Inspired by the Elliot Rodger Massacre in the U.S our project looks at a socially awkward teenage boy by the name of Connor who chronicles his hatred for the world he lives in and more specifically targets the kids at his school. He ends up going on a rampage, murdering a bunch of other teenagers at a party in which he wasn’t invited to. We are looking at the psychology behind Connor and how the perceptions of other people affected him.
Firstly we will construct a public opinion about him through a news article, highlighting the facts of the murderous event. He won’t be named specifically in this article, but the journalist will signify what sort of person it takes to commit a crime like this. Then, in a “tell-all” A-Current-Affair type piece, we will show an interview will those that knew him, perhaps his mother and some class mates. This will indicate his odd and aggressive behaviour and perhaps delve into the psychological world of Connor. In addition, his personal Youtube Channel and diary will also be mentioned, to really explain to the audience about Connor’s mental state.
On his Youtube Channel, Connor will talk to the world, explaining his problems about how he feels ignored and teased at school. He will show signs of aggression but none of his plans of murder will be revealed. If audiences haven’t read his diary yet, they could assume his acts of violence were merely an outburst, because it is in his diary that he outlines his plans for revenge. In his diary we see a more personal side of Connor. We really get an understanding of the inner workings of a psychopath and how he manages to blame everyone else for his own problems. We are thinking of included profiles on particular people at his school he has a hatred for, much like the diary from the television series “The Fall” (2013 – ). The diary will also have a lot of parts stuck into it, drawing information from a lot of different places. We have taken inspiration from J.J Abrams’ “S”. The diary will serve a similar function as Elliot Rodgers’ Manifesto did, allowing audiences to see what went on through his head.
At this point we are also thinking of including a couple of webisodes to further display how others perceived him. The webisodes will be from an elderly neighbour’s perspective, restricted to their house because of their old age so they notice things that others don’t and his own mother who also notices odd behaviour from her son. One night when he is out she goes into his room finding the diary and realising his plans for murder. Only it will be too late because he will already have begun murdering people at the house party.
The house party will have it’s own event on Facebook with people uploading photos in real time, where we see Connor in the back of some photos, and some people lying in the bush thought to be intoxicated but actually have been murdered. This will be the only content form the night available.
We are splitting up the roles and the work evenly, according to our interests and skill levels. I am really interested in creating the diary as I am fascinated in the psychology of serial killers and have the ability to write from the perspective of someone with murderous intent.