theory in this sense it is significantly different from the way Criminal Minds approaches its reiterations and cycles. In Criminal Minds, each episode is a remake in its own sense, with the editor often changing. In True Detective, each episode is not a remake but rather a smaller part of what could well be viewed as a single 8-hour film. There are not many narrative

29

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

mechanisms that True Detective repeats from episode to episode. There is no precredits sequence; each episode simply begins from where the previous episode ended.

As we have seen, HBO appears to be converging more and more towards marketing itself as a cinematic experience. The implications for television editing as a whole is huge, opening up a new industry of freedom and authorshipfrom the industrial process created by network television and its obsession with pleasing all (Leverette, Ott, & Buckley, 2009, p. 87). Many of the outside influences that a network show like Criminal Minds suffers from are at the very least minimized and at the most a nonissue. By looking at True Detective through narrative and rhythm theory, this freedom and its effect on the editing process has become clearer. For example, the range and contrast in the pacing styles shown is a key result of the greater control afforded to editors. Additionally, the unconventional structuring of individual episodes and the experimentation with various unreliable narrators is evidence of this greater creative freedom. When compared to Criminal Minds, it also becomes clear that True Detective lacks the amount of narrative mechanisms that the editing of Criminal Minds relies upon. That said, True Detective is a new show, and future seasons may reveal that editors do not have as much free reign as originally thought. It is important to remember that when Criminal Minds began it was widely considered a fresh and unconventional crime drama. Now, after 8 more seasons it is seen as a staple of the crime genre that has an incredibly recognizable formula.

30

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

CHAPTER 4

Conclusion

Applying conceptual frameworks and theories to two case studies has provided an indepth evaluation of how different editing styles has resulted in two very different TV shows that also share some similarities. Both True Detective (2014) and Criminal Minds (2005-Present) are very successful TV shows that are of the same genre and aimed at the same demographic. In the 2012-2013 season, over 12 million Americans tuned in to watch Criminal Minds every week (Schneider, 2013). Likewise, True Detective went from strength to strength, with the finale being watched by HBOs largest audience since 2010, and subsequently the on-demand catch up service HBO Go was crashed by the volume of traffic trying to access the show (Christie, 2014). Furthermore, both Criminal Minds and True Detective fight for the same coveted 1849 demographic in which they both succeed well above expectations (Nielsen, 2011).

Analysis of the two shows using the frameworks discussed previously, as well as taking into account narrative and rhythm, highlights some fundamental differences between them. Criminal Minds has been designed to rigorously abide by the editing conventions dictated by its genre. Its fast, no-fat approach to narrative editing allows it to cover a four-act plot in which new characters are introduced regularly. In contrast, True Detectives pacing varies a huge degree, but is on the whole slower. This disparity would suggest that the success of both shows in maintaining the attention of their audience is due to a range of factors. Frameworks such as the cognitive and neurological approach fail to acknowledge that there is no single pattern of attention when it comes to rhythm. It is more likely that other factors such as tone, style, presentation and marketing affect how viewers perceive rhythm.

31

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

There is also a distinct disparity in the editing of violence in both programmes. Criminal Minds treats violence as an action scene, whereas True Detective treats the violence as a cold spectator. The presentation of crime itself, as both a physical act and as an idea is fundamentally different, and the editing is as responsible for this as the writing, directing, performance and camerawork. True Detective begins by asking whether humans are all essentially evil - that we are all monsters in the eye of evolution. On the other hand, Criminal Minds draws a distinct line between justice and evil, with the criminals being convicted in the eyes of the programme from the outset and with the protagonists on the moral high ground throughout. Approaches such as Walter Murchs Criteria for Cutting (Murch, 2001) have provided insight into the semantic and emotional meanings of Criminal Minds editing style. This raises the question as to whether editors on tightly controlled network shows such as Criminal Minds operate with this particular specificity due to these tight controls, or due to aesthetic choices made on the show. Conclusions drawn from using the innovation radar approach indicate that the restrictive nature of network television production is most likely to be influential. Additionally, the financial imperative behind a show such as Criminal Minds cannot be ignored as this changes editing on numerous levels including narrative, style and rhythm the most prominent example of this being the effect of advertising breaks on editing structure.

