Case Closed brings local true-crime stories to South African screens

Lekhita Moore remembered by Mercia at her graveside

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e.tv's local crime and investigation series, Case Closed: Justice Served unpacks South Africa's crimes and subsequent convictions, as told by those closest to the crimes.

There appeared to have been a gap in the TV market for a local crime series. And with South Africans being natural storytellers, we felt, why not let those involved, tell their own stories with little narration, comments Ayesha Ismail, head of research and series producer of the show.

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Local independent production house, Okuhle Media was commissioned to find the diverse and unique criminal cases featured in the series. The production team worked together with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to intricately unpack 13 cases that resulted in weekly episodes.

Each episode begins by revealing the socio-economic realities of the area where the crimes were committed; painting a vivid picture of who the victim was from those close to the victim. We then meet the SAPS detective who investigated the case, as he retells the tale with dramatised scenes of the crime being playout, as well as supporting archive material. The episode proceeds to uncover how the suspect was caught and arrested. Viewers then get to see the ensuing case build-up as evidence piles up. Prosecutors and defence teams' make compelling arguments in court. Each episode concludes with the judge sentencing the criminal and justice being served.

Every single case covered showed how police carried out their duties diligently. The prosecutors also meticulously did their work and worked hand-in-hand with the police to secure successful convictions, shares Ismail.

In the 2016/17 financial year, courts managed to obtain 321 166 convictions with a 94.1 per cent conviction rate. Furthermore, the regional courts have maintained a successful conviction rate of 79.8 per cent over the past decade. Most of these successful convictions and backstories rarely make it to news headlines, which is what inspired the show.

In the first episode of the show, we hear the gruesome details of how 21-year old Cameron Wilson was found guilty of five counts of murder, attempted murder, rape and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Wilson's killing spree started when he was just 17 years of age. He killed his victims in the most brutal ways. One of his victims is 18-year old Lekhita Moore who was stabbed 98 times. Viewers learn how this horrific crime unfolded and the subsequent trial concluded.

We wanted unique cases and cases that would appeal to all South Africans - not only rape and murder, says Ismail. We also made a conscious decision to change the narrative that only poor black people commit crime.

The series was shot using the Sony FS5 as the main camera, while the Sony A7Sii was used as a second camera. The crew selected Rokinon prime lenses and a Canon L-Series zoom lens to capture run and gun situations, as well as for footage inside and outside the courtrooms. Both camera colour modes were set to cinema and gamma's were set to Cine Gamma 4 which performs well under low light and gives you a wider dynamic range as there was minimal time for grading hence those settings where used, adds Minke Alves, producer of the series.

Low light was also used for re-enactments, as most crime stories took place at night, while interviews with victims and families were lit using the Velvet light panel. I didn't want to re-invent the wheel, so the interviews were lit with one key light (1 1 Velvet light panel), and the Rotolight Neo II with a Chimera attached to it as a backlight, with a reflector as bounce where necessary, Alves expands. Case Closed: Justice Served also utilises archive footage supplied by eNCA, as well as stills from various newspapers to add to the credibility of the show.

The series was shot at the actual crime scenes with each episode taking atleast three days to complete. Each episode plays for 23-minutes with two commercial breaks.

Case Closed: Justice Served broadcasts weekly, every Monday at 22h00 on e.tv and eHD on Openview HD.

TECH CHECK: EQUIPMENT:

Camera: Sony F55 and A7ii

KEY CREW: Executive Producer: Wilna van Schalkwyk

Series Producer: Ayesha Ismail

Producer: Minke Alves

Camera Operator/Director: Eaton de Jongh

Sound: Zahir Isaacs

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LINK:	http://www.screenafrica.com/2018/02/23/tv-radio/tv-radio-news/case-clo...
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