by David Ferrer
Season one of the podcast Serial delves into the
murder of Hae Min Lee through the narrative of Sarah Koenig, a former reporter
at the Baltimore sun. In her review of Adnan Syed’s case Koenig attempts to
unravel the truth behind Hae Min Lee’s murder. Koenig’s narrative elements,
such as including police interrogations, personal anecdotes from
individuals involved in the case, and phone calls with the suspect himself
(Adnan) create a podcast that attracts listeners’ attention, is well paced, and
encourages listeners to participate in the narrative.
The first episode begins with a captivating hook. It is composed of
melodramatic music playing behind a phone call from Adnan Syed, an inmate at
Maryland correctional center. This is an effective hook because it serves two
purposes. First, it captivates the listener by bridging a direct link between
the listener and Adnan, an individual that was imprisoned and removed from
society. Second, the hook, gives the listener an idea of what the podcast is
going to be about; the music forewarns a plot filled with mystery and the phone
call informs the listener that Adnan is in prison.
After the introduction, the narrator creates suspense by initially
withholding key information and disclosing it in a well-paced, sequential
manner. In the first episode, it takes Koenig 29 minutes to inform the listener
that Adnan had an alibi that could prove his innocence. Koenig reveals this
detail after providing the evidence that the state had against Adnan, thus it
causes the listener to reconsider their notion of Adnan’s character. Similarly,
this technique is also practiced in the second episode. Midway through episode
two, Koenig introduces another suspect in the case, Don, Hae’s boyfriend at the
time when she was murdered. This detail provides another focal point for the
story to expand on and helps create a clearer picture of the case.
Another technique used by Koenig that makes the podcast interesting is that
Koenig shows a lot of the evidence she discovers instead of narrating it. For
example, in the first episode Koenig includes an audio clip of a police
interrogation, in which, Jay, a friend of Adnan, is heard telling his side of
the story and explaining to the police how it was Adnan that killed Hae. This
audio clip allows the listener to form their own conclusions based on Jay tone
of voice and the way he speaks. Additionally, having different voices in the
podcast adds excitement to the story by reminding the listener that this story is
bases on true events. Therefore, Koenig doesn’t show her evidence in the
tradition sense of a visual aid but by including witnesses’ and suspect’s
personal narrative it allows a listener to actively participate in the podcast.
In episode two, sound clips from interviews are used to set the pace
of the podcast and develop the story. In the beginning of this episode, the
editor inserts a clip of Koenig interviewing Aisha, a friend of Hae, about
Hae’s and Adnan’s relationship, then, immediately after the podcast transitions
to Adnan speaking about his relationship with Hae. This narrative feature
creates a fast pace because it forces the story to go from one main idea to
another without excessive explaining by the narrator. Furthermore, by including
multiple individuals’ perspectives on a topic it allows the listener to attain
a better grasp of the situation, since, it reduces a particular individual’s bias
and gives the listener a greater wealth of information to form their own conclusion
from.
Similarly, sounds are used in the podcast to set the setting. For example,
15 minutes into the third episodes, a small sound clip of a man counting is
abruptly edited into the podcast to illustrate Koenig’s visit to the park
where Hae’s body was found. This is effective at maintaining the listeners
interest because it puts them into the scene of the crime, alongside the
reporter.
In the first three episodes of Serial the producers create an immersive and
engaging experience for listeners. This is achieved through Koenig’s story
telling abilities and the constant introduction of different viewpoints from
people involved in Adnan’s case.
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