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1Number 021www.curriculum-press.co.uk
The Modern Procedural Drama: Investigating CSI
M tudiesSedia
The aim of this Factsheet is to focus on the CSI franchise and:
Place the show within its institutional context Discuss the shows
relationships to the procedural drama genre Identify the generic
similarities and differences between
versions of CSI Discuss the appeal of the show for its audience
within its cultural
context
Attracting 2 billion viewers in over 200 countries,the CSI
franchise is one of the most successfulAmerican TV programmes ever
produced. In theUSA single episodes can attract 60 million
viewersand in the UK it is Channel Fives most popularprogramme. It
is also repeated on a number of UKcable channels and several
episodes are broadcastevery
day.(http://www.danmojica.com/CSI%20Logo%203.jpg)
Definition: FranchiseThe reproduction of characters and ideas
related to a singlemedia text across a range of media texts, forms
and products.
CSI and GenreCSI falls into the police proceduralgenre. This
genre focuses onwhodunnit mysteries and followsa group
investigating crimes. Ontelevision this has proved to be
asuccessful formula in the past withexamples of the genre ranging
fromDragnet in the 1950s to Hill StreetBlues, NYPD Blue and
HomicideLife on the Street amongst others.In the UK this formula
has also beensuccessful in programmes such asZ Cars, The Sweeney,
PrimeSuspect and The Bill.
Currently the franchise has threedifferent versions on
television, eachone being set in a different US city: theoriginal
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2000) which is set in Las Vegas,
CSI:Miami (2002) and CSI: New York (2004).
Although meeting many conventions of this genre, the
CSIfranchise has also subverted many of them. One convention of
thisgenre is the way the day to day life of a police department
ispresented in a realistic way with gritty representations of
policelife and the violence of the streets. Some have used
documentarystyles in order to create a heightened sense of realism.
A currentexample of a procedural drama that follows these
conventions isThe Shield which has avoided the use of soundtrack to
add to itsdocumentary-like feel. The Shield, like other modern
procedurals,uses complex narratives and focuses on corruption
within the policeforce and so presents moral uncertainties. The
media language ofCSI creates a less realistic feel and, whilst
police corruption andstreet violence are, at times, part of the
narratives of the shows,they tends to be more morally certain as
the main characters areidentified as being consistently heroic and
morally upright.
Grissom confronts asuspect in an investigationscene which uses
codesand conventions takenfrom other proceduraldramas.
(http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0286486/shield2.jpg)A typically
realistic shot from The Shield
AQA/WJEC/OCR?CSI is a useful contemporary text to study for both
AS and A2.OCR focuses on the TV drama specifically (2008
specification) atAS. CSI could be studied within a cross form case
study (AQAAS 2008) or as an independent study topic at A2. With all
awardingbodies any study of CSI would need to be based around
themedia concepts.
CSI uses a range of codes and conventions which are shared
acrossthe franchise, creating a distinct interpretation of the
policeprocedural genre, therefore, creating its own sub genre. At
the sametime, however, each version of the show has some distinct
aspectswhich create subtle differences between them.
Sidle and Grissom in the morgue a typical CSI locationin all
three shows
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2021. The Modern Procedural Drama: Investigating CSI Media
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Codes and Conventions of CSI
CSI ConventionsAll versions of the show are created by CBS and
produced by Jerry Bruckheimer who is famous for his productionof
big budget Hollywood films. CSI was created by Anthony E. Zuiker.
Each version has been released successfullyon DVD. In the UK, first
showings are on Channel Five which has become known for its US
imports and hasrecently launched a new channel, Five-US, to
capitalise on the success of these and other shows. The shows
havehigh production values costing around $3 million per
episode.
Each programme is highly stylised using coloured lighting
effects, flashbacks and a range of techniques such asheightened or
washed out colour, blurring etc. Each programme has an establishing
shot of wide angle track of thelocation usually as seen from above.
Each version of CSI uses CGI and other special effects to create
hyper-realistic views of wounds, bullet travel etc. At some point
during the investigation a montage is used to show thescientists at
work where dialogue is suspended and a modern sound track used.
Each show uses a track by TheWho as its theme music (choosing
appropriate lyrics to tie in with the theme of the shows, e.g. who
are you?) andthe soundtrack is usually contemporary.
Although there are some exceptions, the shows are usually
episodic showing two or three cases from expositionto resolution.
The true hero of the show is science which is used to solve the
crimes being investigated and, in themajority of episodes,
criminals are exposed and the story ends with their arrest. Binary
oppositions are used:science (as truth) v deceit; the police v
criminals, all of which can be reduced to the simple opposition of
good (thepolice and scientific crime fighters) and evil (the
criminals).
