The Man Who Ate His Lover

Introduction into the programme The Man Who Ate His Lover.

In this essay I will be writing about a man called Armin Meiwes and Bernd Brandes. both Armin and Bernd were respected by friends and colleges but at the same time they thought the two may be homosexual. Armin and Bernd both met over the net on a chat site. Bernd was posting up comments saying he wanted to be eating until Armin read his comments and replied. Soon after both had met up brandes got his penis chopped, died in a bath full of blood after getting stabbed in the throat. A year after that Armin was arrested. He was sentenced to Eight and a half years in prison.

I will be analysing this programme and referencing it towards other programmes with similar detail both story wise and in the way they used there production techniques.

IDENTIFICATION OF ALL PRODUCTION TECHNEQUES IN THE PROGRAMME

•Narration

• Animation

• Images

• Talking heads

• Music

• Lighting in the interviews and the camera angles

Narration was the main production technique in this programme it brought out great information to the viewer about Armin meiwees and his life, the narration was backed up with shocking animated images from armon’s imaginary friends, it was also backed up with talking heads that told stories of armon or Brandis. There was also music that went along with the mood of events as they were being told and offset camera angles and dull lighting techniques to also set that shocking mood.

Justification for the use of these techniques

Narration

The narration in this programme lets the audience imagine in their heads what armon was like, the narration puts images of armin’s childhood, growing up with his mother alone, armon’s life in the army, his life at see to his imaginary brother and then to the way he slaughtered brandis leaving him in the bath to die but soon after stabbing him in the throat with a knife. The narration lets you see these images without actually having them on screen. Hearing this narration is like reading a book in the way you have to think for yourself and have to imagine it in your head. Film quote: Armin chops of Brandi’s penis then leaves him in a bath full of blood to die before stabbing him in the throat. After hearing this sentence you automatically imagine what has happened even though you can’t see it on screen. This is a powerful technique to use when you can’t have video footage helping you out. This is the sort of technique that national disaster documentaries would use where they don’t have moving images to help them out. Sin city is a great example of using narration in a film. Quote: She shivers in the wind like the last leaf on a dying tree. I let her hear my footsteps. She only goes stiff for a moment. As this narration was being told a hit man was sent in to murder a woman in red. In this film there is narration going the whole way through the film.

Animation

The animation is a reconstruction of what Armon was imagining as a child, it shows us in graphic detail what he was thinking quote: He remembered eating other children so they would stay inside him.

The animation to that quote shows’s Armin biting of people’s heads and eating them, is shows these images in a dull green background this sets the mood to the viewer that what is going on is shocking and disturbing. The animation and narration works together here to give you a better feel to what armon is thinking, there is also added music that goes along with the shocking images, this makes it a lot easier and more enjoyable to.

Music

The music is added to make the programme more tense when something valid is being told, it really sets the mood to this documentary the music alone sends shivers up your spine plus when it’s added with animation it gives the viewer a real interesting feel to Armons life. It also makes the programme easier and more interesting to watch whereas in some programmes where there is no backing music they can be really boring.

Example: Wildlife programmes where you only have narrative and images. They probably would be still boring with backing music but none the less, less boring. The music makes these programmes easier to watch and more enjoyable because you don’t have to concrete as much. It also sets the mood in certain scenes. (Horror music/scary scenes)(Romantic music/love scenes) ECT