Mariah McKenzie | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Mariah McKenzie
Title: Whodunit鈥nd Who Directed It?: Analyzing Positionality in True Crime Dramatizations
Major: Global Media and Digital Studies
Advisor: Jennifer Hayward
True crime dramatizations are one of the most consumed media forms of the streaming era, yet their cultural impacts extend beyond entertainment. They shape how audiences understand real events, real people, and the systems of justice and discourse to determine their fates. This study examines how does a director鈥檚 positionality, including their identity, relationship to the material, and position within the industry, shape their directional vision, narrative framing, and the use of conventions from other genres, and what are the consequences of those choices on how viewers interpret the real events and real people being dramatized. Through close textual analysis and paratextual analysis, this study argues that directorial positionality is an essential part to true crime storytelling. This study draws upon auteur theory, narrative theory, and audience theory to further explore and understand each director鈥檚 identity. Together, these two case studies demonstrate that the gap between reality and representation in true crime is never neutral. It is always shaped by who holds the camera, what they already know, and what they stand to gain or lose from telling.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