A collective of heroic characters is used: A mature male (each
series uses a known actor) leads the team (largely unknowns prior
to CSI) which is of mixed
age, gender and race: Grissom in Las Vegas, Horatio Caine in
Miami and Mac in New York The male lead tends to be a loner, a
workaholic and has some personal tragedies or problems to deal with
Most of the team members undertake traditional police work which
includes questioning suspects and attending
crime scenes Each team is supported by a number of scientists
who work in well-resourced labs Each team works closely with a
coroner At least one non-scientific policeman works closely with
the team
The shows focus on simple narratives means that stereotypes are
used extensively, both in the heroic team and inthe
criminals/victims involved in the cases. Amongst the leading cast a
single mother struggles to balance workand family commitments (Las
Vegas); a young character is shown at first as being unprofessional
and his lack offocus is an irritation to the older team members
(Las Vegas); the country-girl who has moved to the city is
portrayedas nave (New York); the ex-marine is patriotic (New York);
the workaholic finds personal relationships difficult(all). Victims
are sometimes innocent but often their demise is linked to personal
choices they make. In Las Vegasa large number of gamblers and
prostitutes are killed; in Miami death often follows pleasure
seeking in some way;in New York the victims greed is often a cause
of violence. These stereotypes reinforce a range of
contemporaryvalues.
CSI has mainstream appeal. The ensemble cast allows broad
audience identification with the cast and its simplenarrative,
repeated codes and the regular resolution of problems creates
audience gratification in a number ofdifferent ways.
Institution
Media Language
Narrative andCharacters
Representation /Ideology
Audience
Using Stereotypes:At first Greg was represented as a
stereotypical young man: he joked around at work, had knowledge of
a rangeof youth cultures and irritated Grissom by listening to rock
music in the lab.
Exam Hint :- When discussing your ideas in essays, always use
actual examples from shows you have seen to illustrate the
pointsyou are making. You will need to show the examiner you have
studied the text, not just read a factsheet about it. Try not to
makegeneral observations about the shows (e.g. CSI tends to use
closed narratives) but give evidence for the comments you aremaking
with detail from specific episodes (e.g. CSI tends to use closed
narratives. For example, the killer of the marine found incentral
park is identified by the end of the episode Heroes).
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3021. The Modern Procedural Drama: Investigating CSI Media
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Las Vegas
Gambling, show girls, Americasplayground, the sex industry,
night-life,marriage chapels, bright neon lights,tourism, 60s Vegas
links withorganised crime, the desert
A gang of hoodies beat up tourists forfun; Clients of
prostitutes are oftenkilled; Someone who cheats in a casinois found
dead; Someone who has wona lot of money in a casino is found
dead;The desert is often used to dump bodies.
Bright jewel colouredlighting is used in themainly night
timesetting to reflect theneon light of the Vegasstrip; The colours
usedare often symbolic red for dangerous
locations, white light for clarity in thelab; The lab is mainly
naturalistic with astrong blue and white tone. Low-keylighting is
used to highlight importantparts of the investigation and
thebuilding is modern and well equipped.
The coldness of science sets the toneof the investigations in
Las Vegas andvery little personal connection is madein the cases;
Grissoms character hasan intellectual engagement with thepuzzles he
faces and the crimes are oftenpresented in this way.
There is little Hollywood action in LasVegas. Crimes are solved
by focussingon the evidence and the characters areprimarily
scientists.
Miami
Beaches, sun, glamour, drug-crime,Hispanic culture,
holiday-makers, wealth,the everglades
Buying or selling drugs often leads todeath; Models are killed
out of jealousy;Dead bodies are found on the beach;The rich and
famous come to Miami andget involved in violent crime; Bodies
areeaten by the wildlife in the everglades.
Yellow and gold coloursdominate and extremecolour washes are
usedto emphasise the brightsunlight of the location;Often colours
are used tocreate unnatural skieswhich tie in with the
themes being presented browns, pinksand purples are not
uncommon; Muchof the programme is set during the day again to
emphasise the hot, sunnyclimate; The lab is also lit with
goldentones and is the most high tech of thefranchise using a lot
of glass and chrome.
Much is made of the sympathy for thevictims and their families.
The coroneroften shows emotion towards the bodiesshe receives for
autopsies and Horatiois shown comforting and supportingfamily
members after crimes and hasbecome personally involved with
victimsand their families
Lots of action from terrorist attacks,planes being shot from the
sky and dirtybombs threatening Miami. The showuses shoot outs, car
chases andexplosions regularly. Horatio does notget involved in the
laboratory work
New York
Sophisticated, extremes of wealth andpoverty, Wall Street,
shopping, culture,culturally diverse, a city of opportunity,Central
Park, skyscrapers, 9/11
Bank robbers dress up as a characterfrom a classic film set in
New York(Breakfast at Tiffanys);An investment banker is pushed out
ofa window in Wall Street; Runaways whogo to New York to start a
new life cometo a sticky end; An eccentric millionaireis killed;
Homeless people are killed;Many bodies are found in the park.
The dominantcolour is bluewith grey. Thecolours reflectthe built
upurbanenvironment,
the age of the city and the colderclimate of New York; A mix of
day andnight settings are used but each stillhas a mainly blue
tone; The lab usesup to date equipment but the buildingmixes modern
design with verytraditional architecture just like thearchitecture
of New York.There is less of a personal connectionto the victims
than in Miami but moreof a personal connection with the
crimesthemselves than in Las Vegas. Onecharacter was a victim of
domesticviolence and this can cloud herjudgement. She also has an
accidentwhich means she could have contractedAIDS. A member of the
team wasmurdered and Mac lost his wife in theattack on the world
trade centre so thecharacters are impacted on by theevents of the
city.The action in New York follows manyof the conventions of a
proceduraldrama. There may be some chases (onfoot) and some armed
standoffs. Thecharacters balance their work betweenconventional
police work on the streetsand the scientific work in the
laboratory.
