UM Crime Image and Justice Representation in Zodiac 2007 Film Paper

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fhcreerq15

Law

The University of Melbourne

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Crime film analyse, Just want to make this one clear to understand and more solid structure. Harvard referencing

Prompt: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are ‘just’ (i.e., merely) entertainment. Rather, we must consider whether such representations are ‘just’ (i.e., ethical) forms of entertainment.”

Topic: serial killiing & True crime

Instruction: In responding to the prompt, you must formulate and advance a central argument. To substantiate your argument, you should conduct an original analysis of one film or television program of your choice.

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1 Blurred boundaries between cultural fascination and ethical entertainment: serial killer crime image and justice representation in Zodiac (2007) Crime and Culture Zhu Jiacheng (1006243) Word Count: 2127 Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 2 Introduction A genuine crime case where an assault committed is often shocking to society, but that is only the story's starting point. As stated in countless crime films, 'based on a true story or event' or 'adapted from a true event,' the true-crime film genre has long served as an art form that responds to crime and justice. True crime cinematography has long sought inspiration from true stories, 'parasitic' on actual events (Yar 2010, p. 69). When consuming true crimes that include serial killers or violence, art forms such as film do not make subjective judgments but rather allow the audience to understand and experience the matter's truth. Because of the cultural resonance that true-crime documentary presents with criminological theory, the genre allows more audiences to feel their perceptions of justice and concerns about issues such as the instability of serial killing (Bruzzi 2016, p. 252). Considering the social contradictions and human reflections expressed in the serial killer true crime film genre and the fact that this type of violence involves real people and historically based truths, the fascination, and concern with the representation of violence and harm in society becomes complicated. Leaving aside the cinematic form, people engage in a collective, ritualistic daily experience of reading crime news, an experience that is morally common to everyone but emotionally different (Katz 1987, p. 64). Crime films based on actual events have an in-depth unconscious reaction to focus on legal and righteous consequences while considering crime both 'evil' and 'heroic,' seductive and intimidating (Yar 2010, p. 79). Nevertheless, what if justice and law can exist in places other than the outcome when law enforcement cannot intervene effectively against the violence of serial killing? Furthermore, whether true-crime representation can provide the audience with an instant illustration of the possibility of justice and serve as ethical entertainment for the audience to reflect on the representation of law in the digital age (Young 2010, p. 19)? Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 3 According to Alison Young's (2010, p. 17) interpretation of crime images in justice cinema representation, the film Zodiac (2007), directed by David Fincher, depicts the law enforcement process of investigating the serial killer Zodiac as a definitive process. The criminal justice system is an inability to solve the case and intervene effectively. The ineffectiveness of law enforcement to respond to the murder and the dead-end investigation in the film have brought the audience to Northern California in the 1970s to experience a still-unsolved case day today. In a big city like San Francisco, concerns about the law enforcement system and crime are like a giant organism whose members cannot see or understand it. The appropriate response to victims is one of helpless compassion rather than criticism searching for causes (Spark 1990, p. 127). As in this film, Robert Greysmith’s efforts to investigate the case as a citizen and his almost frantic investigation for the identity of the Zodiac killer symbolize the anxieties of the times arising from the inability to establish a straightforward historical narrative. To this day, the Zodiac serial killer case remains unsolved in San Francisco. In this context, the connection between the effectiveness of law enforcement and protagonist Grey Smith's personal efforts to solve the case seems reasonable, rather than a clear idea of justice and the legal system. When cultural fascination has absolute confidence in the integrity and competence of the 'hero,' the law becomes secondary (Sparks 1990, p. 134). There is a symbiotic linkage between the Zodiac crime image of 'evil' and the media. Media portrayal of the serial killer provides rich opportunities for him to exploit innocent victims and commit dangerous stranger murders that amount to deeply resonant themes of criminological theory to capture the public's attention. Mass media allow the killer's name to gain wider distribution on news television (Haggerty 2009, p. 174). True-crime films can serve justice, just as the law in such representations can provide fascinating entertainment for investigating serial killing cases. However, is it only entertainment Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 4 for the public, and does it give the viewers moral force to collect scattered information in the digital era? Why did mass media become an essential part for the serial killer Zodiac driving public anxieties? This study will demonstrate the representation of 'motiveless crime' images in Zodiac (2007) and the reflection on law and justice in the modern context, based on the narratives and structure of the film. The linkage between mass media portrayals of crime image and representation of truecrime serial killing movie According to a recent report, an encrypted letter sent by the 'Zodiac serial killer' to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1960 has finally been decrypted after 52 years. In the content of this letter, the killer did not reveal his name, and the FBI said that the 'Zodiac serial killer' case is still under investigation, and they will try to find out the truth and give justice to the victims. As depicted in the movie, the killer had sent several letters containing the code to the San Francisco Chronicle press media to provoke. According to the police investigation, he killed seven people, two of whom are still alive. The case is still under investigation, and the serial killer is still at large. So, going back to the question indicated above, 'how does mass media become an important part of the public anxieties caused by serial killing? Audiences understand the representation and influence of true-crime films and media coverage of crime as the 'external environment' in which the 'serial killer' exists as a form of righteous ethical entertainment on the one hand. On the other hand, a worldview of 'Zodiac serial killing' investigation formulated by law and justice legislation (Sparks 1990, p. 125). 'Zodiac' is the most bizarre and complex unsolved case in American history, which itself acts as a giant magnet with a strong attraction for viewers. Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 5 People's attraction to crime shows that crime is not just something that society condemns; the public's disapproval and dislike for crimes that appear bundled with a strong interest in the form of crime images, the effects they cause, and the motives for their commission. The dual relationship between condemnation and curiosity about the story's veracity can be called cultural fascination (Young 2010, p. 4). While the press is driven by the level of public interest and 'fascination,' to enhance the storytelling of crime depictions, journalists and editors do not follow common sense in choosing how to depict crime news. Instead of enhancing the popular culture of crime commodification, the realism of crime has been distorted. As Katz (1987, p. 61) demonstrates, media journalists and editors, popular cultural perspectives will be constrained in journalists' choices of newsworthy. They will put themselves in the shoes of ordinary readers to make emotional responses to events. The ethical entertainment storytelling of the press's depiction of crime has placed the commodification of violence and crime in popular culture. Moreover, all together in the same framework as justice commodified violence (Jarvis 2007, p. 342). Crime images of the reality and justice in the representation of serial killing movie The 'external environment' and the audience's internal cultural fascination have led to a growing interest in cultural representations of crime and justice over the past two decades (Young 2010, p. 5). Director Davide Fincher is probably aware that by adding flamboyant cinematographic techniques to enhance the storytelling, the truth will be distorted. So, the narrative is told strictly from the point of view of the novel's original author, David Grey Smith - the cartoonist played by Jake Gyllenhaal. The film's suspense lies in whether anyone can discover the serial killer's hidden identity and arrest him, although the director puts all the facts in front of the audience and Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 6 does not draw any conclusions. Fincher comments that the film's depiction of the crime scene reflects the reality of the serial killing and approaches the emotional response of ordinary people to the case. He wanted to depict the crimes described by witnesses, not as speculative imaginings but as realistic reconstructions of these serial killing cases (Young 2010, p. 154). 'Zodiac serial killer' involves no less than thirty cases, and even more, if we add the rest of the copycat murders, the film chooses three cases as the breakthrough point for the objective presentation of the crime image in the film, in terms of choosing to show the killer's way of murdering and keeping the authenticity of the cases. The first case was a couple of murders in 1968, and two people were shot dead by a nine-centimeter pistol. In the second case, the film switches the scene to September 27, 1969, the victims became a middle-aged couple, and the murder weapon used changed from a gun to a knife. The serial killer's overall dress code and unusual features are also shown to the audience, in this case, Zodiac: wearing a black hoodie, sunglasses, and a shiny white cross on his chest. Several distinct modern serial killer traits and phenomena are embodied in him, including anonymity association and mass media, providing the modern form of serial killing's critical institutional framework and motivational structure (Haggerty 2009, p. 170). The reduction of the victim to the serial killer's means to a specific end is also evidence in the third case. The victim, in this case, turned out to be a cab driver, whom Zodiac pulled the trigger on the back of his head from the back seat of the car. This case has the addition of witnesses, the time of the crime, and the opportunity to report the crime simultaneously, which brings an advantage to find a breakthrough point in the cases; however, in the end, law enforcement still did not catch the killer. It is also this case that makes the audience feel the powerlessness of solving the case. The overhead shot of the cab where the case took place through the crime Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 7 scene, this 'God perspective' indicates that even if the perspective is superficially gazing on an object of crime image, it may not be able to intervene in what is about to happen (Young 2010, p. 155). The specific visual content shortened the audience's distance from the serial killer yet has a powerful sense of detachment that allows the killer to escape our sight once again. Ethical effects and cultural consumption of true crime as ‘entertainment’ The audience’s emotional response to the nature of criminal behavior is reflected in the sense of alienation that society maintains by distancing itself from crime, defining serial killing as random and irrational to remove the criminal from the social context (Andrew, Thomas & Kenneth 2011, p. 462). In the mass media-constructed worldview of crime, people want to live in a fair world where they get what they deserve and deserve to get theirs. This theory reflects people’s cultural fascination to believe that the world works according to the principles of fairness, constructing violence as ‘invasive and perverse behavior’ and the representation of mass media together influencing people’s perceptions of crime and justice. The Justice system’s response to crime also brings the viewers closer to understanding what happened (Andrew, Thomas & Kenneth 2011, p. 464). By summarizing the clues, this essay examines the evidence available to the audience as ‘Zodiac serial killer’ as follows: he is a white male, may have also served in the Navy judging by a military boot print he left behind, his handwriting, and a fingerprint that is not sure if it belongs to him. True-crime films serve justice, and the viewer's fascination and curiosity to know what happened may lead people to the truth, but the courts and law enforcement can only tell us that the evidence is insufficient to convict. Conclusion Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 8 The film peels back to the cocoon in the plot, taking us step by step to the truth, but ultimately only infinitely close to it. As Young (2010, p. 152) apprehends Zodiac (2007), as a detective story, the investigation narrative does not provide any satisfaction, and the truth may never be unearthed, but this film will still cause people to reflect on the representation of crime and justice. The fruitless chase is the central conflict in the second half of the film. The contradiction exists in the world of the oscillating fascination of the audience and the ‘evidence’ priority of justice legislation and crime images of the serial killer and the cultural representation of crime and justice as entertainment. We cannot say that the representation of crime and justice is merely entertainment, but rather a matrix of intersections between the aesthetics of criminology, true crime, and the reception environment of the audience, from legal institutions to individuals and the interconnected plots and images involved, thus in the tremendous respect for the truth and giving people an ethical reflection on crime and justice representation (Young 2010, p. 11). Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 9 Bibliography Sparks, R 1990, ‘Dramatic power: television, images of crime and law enforcement’, in C Summer (ed), Censure, politics and criminal justice, Open University Press, pp. 123– 141. Katz, J 1987, 'What makes crime news?', Media, Culture and Society, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 47-75. Yar, M 2010, ‘Screening crime: cultural criminology goes to the movies’, in KMP Hayward (ed), Framing Crime: Cultural Criminology and the Image, Routledge, pp. 68–82. Young, A 2010, The scene of violence. [electronic resource]: cinema, crime, affect, Routledge, New York. Haggerty, KD 2009, ‘Modern serial killers’, CRIME MEDIA CULTURE, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 168– 187. Jarvis, B 2007, 'Monster Inc.: Serial Killers and Consumer Culture', Crime, Media, Culture, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 326-344. Bruzzi, S 2016, ‘Making a genre: the case of the contemporary true crime documentary’, Law & Humanities, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 249–280. Andrew, W, Thomas, F & Kenneth, D 2011, 'Constructing crime and justice on film: meaning and message in cinema', Contemporary Justice Review, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 457-476. Yardley, E, Kelly, E & Robinson-Edwards, S 2019, ‘Forever trapped in the imaginary of late capitalism? The serialized true crime podcast as a wake-up call-in times of criminological slumber’, CRIME MEDIA CULTURE, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 503–521. Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “ 10 Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “
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Criminal Justice

