A Seattle director is asking for community support to raise money to complete his film about one of the most violent incidents in Capitol Hill’s history. Filmmaker Jagger Gravning says his Wallflower film will tell the story of the 2006 Capitol Hill Massacre in an effort to better understand what drove a 28-year-old man to murder six people at an E Republican home before turning a gun on himself:
“Kyle Huff was a very sick person. I don’t want to try and convince people — I’m not trying to say we should have sympathy with Kyle Huff but we should definitely have empathy. Because reaching out and having empathy is how we are going to prevent things like that from happening in the future.”
This March 25th marked the five year anniversary of the incident.
The Seattle-based Gravning is raising funds for Wallflower via the Kickstarter Web site. The production has currently raised a little more than $3,500 of its $10,000 goal. As is typical of Kickstarter projects, donors that give at certain levels receive special recognition from the filmmakers. For example, a pledge of $250 or more nets a donor “The LOGO/GRAPHIC of your BUSINESS or the CHARITY of your choice will be shown in the ending credits of the film.”
The movie project was first reported by the Whitefish Pilot in Huff’s Idaho hometown.
In a conversation Wednesday night, Gravning told CHS he’s aware his project will be controversial but that his intention is to make a film that documents Huff’s spiraling depression, withdrawal and eventual fixation with the people he killed. “If there is a backlash, I think it’s misplaced,” Gravning said. “I’m literally trying to make a film about what happened with Kyle Huff.”
In 2006, Gravning was in Seattle at the time of the murders but he says he didn’t immediately feel the need to create a film about Huff. He says he knew one person who was killed and one of the survivors — but that’s not what has driven him to create the movie. “This was not some great mystery,” Gravning said. “It’s very important to take this example and learn. Mass shootings are predictable and preventable — we can see people in our lives who are suffering depression and withdrawing.”
Gravning, whose experience thus far has been limited to short and experimental films, acknowledges that he’s picked a challenging subject matter to make his start with. “Making a film is a hard thing to do. This makes it even harder. But I’m certain I have to do this film.”
Here is a project video and description of Wallflower from the Kickstarter page:
Frustrated by his own relatively unsuccessful life, Kyle Huff searched for purpose by stalking Seattle’s rave scene, whose licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality both fascinated and repulsed him.
Eventually Kyle unleashed his pent-up emotions in a shocking and suicidal last stand.
Although he committed a monstrous act, there was a man within the monster much like many other lonely and confused young men.
Our aim is to accurately portray Kyle’s emotional downfall. This tragedy must no longer be regarded simply as a mystery as was so often portrayed in the popular media.
It is important to understand Kyle Huff and the emotional well that ran so deep he was willing die in order to murder half a dozen others.
Thank you for your support of this important feature film based on true events. Remember, not a single dollar will be taken unless we reach our fundraising goal, which will allow the project to move forward.
You have the power to make this happen! Every dollar counts!!
God, this is so disgusting. I don’t care how accurate you pretend to want to be, it’s easy to see that you’ve realized that you can stand on other people’s tragedy to make a name for yourself as an artist or whatever. Do we really need some made-for-tv style edutainment to rub the drama of a mass murder in our faces?
Also, empathy isn’t just a softer form of sympathy. Empathy means experiencing _vicariously_ the emotions of another, while sympathy means you feel for them because you are or have been in their position. So you reassure us that you want us to feel empathy but not sympathy for Huff. No kidding. Well, most of us aren’t mass murderers, so sympathy was kind of off the table. I hope you’re not in the same shoes as Huff, either, otherwise I’d hate to be around you when this flops. What a nonsense statement, almost as meaningless as, “I’m literally trying to make a film about what happened with Kyle Huff.” Oh, I’m sure you’ll be handling this with finesse.
Thank you so much for saying exactly what I was thinking. This project is a sick and flagrant attempt to capitalize on a terrible tragedy.
Nobody’s going to back making this movie. Good.
If you want to understand the “why” of what happened, research and write a dissertation on the subject.
Making a movie of this horrible tragedy just smacks of opportunism and the desire to personally profit off of it.
If you don’t like it, move to Bellevue. This is what living in a diverse neighborhood is all about.
I wasn’t aware exploiting others’ pain was an alternative lifestyle choice. I’m gonna have to rethink my weekend plans.
” Mass shootings are predictable and preventable — we can see people in our lives who are suffering depression and withdrawing.”
The issue here, I suspect, is that we have a very high threshold (and rightly so, due to past abuses, such as lobotomies) for involuntary mental health treatment. Seems likely that most potential mass killers (assuming that they could even be identified among all the “noise”) would likely refuse treatment (think Shannon Harps’ killer) and would not meet the criteria for involuntary treatment.
I am, as always, happy to be proved wrong by published, peer reviewed, documentation.
People are really up in arms about a movie! I think it’s important to explore the motivations of people like Kyle. I don’t think anyone making the movie is going to exploit the people who died, I think the movie will probably be more about Kyle himself. And, come on, unless you yourself are a murderer, who’s going to sympathize with him?
