cinematography:

The use of whip pans creates a sense of tension and energy in the courtroom as the camera pans between the defendant and the prosecutor. The whip pans create a sense of verisimilitude as it shows the cameraman has no idea of who is speaking next. the whip pans also make the footage look raw and natural due to the fact that they are sometimes quite messy especially with a handheld camera

sound: Other then the piece of music that plays at the start of the film. most of the sound in sisters in law is diegetic sound such as speech from the characters and other noises such as the gavel banging. At the start of some scenes the sound is quite messy, for example, at the start of one of the scenes in the courtroom there is mumbling going on from some of the audience. This increases the verisimilitude and believability of the documentary for the viewer as had these sounds been edited out in post the scene would be hyperealistic

mise en scene: Due to kumba being a town of low income at the time the movie was filmed The mise en scne of the town is untidy and unorganised. in the state prosecutors office there are big stacks of paper against the wall and a fan of the desk due to there being no air conditioning. in the courtroom the walls are very plain and dull and the floor is hard and unappealing. However The state prosecutors still dress formally and smartly which means they take pride in there job and respect it.

editing: The editing in sisters in law is very minimal and simple. there are little to no special effects added on afterwards to try and keep the film as real as possible. The only bits of editing we see are simple cuts in the film to switch to different scenes and the only text we see on screen is the title, where the film is set and the names of new people.