FACTUAL


quantity of footage and then met Shannan’s family in America. “There had been earlier documentaries about Shannan and Chris, but never with their involvement or knowledge,” she explains. “We wanted Shanann to be at the centre of this story – not the murderer, as is the case with so many true crime films – and they were happy about that.” So happy, in fact, that the family handed


over Shanann’s laptop and mobile phone giving carte blanche to the team – so long as nothing was used that might embarrass. The film was made in an intensive 26-week


edit led by Editor Simon Barker, the first stage of which involved the meticulous and time-


consuming task of going through every piece of material, organising it, date ordering and labelling it so nothing disappeared. Meanwhile, Popplewell conducted


background interviews to understand how to represent her in the film accurately.


WE WANTED THE AUDIENCE TO FEEL THEY REALLY KNEW SHANANN


“Seeing Chris lie on bodycam, under


interrogation, and in all the other content is incredible. As is the fact that Shanann is the only honest witness of events which she tells us about as they happen through social


media and text messages,” she observes. “We wanted the audience to feel they


really knew Shanann. All too often, victims in crime documentaries when they do have a moment are presented as having lit up a room, or having the best smile, or being sorely missed. So it was important to show her in an honest, multi-dimensional way.” A key strength of the finished film is that it


immerses the viewer in events while allowing them to work things out for themselves, creating a depth of engagement that Popplewell believes a standard re-telling involving interviews would struggle to match. “We’ve been conditioned to hearing


true murder stories and you can become a bit desensitised to it. The fact we know so many people have been affected by having watched the film is really important,” Popplewell believes. “We need to refocus


on familicide, femicide, violence against women. We need to remember these are real stories about real people, not just numbers. And we need to be aware they are an ever-growing problem everywhere, in every country, and in ordinary families.” To tell it any other way


would be a disservice to Shanann and her memory, she adds.


immersed in the story. In 2021 they opened a second site


designed and built around the needs of their clients including Dolby Atmos Mixing and Dolby Vision grading to service deliveries to


the likes of Netflix and Amazon as well as a theatrical grade and screening theatre. They see each project as unique and


look to build a tailored approach to each film’s needs, listening to the filmmakers and


offering their experience. Whether that be in the scale of post requirement or the need to work remotely and hybrid.


roundtablepost.co.uk televisual.com 19 BD


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36