About the Forensic Files Files site
This site began as a simple idea. I'd begun watching Forensic Files when it was still in production. I continued catching episodes during syndication and over the years on streaming services. At some point around 2015, I concluded I'd seen every episode. More importantly, I began to notice similarities across the 400 total episodes in the series.
It was these similarities that led me to considering, "How often does this or that happen across these cases?" The first of these concepts I shared with someone was when the perpetrators do the dumb things that help lead to their arrest or conviction. The specific instance I recall sharing was when a suspect wore the same shoes that were used during the commission of the crime to the police interview.
As a web developer and data architect, I'd first considered just making a fun spreadsheet. I imagined each episode in the rows, and the criminals' lamebrained mistakes in the columns. But as I thought about the various stupid things perpetrators are likely to do, I also considered other commonalities to observe. These included the crimes, weapons, sentences, locations and more.
I had also been looking for a web project to embrace, so I could continue learning backend and frontend web development and exploring the best practices of search engine optimization. Documenting my favorite true crime series seemed to be the perfect challenge.
Getting the web site started
I began in 2019 by building the database structure, choosing which data points to catalog, and considering how to relate the episodes to each other. Using PHP and MySQL, I built the various tables and relationships, and I constructed a backend interface through which I would load the details of the episodes. Once the backend was complete, I loaded the fundamental information of all 400 episodes and continued to make refinements.
The frontend was more of a challenge. The layout wasn't too difficult, though I did go through various versions until I developed a presentation I was happy with. But while I excel in data architecture, I don't have a knack for design. I was grateful to find help on upwork.com for a reasonable price. I'd already been paying out of pocket for hosting for almost two years at this point. So, I went with a minimal site design, without many distractions and with a focus on usability.
The episode data alone wasn't going to be enough to gain respect from the search engines. So, for each episode, I also undertook the challenge of writing 800-1000 words of content. To some degree, I enjoy writing. At my normal job, there are some days that I feel I write more (emails, documentation, QA results) than anything else.
Standing on the shoulders of giants
It should be known that I've had (and will continue to have) a lot of help along the way. This included bouncing my initial ideas off a few trusted friends, borrowing ideas and best practices from respected co-workers, and being open to all types of feedback from professionals, fans, and laypersons. In the web world, I am sort of a jack of all trades, but I'm grateful to have co-workers and friends to whom I can confidently defer when struggling.
In the wrong context, the site's content could mistakenly be regarded as "all the things crooks do wrong (and what not to do)". But in determining the spirit of Forensic Files Files, I thought it was important to shine a light on the heroes of the series. I was inspired by the show's high production value (narrator Peter Thomas anyone?), the one-on-one conversations with the actual participants, and the officials who investigate and prosecute the crimes. The show does a wonderful job at highlighting the tenacity of the police, forensic examiners and prosecutors. I have a lot of respect for law enforcement personnel – men and women who work tirelessly to make our society safer and solve mysteries.
Not every episode of Forensic Files documents a crime, but most do. I didn't want to exclude these other cases, so I've included the show's other episode categories. These include exonerations, accidents and outbreaks. With 400 total episodes to catalog, I expect it'll take me (at least) a few years before I can call this site "complete". So, I hope you enjoy the journey with me – if you like what you see, please let me know. Thanks for visiting!