CSI: How Much Is Hollywood?

Your Assignment (Part 1)

• Unscramble the titles of the television shows that deal with forensic science.

• Why Are These Shows So Popular?

• What Is The Basic Template For These Shows?

• Where do the writers get ideas for the storylines?

Top Stories from 2013

• You may see shows that incorporate events from these true cases:

• Key Witness in Mob Boss Trial Found Dead• Jodi Arias Trial• Boston Marathon Bombing• DNA testing and Boston Strangler• NSA and Edward Snowden Scandal• Zimmerman Trial• Detroit Files For Bankruptcy

Brainstorming Rules

• Rule 1: Postpone and withhold judgment of ideas.

• Rule 2: Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas.

• Rule 3: Quantity counts, not quality, at this stage.

• Rule 4: Build on the ideas put forward by others.

• Rule 5: Every person and every idea has equal worth.

Your Assignment (Part 2)

• Use the ideas from the brainstorming session and the class discussion to create a visual that compares/contrasts television shows such as CSI to real crime scene investigations.

Venn Diagram Peer Review1 2 3 4

Number of ideas in each category

At least one category is blank

Each category has at least one idea

Most categories have more than one idea

Each category has several ideas

How reasonable are the ideas in each category

Less than half of the ideas are reasonable

At least half of the ideas are reasonable

Most of the ideas are reasonable

All of the ideas are reasonable

Variety of ideas

Too few ideas to assess variety

All ideas are related to one topic

Some variety in ideas

A great variety of ideas

The real world is not like the reel world.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong!

Myth- The Quick DeathFact- A gunshot/stab wound rarely causes

instant death. Most people bleed to death.

Myth- The Pretty DeathFact- Dead people are pale, waxy and gray

color. The eyes are usually open.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth- The Bleeding Corpse• Fact – Dead people do not bleed! Blood

will clot within minutes.

• Myth- The Exact Time of Death• Fact- The medical examiner gives a range

of death.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth- The One-Punch Knockout• Fact – Think about boxing. One punch

does not normally knock someone out.

• Myth- The Disappearing Black Eye• Fact- It usually takes at least two weeks

for a black eye to disappear.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth- Investigators/criminals are great athletes

• Fact - The average person cannot run indefinitely, especially not at a fast pace while jumping over fences, etc.

• Myth- High- Tech Lab• Fact – Most labs are understaffed and do

not have all of the latest equipment.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth- The Fast Acting Poison• Fact- Most poison deaths occur due to

accumulation of the toxin in the body.

• Myth- Untraceable Poison• Fact – It takes time, but can be traced.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth - The Multi-Faceted Investigator• Fact – Crime Scene Investigators

specialize in one area and not are responsible for multiple tasks.

• Myth – Fingerprints are Everywhere!• Fact – Criminals watch television also and

so they wear gloves and do not leave prints.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong! (cont)

• Myth – Instant Lab Results• Fact – It takes time to analyze evidence

so results are not instantaneous.• Myth – Lawyers work one case at a time• Fact – Lawyers have numerous cases in

progress simultaneously

Forensic Science as Entertainment

The Beginning…Crime stories in literature

• 1. The Bible and the Apocrypha both contain non-fiction stories of crimes and subsequent investigations. For example, Cain commits the first murder when he kills his brother Abel.

• 2. Between 1590 and 1610 William Shakespeare wrote many plays that included murder and treason For example, Desdemona is smothered by her jealous husband in Othello.

The Beginning…Crime stories in literature

• 3. Edgar Allan Poe is considered the inventor of detective fiction. Poe’s detective, C. Auguste Dupin, first appeared in The Murder in the Rue Morgue (1841).

• 4. In 1912, Freeman wrote the first inverted detective story. An inverted story reveals the killer and his methods at the beginning of the story. This rest of the story discusses how the detective solves the case.