The cinematisation of television is never more apparent than in True Detective, and it owes this to its producer HBO. By treating HBO as a disruptive technology and innovation, it is clear that True Detective was produced and edited in an environment that makes an enemy of genre television such as Criminal Minds. Both Criminal Minds and True Detective follow characters as they try to solve a case but this is mostly where the similarities end. True Detective uses unreliable narrators and drops more red herrings than clues, focusing on the emotional arc of multiple characters. Criminal Minds focuses on the physical journey of the same group as they solve a crime in a practical manner.

32

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

In conclusion, this dissertation set out to discover the specificity of editing in television crime dramas. It is apparent that the editor is working to produce a product that meets the needs of the business model whilst producing a piece of programming that will capture the audience. What this investigation, analysis and comparison has determined is that there is a significant disparity in the specificity of crime drama editing and that these can be categorized and quantified. Hence editing techniques have been molded and controlled by both the internal and external influences of network television production. The skill of the editor lies in managing both of these factors to afford them the creativity to produce something the audience understands and recognizes.

33

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

REFERENCES Baker, S. (2000). The Fiction of Postmodernity. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield. Beele, R. (2009, March 20). Jeff Davis Professional Q&A. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from The Happy Writers: http://www.thehappywriters.com/Q_A.html Bordwell, D. (1989, Spring). Cinema and Cognitive Psychology: A Case For Cognitivism. A Journal of Theory on Image and Sound . Brown, S. (2012, April 18). Conventions of a television crime drama. Retrieved January 2, 2013, from SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/ShelbyBrown1/conventions-of-a-television-crimedrama-unfinished Calia, M. (2014, January 30). This Is The Most Shocking Thing About HBO's True Detective. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from Speakeasy - The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/01/30/the-most-shocking-thing-abouthbos-true-detective/ Case, D. (2001). Film Technology in Post Production. London: Taylor & Francis. CBS.com. (2011, January 2). About Criminal Minds. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from CBS.com: http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/about/ CBS.com. (2002, April 22). About CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from CBS.com: http://www.cbs.com/shows/csi/about/ Crandall, R., & Furchtgott-Roth, H. (1996). Cable TV: Regulation or Competition? London: Brookings Instituion Press. Crittenden, R. (2005). Fine Cuts: The Art of European Film Editing. London: Taylor & Francis. Davis, J. (Director). (2005-Present). Criminal Minds [Motion Picture]. Deleuze, G. (1989). Cinema 2: The Time Image. Oxford: The Athlone Press. FCC.gov. (2003, July 15). Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/obscenity-indecency-and-profanity Forrest, J. (2002). Dead Ringers: The Remake in Theory and Practice. New York: SUNY Press. Goldacre, B. (2011, October 22). Why won't Professor Susan Greenfield Publish This Theory In A Scientific Journal. The Guardian . 34

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Goodman, T. (2005, September 22). 'Chris' definitely a contender, while 'Love' takes a beating. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from San Francisco Chronicle Online: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Chris-definitely-acontender-while-Love-2606609.php Google and YouTube. (2012, May 1). Gen V Research Women 35-49. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from Google: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.youtube.com/en//yt/adverti se/medias/pdfs/research-gen-v-women-2.pdf Halang, W. (2006). Integration of Fuzzy Logic and Chaos Theory. Cambridge: Springer. HBO. (2013, November 22). About True Detective. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from HBO: http://www.hbo.com/true-detective/ Herbert, W. (2010, February 18). We're Only Human: Focusing on the Cinematic Mind. Psychological Science . Hitchcock, A. (Director). (1935). The 39 Steps [Motion Picture]. Jensen, P. (2012, March 2). Exclusive: Interview with Criminal Minds TV Show Editor Paul Jensen. (T. Guliadis, Interviewer) Kampis, G. (2003, May 27). Lecture Series: Narrative, Causality and Logic. Retrieved January 18, 2014, from JAIST: https://www.jaist.ac.jp/~gkampis/Course/Five/Lecture_Five.html Lawson, M. (2014, January 30). Do ad breaks make for better dramas? The Guardian . Leverette, M., Ott, B., & Buckley, C. (2009). Watching HBO In The Post-Television Era. Oxford: Routledge. Littleton, C. (2014, March 10). True Detective: Where Things Stand With Season 2. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Variety.com: http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/true-detective-where-things-stand-withseason-2-1201128796/ Madrigal, A. (2014, January 02). Netflix Built Its Microgenres By Staring Into The American Soul. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from NPR.org - all tech considered: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/01/02/259128268/netflixbuilt-its-microgenres-by-staring-into-the-american-soul