1

Blurred Boundaries between Cultural Fascination and Ethical Entertainment: Serial Killer
Crime Image and Justice Representation in Zodiac (2007)

Zhu Jiacheng (10062242)

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Word Count: 2190 Words

Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we
must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “

Criminal Justice

2

Criminal Justice
Blurred Boundaries between Cultural Fascination and Ethical Entertainment: Serial Killer
Crime Image and Justice Representation in Zodiac (2007)
Introduction
A genuine crime case where an assault committed is often shocking to society, but that is
only the story's starting point. As stated in countless crime films, 'based on a true story or event'
or 'adapted from a true event,' the true-crime film genre has long served as an art form that
responds to crime and justice. True crime cinematography has long sought inspiration from true
stories, 'parasitic' on actual events (Yar 2010, p. 69). When consuming true crimes that include
serial killers or violence, art forms such as film do not make subjective judgments but rather
allow the audience to understand and experience the matter's truth. Because of the cultural
resonance that true-crime documentary presents with criminological theory, the genre will enable
audiences to feel their perceptions of justice and concerns about serial killing instability (Bruzzi
2016, p. 252). Considering the social contradictions and human reflections expressed in the serial
killer true crime film genre and the fact that this type of violence involves real people and
historically based truths, the fascination, and concern with the representation of violence and
harm in society becomes complicated. Leaving aside the cinematic form, people engage in a
collective, ritualistic daily experience of reading crime news, an experience that is morally
common to everyone but emotionally different (Katz 1987, p. 64). Crime films based on actual
events have an in-depth unconscious reaction to focus on legal and righteous consequences while
considering crime both 'evil' and 'heroic,' seductive and intimidating (Yar 2010, p. 79). More so,
what if justice and law can exist in places other than the outcome when law enforcement cannot
intervene effectively against the violence of serial killing? Furthermore, true-crime

Running Head: “We cannot say that representations of crime and justice are just (merely entertainment). Rather, we
must consider whether such representations are just (ethical) forms of entertainment. “

Criminal Justice

3

representation can provide the audience with an instant illustration of the possibility of justice
(Young 2010, p. 19). Therefore it serves as ethical entertainment for the audience to reflect on
the representation of justice in the digital age.
Film Analysis
Central Argument from the Zodiac (2007)
According to Alison Young's (2010, p. 17) interpretation of crime images in justice cinema
representation, the film Zodiac (2007), directed by David Fincher, depicts the law enforcement
process of investigating the serial killer Zodiac as a definitive process (Young 2010, p. 17). The
criminal justice system is an inability to solve the case and intervene effectively. The
ine...


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