To begin with, Paul Hamann portrays Edward Earl Johnson to be a very innocent man which makes this the first technique in producing a biased report. The opening scenes of the documentary were quite emblematic as they showed Edward for the first time behind the Parchment State Penitentiary bars. At this point in time, the viewer would be expecting to see a brutal criminal, however, Edward did not look intimidating at all and in fact it is fair to say that he did not look like the stereotypical criminal. His innocence is highlighted even more as we see his arms hooked to the metal fence making him looked like a harmless trapped animal. This is another reason why the documentary ‘14 Days in May’ is a biased report. Directly thereafter, we observe Edward’s behaviour. To the viewers, he seemed to be prepared to accept his destiny. This is emphasized even more when the warden states, ‘Resigned himself to his fate’. In addition later in the documentary Edward is told that his sentence is on the twentieth of May, but even after being told this he still speaks gently, it makes us, as an audience, believe that there is no violence in him; we also hear him repeatedly sigh, suggesting that he is accepting his death. Moreover, his body language also stresses on the fact that Edward was now submissive to his fortune. Although he was trying to be optimistic, he in effect just wanted to enjoy his last few days of his life. Hence this could be another argument to support the point that the program ‘14 Days in May’ is biased. Subsequently, the viewer also gets to learn of Edward’s favourite activities he likes to do in his leisure time. He was involved in chess, reading, playing basketball and in fact it is also learnt further on in the documentary that Edward was actually a very religious man. We see him singing at a religious quire in a church. This gives emphasis to the fact Edward Earl Johnson was not the typical criminal. He looked, dressed and behaved just like any ordinary man would. What’s more, another reason why ’14 Days in May’ is a biased report is because Paul Hamann interviewed many officers and prisoners that spoke of Edward positively. In conclusion, I believe Paul Hamann has portrayed Edward Earl Johnson in this particular way so that he can gain sympathy and consideration from the viewers.
Additionally, another presentational device Paul Hamann uses in order to get his point across is the way he presents Clive Stafford Smith. Clive Stafford Smith is a white lawyer who practises in the area of civil rights and the death penalty in the . A white lawyer is effectual here because it makes the audience think that if a white person believes in Edward, then why should not we. Furthermore, he volunteered to act as Johnson's attorney and was seen desperately trying to stop the execution of the death sentence. He took the case from the High Court, to the State Court and later on he even took the case to the Supreme Court. This showed how much willpower and determination he had. The legal representative emphasizes on the appeal a lot, showing that he strongly believes that justice has not been served properly. Furthermore, the first time we caught a glimpse of Clive Stafford Smith was when we saw him shaking hands with Edward. Moreover, throughout the documentary and till the end we see how Paul Hamann has made Smith look very irritated. This is proved when Stafford Smith states in his interview with the press shortly after Edward’s execution, ‘Everyone is calm and collected, but I am not calm and collected’, he then says, ‘It’s a sick world’. In general, Paul Hamann uses Clive Stafford Smith as one of the main methods to persuade the audience into believing that Capital Punishment is immoral which makes this documentary even more bias.
Furthermore, the next technique Paul Hamann uses to create a bias report is the way he portrays the guards and the prisoners. To start with, from our first impressions and throughout the rest of the documentary, we see that the prisoners have been presented as innocent and harmless. For instance, when we see the prisoners coming out of the prison bus to work at the plantation, we get the whole image of the Atlantic slave trade. Paul Hamann then lays emphasis on this fact, as he only puts the camera on black prisoners. The viewer may also get the impression that the prisoners have been exploited or demoralized which provides even more evidence that the documentary ’14 Days in May’ is a biased report. Moreover, all the way through the film we also see there was no tension or difficulty between the guards and the prisoners. It seemed to the viewer, that both prisoners and guards had a very calm and unruffled relationship. Further on the documentary, the viewer also sees the introduction of the warden who is white. Paul Hamann has used this warden to major effect in order to persuade the audience into believing that Capital Punishment is depraved. Anyhow, we see that the warden, who although believes Edward is guilty, is critical of Capital Punishment. On the other hand, Paul Hamann also presented the guards as being very ruthless and callous. This is proven later on in the documentary when the viewer sees the scene where the guards are having a discussion and laughing in the gas chamber. We also two guards swapping guns, one white man and the other black, showing a clear division in the colour of hands, suggesting some sort of a barrier, showing the kind of racist society that Edward lives in. Moreover, on the whole, Paul Hamann has used the prisoners and the guards in great effect by influencing the observer to commiserate with Edward.
The next step in Paul Hamann’s search for a bias report is his camera angles and shots. Paul Hamann uses the camera very efficiently. He considers the following in order to make a bias report: framing or the length of a shot, the angle of the shot and if there is any movement involved in the shot. Paul Hamann very skilfully uses the relationship between the camera and the object being photographed to give emotional information to the audience which could guide their judgment about Edward in the shot. For instance, he uses the aerial Shot in the opening scenes of the documentary to establish the setting of the prison. This was taken from a helicopter to convey real drama and exhilaration to the viewers. We also see a long shot of more of the prisoners and the greater part of them are black, emphasizing on the racist society. Another example of a camera technique is when he uses the Bird's-Eye view to show the guard in the tower watching the prison. This shot puts the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. Here prisoners can be made to look insignificant, ant-like and part of a wider scheme of things. Furthermore, Paul Hamann also uses the Medium-shot, when he shows Edward from the knees/waist up (normally used for dialogue scenes). He does this to create a realistic impression. In conclusion, Paul Hamann very cleverly uses the camera to influence the viewer to believe that Edward is trapped, hence making this documentary very bias.
Finally, the last few presentational devices Paul Hamann uses in order to get his point across are the way he depicts Edward as a religious man and the use of imagery. For instance, nearing the execution, Sister Sandra Hicks comes to visit Edward. In this visit, she blesses Edward making him seem religious or spiritual. She says, ‘God loves you’.
Here the viewer ponders, that Edward must be innocent since a sister of a Church believes so too. This builds up even more sympathy for Edward hence adding favoritism to the documentary. To add to the point, Paul Hamann also shows Edward in the quire, singing hymns in the Church. Besides this technique, Paul Hamann also uses imagery to induce the viewer’s mind. For example, throughout the documentary we see that Edward and the prisoners have been presented as trapped animals. We also see the imagery of segregation and isolation in the plantation. Paul Hamann also puts contrast between the whites and blacks such as the scene where the black rabbit was tested and not the white one. From the beginning to the end of the documentary, the viewer gets the feeling that all whites are racist, which is a very stereotypical judgment hence adding preconception to this particular documentary.
In conclusion, I believe the documentary ’14 Days in May’ is a biased report. In my opinion, the director, Paul Hamann produced this documentary with the intent to make the viewer realize the terrible effects of Capital Punishment. The way Paul Hamann makes the documentary, gains creditability from the viewers and makes the viewers agree with him. To emphasize this point, Paul Hamann only shows one point of view, he only shows Edward as a friendly and kind man. Paul Hamann only used Edward Earl Johnson as a pawn in his mission to prove and persuade the audience that Capital Punishment is wrong. On the whole, I believe the documentary ’14 Days in May’ is a very successful report in persuading the viewer that Capital Punishment is inhumane. Hamann has effectively presented his attitude to capital punishment and he has shown the viewers that capital punishment is wrong and altering the opinions who believed otherwise.