The Beginning…Crime stories in literature

• 5. In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote A Study in Scarlet. This story introduced the character of Sherlock Holmes.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• Physician - Unsuccessful practice

• Professor Bell used deductive reasoning to diagnose disease

• Model for Sherlock Holmes

• 1887- A Study in Scarlet was first story

• Published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual

• In 2007, a copy of Beeton’s sold at auction for $156,000

Sherlock Holmes

• Eventually starred in 60 works (4 novels and 56 short stories)

• Lived at 221B Baker Street- Tourist Attraction

• Arch Enemy- Professor Moriarty

• 1893- killed off

The Beginning…Crime stories in literature

• 6. The Golden Age of Detective Fiction established the “whodunit” novel. The Golden Age was prominent in the 1920’s and 1930’s, but is still written today.

• 7. DC Comics began to publish detective comic books in 1937. Batman appeared in issue #27.

The Evolution of Criminal Investigation as Entertainment

Literary characters evolved into radio celebrities

• Detective fiction began in radio in 1929

• CBS radio broadcast True Detective Magazine

• 1930’s- The Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan and Ellery Queen were the favorites.

Radio Celebrities

• The Shadow had many crime fighting talents such as:

1.The ability to defy gravity2.Speak any language3.Unravel any code4.Become invisible by “clouding men’s minds”• The main enemy of The Shadow was The

Red Menace.

Radio Celebrities• Ellery Queen’s Minute

Mysteries consisted of a one minute mystery.

• The listeners could call in to solve the mystery and win a prize.

• The answer was broadcast after a winner was found.

4 Categories of Detective Fiction

• Radio brought detective fiction into everyone’s home. Soon 4 categories of detective fiction were established. The categories were…

The Categories Were…

• 1. Amateur detective• 2. Private Investigator• 3. Police Detective • 4. Forensic Specialist

Radio Characters make their debut on Television in the 1950’s

• This was the era of the “hard-boiled” private investigator such as Martin Kane and Peter Gunn.

• Wary executives continued to broadcast the characters on radio shows to increase viewership on television.

• Dragnet which starred Sgt. Joe Friday debuted in 1951 and is credited with improving the public opinion of police officers.

• Perry Mason debuted in 1957 and became the longest running lawyer show to date.

1960’s Crime Television• This was a difficult era to define.• Car 54, Where are you? was the first police

sitcom.• The Fugitive was the first show based on a true

story.• I Spy brought spies into the realm while creating

the first African-American television hero (Bill Cosby).

• Ironsides showcased the first physically handicapped detective.

1970’s Crime Television• This decade had the largest group of enduring

mystery characters.• It is considered the most realistic era for crime

shows.• Columbo was a bumbling detective that always

wore a raincoat.• Kojak was a quirky detective that always had a

lollipop and asked, “Who’s loves you baby?”• Quincy, M.E. was the first to showcase the

morgue and the job of medical examiner.

1980’s Crime Television• Women detectives were introduced in the

1980’s.• Many of the shows began to focus on looks and

glamour. These shows included Magnum P.I., Charlie’s Angels and Miami Vice.

• The more realistic shows included: Hill Street Blues and Matlock.

• Murder, She Wrote became one of the longest running crime and highest ranked series. The show ran for nine consecutive years.

1990’s Crime Television• This was the decade of cult hits such as Twin

Peaks and Picket Fences. Many shows in the 1990’s lasted only one season.

• The 1990’s also had three of the finest crime series of all time:

1. NYPD Blues2. Homicide: Life on the Streets3. Law & Order which holds the title as the longest

running crime series on television. The final episode was aired on May 24, 2010. The show lasted for 20 years.

2000’s Crime Television• CSI debuted in October of 2000 and started a

new fascination with criminal investigation.• However, CSI was almost canceled before it

ever began. Disney pulled it’s financing right before the show debuted and it was the last show that CBS decided to add to the 2000 season lineup.

• Within one year, CSI was the highest ranked drama on television and is still one of the most popular and lucrative shows on television.

What trend do you see in the 2010’s for crime shows???

Your Assignment• Each group must create either:1.A 2 minute radio show that illustrates a facet of

crime or crime scene investigation. You must include sound effects and have a 15 second commercial.

2.A 2 minute trailer for a new television show that illustrates a facet of crime or crime scene investigation. You must include a visual and a list of actors and their roles.

• After the presentations, the class will vote for a winner!

Examples of Radio Sound Effects

• Sound Effects