As the second week of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial began Monday, NBC News correspondent Rohit Kachroo highlighted that it often "feels more like a cinema than a courtroom."
He described the "cramped, awkward setup which places the reporters and the reported next to each other."
The double-amputee Olympian is accused of premeditated murder after shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, on Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius insists he fatally shot the law graduate after mistaking her for an intruder.
"Oscar Pistorius’ relatives take up half of the front bench, outnumbered six to one by the members of the media behind them - and occasionally wincing as some journalists loudly share their views on the evidence," Kachroo added.
"At times, the families of defendant and victim were separated only by a wall of silence, though members of the Pistorius family reached out to some of Reeva Steenkamp’s relatives during the week, both in the courtroom and away from the cameras."
Forensic scientists and ballistics experts are due to be called to the witness stand this week.