Ideas aboutthe City
How arethese ideasused inplots?
Use of Lightand Colour
Tone
Action
Despite these similarities, each show uses the conventions in
slightly different ways.
Las Vegas/Miami/New YorkEach city has been chosen carefully and
each programme has a slightly different tone and uses different
events as the backdrop to theinvestigations often these reflect
contemporary ideas about the cities. The producer has said he feels
the city is a cast member and,therefore, can be seen to add
character to the shows.
Activity: What do you know about the cities of Las Vegas, Miami
and New York? What is the public perception of each city?
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4021. The Modern Procedural Drama: Investigating CSI Media
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The viewing figures show that the programmes are immensely
popular. There are many shows whichhave used CSI conventions in an
attempt to replicate their success. Shows like Cold Case
andCriminal Minds have put a twist on the CSI conventions by
focussing on historical rather thancurrent cases (Cold Case) and by
using psychology rather than physical science (Criminal Minds)to
solve crimes. Despite its differences to CSI, House can also be
seen to be using CSI-type codes toattract and maintain its
audience.
A typical action shot from CSIMiami
House: the producer is the Hollywood director Bryan Singer the
villain is illness a mixed gender, mixed race team is led by a
socially inept male lead (Dr House) CGI is sometimes used to allow
the audience to see illness in a way they could only previously
imagine it the riddle (how can the patient be cured?) is solved
within the episode
CSI and Audience
One of the main audience pleasures, or gratifications, offered
byCSI can be seen to be comfort. Despite the violence shown in
theprogrammes and the fact that the CSI world is one of extreme
violence,blood and gore, the audience can be comforted in the fact
thathowever bizarre or puzzling the situation is, the detectives
willeventually apprehend the killer. The CSI world is one of
moralcertainties and resolutions. The producer observed that
theprogramme was an immediate success but after the events of 9/11
itsviewing figures rose sharply perhaps indicating that CSI
offerscomfort for an audience who are frightened and confused by
eventsin the world. CSI may play on the culture of fear by showing
aworld full of violence and crime but it also acts to reassure
theaudience that science and institutions such as the police force
arereliable and effective.
Activity: What pleasures might the audience get from the
following aspects of CSI? Closed narratives most problems are
solved by the end of the episode The use of specialised scientific
terminology A range of stereotyped characters Clear moral
perspectives The use of science to solve crimes Consistent
repetition of the franchises codes and conventions The use of CGI
The visual and tonal differences between the three programmes
occurrence of criminals pouring bleach over a crime scene
(itremoves DNA traces) has increased since the programmes beganand
the investigative procedures shown are accused of helpingcriminals
evade capture.
Both CSI Las Vegas and Miami appear to be distancing
themselvesfrom the idea of realism. In recent Miami episodes, plots
have beenhighly exaggerated for example a recent episode showed a
murderbeing linked to drug dealers, organised crime and, within the
lastten minutes, a terrorism plot. The heroic Horatio still managed
tofind the murderer and save the whole of Florida within 45
screenminutes. The latest season of CSI Las Vegas is using a range
ofnarrative devices to tell its stories from an episode which is
shownfrom the point of view of minor characters to another which
showsdead bodies chatting in the morgue. These exaggerations
(Miami)and subversions (Las Vegas) of generic codes are all part of
thedevelopment of the genre intended to keep the audience
watchingthe shows and to maintain their success.
Exam Hint:-Dont forget the importance of the media concepts.When
studying a text like CSI, try to consider how the medialanguage you
are observing relates to the construction of thenarrative, the use
and subversion of generic codes, the waypeople and ideas are
represented and the audience pleasuresthe text provides. All of
these can be used to help understandthe way the texts constructs
values and ideologies. Whenanswering examination questions always
make sure you focuson the media concept(s) identified within the
question itself.
(CSI Vegas Images from: http://www.tv.com/csi/show)(CSI: Miami
Images from http://www.tv.com/csi-miami/show)(CSI: Ney York Images
from http://www.tv.com/csi-ny/show)
http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/csi-petersen48.jpg
Science Fact or Science Fiction?Despite the use of scientific
language and some real science, oftenthe methods used in the
programmes are fictional and real sciencecannot achieve what it is
shown to achieve on the shows. Theprogrammes are, however, often
received by audiences as beingrealistic and so are having a wider
cultural effect too. News reportsshow that juries expect forensic
evidence to be as efficient andaccurate as that which is seen on
television. Judges have had towarn juries that this is not always
the case. According to reports, the
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched
and written by StephHendry Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King
Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. MediaFactsheets may be copied free of
charge by teaching staff or students, provided that theirschool is
a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be
reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
other form or by any other means, without the priorpermission of
the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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