In 1981, John Hinckley Junior shot US President Ronald Reagan and three others, including Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady. At his trial, Hinckley caused an outcry when he successfully used the defense of insanity, claiming that he was trying to impress the actress Jodie Foster.

Now, a new feature-length documentary from Polaris Productions revisits this case as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the defense of insanity plea and the issue of crime linked to mental disorder. The production has already provoked interest from major international broadcast and film distributors.

Law and Disorder: the Insanity Defense is produced and directed by Sylvie Bolioli. Her short film called Gas, based on a previously unknown story by Alfred Hitchcock, was recently given a high-profile release. This new feature was originally planned as a fiction script, but Bolioli found such significant interest in the subject that she decided to make it into a full-length documentary first.

“The feature will follow my journey of discovery to understand why there is such a myth about the insanity defense and about crime and mental illness,” says Bolioli. “Last year, I questioned members of the public about how many people they thought used the insanity plea in criminal cases and the answers ranged from between 20 and 90 per cent. This is nothing close to the reality of less than one per cent. The topic is massive in the US.”

HDV production
Law and Disorder: the Insanity Defense features a mix of archive and new footage, with a number of key interviews, including Reagan’s former press secretary James Brady who received a bullet in his head in the attack by Hinckley.

Working with cameraman Nathan Kensinger, Bolioli began recording in the US in October 2006, returning in the summer of 2007 to shoot in New York and neighbouring states, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She aims to complete shooting by the end of November this year. Most of the shoot is on location across the US, but elements will be shot in the UK, where the origins of the Insanity Defense began with a deluded Scotsman, Daniel McNaughton, attempting to kill the British Prime Minister Robert Peel in 1843.

Sony HD Digital Master tapes
Having the HVR-A1E as well as the HVR-V1E served two vital functions. The smaller camera acted as a deck, but it also gave her the flexibility she needed for the shoot. Whenever they used the HVR-V1E, they would also use the HVR-A1E to give a different perspective, even if there was just one cameraman. “With the HVR-A1E on a tripod and operating the HVR-V1E, it looks like a multi-camera shoot with a bigger crew,” says Bolioli.

The smaller camcorder was with Bolioli wherever she went, just in case. “The size also made a difference when I was visiting homeless people,” she explains. “A bigger camera would be a bit scary, but the HVR-A1E is more discreet, while it still has the qualities of a professional HD recorder. It also has a night shoot function, which was crucial for some of the interviews with people sleeping rough.

“Another quality which surprised me from such a small camera was the sound from the in-built microphone of the HVR-A1E. I would normally use lavalliers, but I did an interview on the spur of the moment with a homeless woman and without my sound kit. The sound was very usable.”

Using the Sony HD Digital Master tapes was reassuring. “HDV obviously gives a much higher quality picture than standard DV or DVCAM, but it is a more fragile format and it’s easier to get dropped frames and noise on HDV,” says Bolioli. “The Sony HD Digital Master tapes have got a much higher tolerance, so the picture is more stable than if I were to use standard DV tapes. I didn’t want to take any risks. There’s enough to think about when I’m on my own or with just one cameraman and that was one less thing to worry about.”

Polaris aims to complete the feature in time for the film festival circuit in 2008. Bolioli believes the footage has great integrity. “I want the overall production to have the quality of a filmic look with a digital edge. For what I’m after, my Sony kit is ideal.”