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Kenzie Stewart

Professor Julie Gay

COMM-1500

17 October 2020

Midterm 5 Step Process: Prompt 6

1. Description: The two shows that I picked for this paper is “Criminal Minds”, for my

drama show and “I am a Killer” as my documentary/reality show. To start off, the first

show I watched was Criminal Minds, there are a total of 7 agents, Doctor Reid, Agent

Rossi, Agent Hotchner, Agent Prentiss, Agent Morgan, Agent Jareau and Garcia who is

the tech analysis. The team gets a case and then goes to the crime scenes, investigate all

possibilities of suspects and the key part of their job as a profiler is to act is if they were

the unidentified subject (unsub), because the agents have studied the behaviors of

sociopaths, psychopaths, etc. and know how they would operate. The second show I

watched was I am a Killer, each episode consists of a new case, that interviews a killer.

The first episode I watched called, “In Her Hands” goes into detail of the story of

Lindsay Haugen and how she strangled her boyfriend who had been very depressed as an

act of mercy. I am a Killer shows a new killer each episode and interviews them and has

them tell the story of their past and what led to them murdering people. This show was

very interesting to watch because compared to Criminal Minds, where they have no idea

who the killer is and they have to go through a lot to find who the unsub is, this show

went straight to the source after the murders had been solved. What I noticed while

watched the two shows was that you connect more with the killer in I am a Killer, and in
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Criminal Minds, you already start to dislike the killer very quickly because you learn the

story and see all that the unsub has done. According to the article, “Toeing the Line:

Benefits of filming here at home” by Ray Richmond, he says, “The ‘Criminal Minds’

budget averages about $3.5 million per episode.” Unfortunately, I was unable to find the

production cost of I am a killer, but in another article called, “6 Netflix Shows That Are

Expensive to Make” by Philip Sledge, he says “According to Variety, it takes anywhere

from $6 million to $8 million to produce a single episode of a series, though that number

is likely to go up as the story grows more complex.” (Sledge, 2020). I would assume that

it’s around that price or more because of the popularity of the show and how many

episodes they have made.

2. Analysis: The patterns and differences I noticed between the way the stories are told is

the they are both about a killer yet in Criminal Minds, they are trying to identify who the

killer is through trial and error and digging through all that they can while also putting

themselves in the position of the killer to see why, how and who did the crime. In I am a

Killer, the show focuses on after the investigating is done and once the killer is already in

prison. In I am a Killer, the problem has really already been solved because it takes place

in prison, with Criminal Minds the Agents have to put themselves in the position of the

killer and solve the murders through that mentality. I don’t think any of the conflicts

should be permitted and there are differences between the look of the programs because

Criminal Minds is a drama series while I am a Killer is a documentary.

3. Interpretation: The main pattern of the shows is the killer, Criminal Minds Agents focus

on the behavior of the criminal based on what they find in crime scenes and in the
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background of the victim(s) while I am a Killer takes you through the story through the

killers eyes. I love how Criminal Minds portrays power because the whole team acts as a

family so there is no rivalry or issues with each other, the woman have just as much of a

say in things as the men and there really aren’t any issues. In an article called, “The 4

Reasons Why ‘Criminal Minds’ Is Still a Great Binge Watch” by Emily Craig, she says,

“The shows dialogue has an air of genuineness, which makes the viewer fell as if the

BAU is a close-knit family instead of just coworkers.”(Craig, 2018). I value the show a

lot because I love how close each of the agents are, they feel for each other, want to help

each other, and want to make sure that everyone can feel safe and protected within their

group. I am a killer does not really have that aspect because it is a documentary.

4. Evaluation: I really have no complaints on either show except for with Criminal Minds

sometimes I wish they would show more of the aftermath with some situations, like after

they have caught the killer, but also there are some cases that have ended but you know

it’s really not finished and they don’t go on to complete the story in other episodes.

Criminal Minds in my opinion is a more compelling story to me and I could watch it all

the time because I love how they investigate and put themselves in the shows of the killer

in order to find who the unsub is. I am a killer is very interesting, but you are just

listening to them tell their story. I also think that both shows are very well done in their

story telling and I do not think they need to improve in that sense.

5. Engagement:

Dear Jeff Davis,

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I wanted to write to you today about your show, “Criminal Minds” I have recently

started watching the series and have completely fallen in love with the cast, plot, and the

show in general. I really love how closely you look at each episode, case, and issue

within the team and how you go about keeping the characters relationships strong.

Although the show is phenomenal, I wanted to bring to your attention some things that I

believe should have had more time spent on within the show. For is instance, Reid’s drug

addiction, you established the issue but didn’t go into detail with his story and it just went

away after some episodes. I really do love the show, great characters, plot, settings, etc.

and I love how well you portrayed the characters, thank you for your hard work!

Thank you, Kenzie Stewart

Dear Ned Parker,

I would like to talk to you about your show, “I am a Killer” this show is very

interesting, I love to understand the story from the perspective of the killer, what went

through their minds, why they killed, was it worth it, etc. but I wanted to bring to your

attention the fact that there isn’t much to the documentary besides watching the killer tell

their story, there isn’t much else to it. Maybe that was the whole point, it is a

documentary after all but I would love to have a conversation about how you got the

inspiration to start this documentary and why you chose the specific people you did.

Thank you for your time, Kenzie Stewart

Word Count: 1,999 words not including work cited, and header.

6.
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Work Cited

1. “Toeing the Line: Benefits of Filming Here at Home.” Los Angeles Times, Los

Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2013, www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/tn-

gnp-me-richmond-benefits-of-filming-here-at-home-20131012-story.html.

2. Sledge, Philip. “6 Netflix Shows That Are Crazy Expensive To Make.”

CINEMABLEND, CINEMABLEND, 9 May 2020,

www.cinemablend.com/television/2495910/netflix-shows-that-are-crazy-

expensive-to-make.

3. Craig, Emily, and Emily Craig. “The 4 Reasons Why 'Criminal Minds' Is Still a

Great Binge Watch.” Study Breaks, 9 Feb. 2018,

studybreaks.com/tvfilm/criminal-minds/.