35

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Mair, G. (1988). Inside HBO: The Billion Dollar War Between HBO, Hollywood, and the home video revolution. London: Dodd & Mead. McConaughey, M. (2014, February 28). Matthew McConaughey Talks True Detective. (F. S. Center, Interviewer) McFarland, K. (2014, March 10). True Detective ends its first season as it began: with two indelible performances [Recap: season 1, episode 8]. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Boing Boing: http://boingboing.net/2014/03/10/true-detectiveends-its-first.html Messer, K. (2013, May 9). CBS resigns 'Criminal Minds' stars, orders ninth season. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/news/6566/cbs-resigns-criminal-minds-stars-ordersninth-season Murch, W. (2001). In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing. New York: Silman-James Press. NCBI. (2014, January 1). Attention Spans Have Dropped from 12 Minutes to 5 Minutes - New Research. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from SocialTimes: http://socialtimes.com/attention-spans-have-dropped-from-12-minutes-to-5seconds-how-social-media-is-ruining-our-minds-infographic_b86479 Neher, E. (2013). In Praise of Boring Films. The Hudson Review (Spring), 50-55. Nielsen. (2011, June 13). Top Tens & Trends. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from Nielsen Online: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s.html Pearlman, K. (2009). Cutting Rhythms. Oxford: Focal Press. Pizzolatto, N. (Director). (2014). True Detective [Motion Picture]. Ray, N. (Director). (1955). Rebel Without A Cause [Motion Picture]. Robertson, M. (2012, September 5). How to Imrove Video Storytelling with L-Cut Transitions. Retrieved January 5, 2014, from Reel Seo: http://www.reelseo.com/l-cut/ Sawhney, M., Wolcott, R., & Arroniz, I. (2006). The 12 Different Ways for Companies to Innovate. 47 (Spriing), 75-81. sky.com. (2010, January 15). Sky+HD User Guide. Retrieved February 23, 2014, from sky.com: http://storage.sky.com/prod/helpcentre/manuals/skyboxes/10431SkyplusHD R3v1SinglePagesv5AW%20LR.pdf 36

Examining the Specificity of TV Editing in Contemporary Crime Drama

Stanfield, P. (2011, October 1). Regular Novelties: Lawrence Alloway's Film Criticism. TATE Papers . Sweney, M. (2014, February 23). Netflix gathers detailed viewer data to guide its search for the next hit. The Guardian . Taormina, A. (2012, September 17). Homeland Star Mandy Patinkin Calls Criminal Minds His Biggest Public Mistake. Retrieved December 22, 2013, from Screen Rant: http://screenrant.com/criminal-minds-mandy-patinkin-quit/ Thompson, R. (2005). Television's Second Golden Age. Oxford: Syracuse University Press. Toby Miller, R. S. (2004). A Companion to Film Theory. Oxford: Blackwell. Turcuit, A. (2014, January 19). Critics vs Criminal Minds. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from Yahoo! Voices: http://voices.yahoo.com/critics-vs-criminal-minds137833.html Turner, M. (1998). The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. TV Tropes. (2004, July 29). Main/Genre Anthology - TV Tropes and Idioms. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenreAnthology tvtropes.org. (2004, December 3). Main/Bottle Episode - Television Tropes & Idioms. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BottleEpisode

37