inspekta mwala critique

WANGUI J. MBUGUA                      08-1033         PROGRAMME CRITIQUE

INSPEKTA MWALA

This is a weekly show that is aired on our very own Citizen Television each Monday at 7.40 to 8.00 pm.

It explains as teaches the society of the day to day workings of a police officer and the crime in the society and gives a solution to it.

The main characters are Dennis Mwabili whose career began very early when he was part of the Vitimbi family who until today has a show. He is the “Inspekta” who deals with all sorts of crime yet he brings out the comedy in the whole scenario.

Episode 1: a man tells his wife that he is off to his rural home but in actual sense he is going out to meet his lover.

The sound in this episode was very clear using sound effects at the editing stage to create a mood of suspense and deceit when the man is found out by his wife. The man is arrested and he is taken to the cell and the camera shots for his arrest killed the man because the cut him at the waist. The camera moved back to focus where we see the man having an argument with his wife the camera men use the panning system to take shots for this episode..The lighting is good and there are no shadows.

Episode 2: Inspekta Mwala arrests a woman who has kidnapped a baby.

In this episode there were hitches, there was no lead room and headroom for the characters and they seemed like they were squeezed on screen. The camera seemed zoomed out and due to some wind in the background at an outside scene the sound was distorted. The lighting was good as we had no shadows. The editor would have checked on the sound issues.

Episode 3: a man who delivers tea to the officers at the Police Station is caught stealing a phone.

Like every society there are some black sheep. At the Kona Mbaya police station a trusted personnel, Murio who delivers to the officer’s tea is caught stealing a cell phone. The shots on this episode were very clear though I think at the editing they missed to put a scene because the story does not end. We are shown Murio getting arrested but we do not get to know what the outcome of the events is. The lighting is good but there was a bit of shadows especially on the wall of the cell where Murio is locked in. 

Episode 4:   Inspekta Mwala is battered by his wife.

This episode was very educative firstly because it’s showed that this is a vice that we as society need to curb. The lighting was good it even brought out the wounds that Mwala had incurred during the battering. There were no shadows at any one point. The camera movements must have been trucking because the camera showed an almost three dimensional scene of his being battered. The sound is good and even has the extra hidden sighs and background noise that aids one to know what is going on even before we see it.

Episode 5: trouble in an estate due to noise pollution.

This scene shows people living in a plot and their land lady comes to evict them because they are misusing the electricity and a class four child calls the police to report that he is being disturbed by the noise that is never ending. The police come to the child’s aid and even stop the tenant and landlady battle. The lighting is good very suitable seeing as it is an outside episode that. The camera is on a crane at some point as they show the police coming into the plot to bring calm and as they make their arrests. The sound is effective though the words are at time blown away. The clips are in sync with the sounds.

Episode 6:  the main police dog Rex gets lost.

This is a very hilarious episode because it stars with a very distraught Inspekta and you would think that it is an actual human being that has gone missing because of the great seriousness this is taken with. The lighting is effective and the sound brings out each and every emotion that the episode has. The sound is exemplary and the camera shots are mainly panning. The only problem is that the editing was not done comprehensively because some scenes have errors that would have been removed at the editing stage.

Episode 7:  civic education for the Referendum and Constitutional process.

This episode was very crucial seeing as it brought out the aspect of the rights of the citizens when it comes to the law enforcers who for a long time have been accused of harassing citizens. The lighting in this episode was good though compared to other episodes it was not as good the problem might have been that the episode was mainly shot in the outside using very many civilians. The editing was carefully done bringing out the relevance of the constitution in the whole episode. The camera was panning horizontally due to the many characters in most of the scenes.

Episode 8: kidnapping in Kona Mbaya

This episode depicted the kidnappings that were on a rise in the country. It also showed ways of curbing the crime and safety measures that should and ca be taken by the families and police. The shots in the episode were too bright with some seeming discolored. There was a problem of white balancing. The camera was placed on a crane and truck. The lighting was okay and so was editing.

Episode 9: this episode showed the referendum process on the actual voting day.

The episode covered the lines and the people who turned up for voting in Kona Mbaya where they were given adequate security. The shots were clear and a variety of movements, trucking, panning and crane were used for the camera. The editing was great seeing as it incorporated the constitution theme for the period. The editing and lighting were good enough.

Episode 10:  the recruitment of new officers.

This episode showed the process and the recruitment of police officers based on merit in a period where there were discrepancies with the recruitment with some saying there was a lot of bias. The episode mainly used panning movements with long shots and short lens shots. The editing and lighting were good considering it was a shot with a number of people and in the open.

SUMMARY:

Inspekta Mwala is a local production that mainly teaches the society on daily hustles faced by law enforcers and the crime, ranging from petty theft to serious theft that civilians face.

It depicts solutions and with each episode, the producers try to relate it to an ongoing situation in the country giving a solution t it and a means to curb the crime. The only challenge they face is that the time that is given to each episode at times is not enough hence they rush it which results to in cohesiveness in their shots and hence no understanding by the audience. The lighting in this production compared to previous ones is very clear and the camera movements too. The editors are very keen and there are rarely mistakes in the editing.