Developing a character

Hello! As you already know, the primary purpose of my film opening is to introduce the main character. The main character in my film is a mentally-unstable female criminal. I wanted to do more research on female kidnappers, sexual abusers, and serial killers in order to effectively create an accurate representation of a woman of this character.

Here are my findings:

Kidnapping:
When there is a kidnapping, 49% of the time it is by a relative of the victim, 27% of the time it is by an acquaintance of the victim, and 24% of the time it is by a stranger to the victim. During a stranger kidnapping, victims are usually females and are teenagers and school-age children. These kidnappings are associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims and robberies in the case of boy victims (Bilich, p.2).
Sexual Abusers: There are a number of theories as to why women sexually abuse children. According to Mallett (2017), a significant number of females who sexually abuse are women in their 30s. On average, they abuse males who are 12 years of age. Women tend to abuse because they see the relationship as love; they fail to see it as inappropriate or abusive. Female abusers are primarily driven by a desire for intimacy and abuse as a way of trying to compensate for emotional needs not met elsewhere (p.2-3).

Serial Killers: Through my research on female serial killers, I found that 16% of serial killers are female. According to Bonn (2019), these female serial killers usually operate in a specific place that they know well, such as their home. Although they commonly target their lovers and males that are close to them, an important U.S. study found that their victims also included children and the elderly (p.1-2).




I plan to create a female character with the following characteristics:

• Average on the outside, troubled on the inside.
• Predatory Behavior
• Lonely
• Lives in a dark, bland home
• Has experienced loss
• Addictive tendencies

I also plan to create a victim character with the following characteristics:

• Male
• Stranger to the abductor
• Young

This blend of characters will produce a product that both squashes stereotypes and creates a suspenseful story. The event that will take place will be very out of the ordinary as males usually aren't kidnapped by females who are strangers. This combination of these factors will develop a story that has never been told before.


References:

Bilich, K. (Unknown). Parents. Child Abduction Statistics for Parents. Retrieved from https://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

Bonn, S. (2019, 24 June). Psychology Today. The Unique Motives of Female Serial Killers. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201906/the-unique-motives-female-serial-killers

Mallett, X. (2017, 19 Feb). The Conversation. Women also sexually abuse children, but their reasons often differ from men’s. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/women-also-sexually-abuse-children-but-their-reasons-often-differ-from-mens-72572