This is where I document my research for the documentary project. (Documentary research done by Jasmine, Character development done by me (Jocelyn))
1. what sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as
Documentary Development:
Documentary name development:
Where did Christopher go?
Notes: We were inspired by the documentary: What Jennifer did Since it was a very simple title yet evokes the curiosity of the audience. It seems to do so by using the Hermeneutic code by Barthes by raising a statement which could be questioned that the audience can’t answer unless they watch the documentary and see for themselves.
Two Weeks of Torment.
In Plain Sight.
Silent Street.
The Chase for the Unforeseen.
We ended up choosing the title: Where did Christopher go? as it is very straightforward and catchy. We really like how it hooks the audience into watching the documentary as again, it asks a question that the audience can’t answer unless they watch the documentary. Aside from that, the title itself is the question that most people would ask in the scenario that the documentary sets.
Character ideas:
Criminal
Victim
Police
Ultimately, we decided not to have a police interview on the opening because it would consume too much of the screen time for the opening. We also wanted to make sure that the focus is mainly drawn to just the criminal and the victim, so removing an extra character would help us achieve that better. Instead, we will just have interview audios playing in the background from parties that are affiliated with the victim so that it would be more of a background chatter instead of something the audience needs to focus on entirely.
Character name development:
Harper:
Harper is a name that denotes “one that plays the harp”. The harp connotes and symbolizes harmony, angels as well as a representation of life and death. Since the main idea of the concept for our documentary is the unexpected being the criminal, this name would be a great contrast to the personality and actions of the character. On the outside, Harper seems to live up to her name being known as kind and friendly. However, she is hiding a sinister part of herself as she was willing and able to kidnap someone seemingly bigger and stronger than her, contrasting the loving and soft nature of an angel.
Christopher:
Christopher is a name that denotes “bearing Christ”. Typically, this name connotes strength and reliability. Our team wants to portray the victim as someone who seems strong on the outside. By choosing this name, this could be portrayed. This will raise the question of how he got kidnapped by the audience as he may seem more superior in strength than the criminal, Harper. This aims to show that even if someone seems strong, they still can fall prey to crimes such as in this case, kidnapping.
Character development (written by Jocelyn)
We discussed the personalities of the characters together as it may help us decide what the characters would do and act like in the documentary. In some scenes of the documentary, we are also planning to record audio of other students talking about the characters so this will also help direct what the other students will say about Christopher or Harper.
Christopher:
At school: quiet kid, prefers to spend time alone, awkward, introvert, doesn’t like participating in class and gets picked on for that, has friends but doesn’t really hang out with them
At home: spends time in his room playing games, doesn’t leave his room unless it’s necessary, doesn’t really talk to his parents because they’re rarely home due to work, only comes out to go biking
Outfit: Something more suspicious or comfortable looking like a hoodie.
Harper:
At school: very cheerful, participates a lot in class (sometimes too much), always volunteers to be the leader in groups, very likable, friendly, pretty, popular, clumsy
At home: Always online so if anyone were to text her she would respond, when parents get home she always greets them, goes out a lot, always says yes to hangouts, she enjoys being in her house a lot (doing chores, texting other students, etc.)
General:
Doesn’t open up to her friends, no one knows about her fully
Too nice that it’s concerning
In the background audio, they could say something like this:
“Harper has always been such a cheerful girl, she always makes people feel included! Everyone loved her.”
“I don’t know, she was always a little too much for me, i never liked having her around but she’s nice i guess. Too nice, sometimes.”
“She’s always tripping on things and dropping things. I would have never expected her to do something so appalling, so well-planned, and thoroughly executed.”
Outfit: Something light-colored and soft looking.
Casting:
Harper:
Jasmine
Rachelle
Rachelle and I were the main candidates for Harper especially since we look quite similar to each other. To take this into our advantage, I will take over the role of “real life” Harper while she would act in the recreation scenes since the actual criminal and the recreation actor can’t be the same person.
Christopher:
Thompson
Devasya
Jocelyn (Emergency)
Originally, we felt like our decision to choose Thompson for the role of Christopher was solidified, however due to him being unavailable in such a short notice even after recording some scenes with him already, we had to switch actors. Instead, our classmate Devasya accepted the role which was great since he is also quite tall which further solidifies the image of Christopher being stronger than Harper.
Shooting Locations:
We all decided to use Jocelyn’s house to shoot the project as it has a basement as well as it being in an area that is suitable (in a quite quiet neighborhood).
Ideas:
Interviewing each party involved inside an “interview room” (just inside Jocelyn’s room).
TV live interview scene which will happen somewhere outside of Jocelyn’s house or in the garage.
