Critique Groups 2: Critique Harder

Today, we met with our Portfolio Project critique groups in class, and spoke about our preliminary ideas and research. I talked about the genre I wanted to create, and how the horror and thrill of he movie would come from the mind of the abductor rather than excessive external action. The group seemed to be perceptive to that idea, with my reasoning being about how the human mind is becoming as dangerous as weaponry or mass destruction. In fact, it is the reason for weaponry and mass destruction. I want to focus not only on the event itself, but the psychological state of the abductor.

The group liked the idea of a third character which progresses the narrative, like an investigative journalist or a criminal defense lawyer, maybe a psychologist. The type of narrator they would be is "third person- limited" as it is a single perspective, without infinite knowledge. I think that the progression of this character will be influential in how people perceive the relationship of the kidnapped girl and the kidnapped, as she will be a sort of "interpreter" for the audience.

I collaborated a lot with my friend Lau to try and come up with the reason for the kidnapping, trying to delve into what would be shocking and have a real impact. We came to the realization that infatuation, or simply choosing a victim, is very disturbing. We talked about the Jayme Closs case and the Yoga Studio shooting in Tallahassee, and how terrifying their motives were. Jayme Closs' kidnapper simply "picked" her when he saw her at a bus stop, and then proceeded to kill her family in order to kidnap her without witnesses. The Yoga Studio shooter killed multiple women out of a pure hatred and dislike for them. That is pretty scary. I think talking to the killer directly, from the point of view of this mysterious "third character" would really shock the audience and produce the impact I wish to create.

I also discussed a possible film title- "72 Hours". I think this title works because the first 72 hours after a child goes missing are crucial to finding the child. Often, teenagers, adults, drug abusers, past runaways, and others reported to the police as missing aren't actually considered "missing" for 72 hours. Police officers and law enforcement tell families to come back in 72 hours if the person hasn't turned up. So much can happen in 72 hours- one can cross state lines with the victim (which is a federal offense itself apart from kidnapping), one can severely injure or harm the victim, and one can even kill their victim. The group members seemed to think the title was appropriate, some people didn't even know this "72 hour" rule or stigma, which I think is important to expose to the public. I understand that police forces don't want to expend manpower on someone who turns out to be safe, but it is so important that missing people be searched for within this time frame. I don't want this to necessarily be the "center" of the film, but an aspect of it.

Lau recommended that I watch the film "The Call" starring Halle Berry to get a feel for a good kidnapping movie, so I plan on watching it this weekend. Along with all the other movies I want to watch.

Resources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/third-person-point-of-view-1692547 (Research on third person narrators in film and other media)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/72-hours-missing-persons-investigation-critical-criminology-experts/story?id=58292638 (An article on the importance of the first 72 hours of a missing person's case)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jayme-closs-accused-kidnapper-reason-i-did-complicated-n980811 (Context information on the Jayme Closs kidnapping case and Jake Patterson, her kidnapper)