Oh How I love the ol’ fallback ‘move back to Bellevue’…it’s never been used on this site before! This shit happens EVERYWHERE. Give me a break – break2. This idea to make a profit of of a tradgey so ‘it never happens again’ is also cute. People will go crazy until the end of time. How could one have prevented this? Oh that’s right, the couldn’t, as no one knew what was going on in Huff’s mind….But Bellevue can help that!
pb,
So sensitive to the Bellevue comment. Maybe you grew up there and are trying to forget that.
Look at the numbers above, the guy isn’t exactly looking to make a profit.
If someone made a painting or wrote a poem about this tragedy, would it be capitalizing on people’s suffering?
Pause.
If someone read that poem or saw that painting and offered to pay the author money for them… would it reflect poorly on the author if he or she accepted the money?
Is addressing this story and the issue of mass shootings through film somehow evil because people might pay money to see the film? Would it be less evil if the film was free?
What exactly is the anger about here?
hmm, i read this comment as a satirical taunt… perhaps i was wrong.
you know what would have made Kyle Huff really happy? Someone making a movie about his crimes. good job on making his dreams come true at the expense of lives and the pain and suffering of countless more. this is grossly exploitive at the least and likely hurtful to many. Jagger Gravning is obviously a pillar of the community to take this on.
Kyle Huff’s story was already told by professionals who researched it in the panel report. we don’t “need” another dramatized version of the story or someone’s personal take on it, that is likely to become canon by people who don’t know any better.
I think the anger you’re seeing here is concern for the surviving victims, and the families of the victims, both surviving and not.
It’s a “what’s the value add here?” question, vs. the potential for harm.
Will making this film really help to prevent any future occurrences? Personally, I doubt it. Will anyone “learn” anything from it, other than just exactly how screwed up Kyle Huff was? I doubt it.
Will any expected benefit from making this film outweigh the pain it will no doubt inflict on the survivors and the families of the deceased? I don’t think so. Most appear to believe that this would primarily benefit the ego of the filmmaker. At least that’s the only benefit I’d believe would accrue.
The anger you’re seeing here is really compassion and concern for the victims.
I would like to address some of the more emotion-driven comments here. There have been many films about or based on the Columbine shooting (including a Palme d’Or winner), as well as 9/11, the holocaust and other real-life tragedies and horrors. I do not accept the notion that the Capitol Hill shooting is the one event in America that is too taboo to be explored artistically or cinematically.
If this is a case where the people wishing to halt the creation of a controversial artistic work are proven to be correct, then it would mark the first time in history. For, in retrospect, history always judges in favor of free artistic expression, and not ever in favor of those who desire to curb it.
If this project inspires sensations of anger, hate or intolerance in you, that does not reflect ill on your character, and you and your feelings deserve the same respect that is owed to all human beings. But seeking to impose your own values to such a degree that you would limit artistic expression is literally nonconstructive. This film will be completed, at which point each can form his or her own opinion as they please.
The subject matter of this film makes it much more difficult to produce, not easier. I chose it because I have personal connections to this tragedy that have made a massive emotional impact on me.
Thank You for Reading This,
Jagger Gravning
(206) 290-6841
[email protected]
I am a survivor of a violent crime. Violent crime is uncomfortable to talk about.
For you.
But I wish I could.
Survivors want to know why, to try to make some sort of sense of it all.
I don’t know if you can or not, but to be able to talk about and
explore reasons and learn would be a start.
No one talks to me about the crime, they assume it would cause me pain,
and it does.
Talk to me anyway, open the dialog.
Those were my friends and a place I hung out at a lot. Don’t shit on my good memories for your trite movie idea asshole.
The question on many minds for those of us that knew these people (and were at the house or supposed to be that morning) is are you going to actually talk to any of us? are you actually going to include both perspectives? I think you, sir, are truly missing a huge point. Kyle was dark and hateful and just wanted to find ANY after party, but what he found was a very special group and he took them away in a flash.
As a person who was closely touched by the shootings on March 25, 2006 I have to ask why this film has to be made.
I’m an artist and a liberal, and a believer in free speech and exploring all perspectives. That said, my initial response to learning that this film is being made, is strong emotion against the project. I feel very protective of the people, myself included, who lost people that day. So much pain has yet to be processed. So much pain will never heal.
I understand going for the underdog point of view. I understand wanting to stir the pot, that impulse keeps the art world fresh.
I think it is insensitive to make this film so soon- in Seattle- at all. It’s only been five years since the shootings, a moment in time, in the space of grieving hearts. Too soon yes, but will there ever be a good time? I doubt it.
I await an answer to my question (above). I admit it was not “emotion-driven”.
Andrew
BTW note previous attempt to prevent mass murder:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre
Prior to the events of 13 March 1996, Hamilton was already well known to Central Scotland Police. There were a number of investigations and reports compiled, the exact number and content cannot be verified as they are still unavailable. However, some police involvement with Hamilton is known.
In 1991, following Hamilton’s Loch Lomond summer camp, complaints were made to Central Scotland Police and were investigated by the Child Protection Unit. Hamilton was reported to the Procurator Fiscal for consideration of 10 charges, including assault, obstructing police and contravention of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937. No action was taken.[13]
Satirical taunt. I assumed. I hope.
wow…i can’t say that i ever expected that this would happen.
my heart is full of pain and it is very hard not to cry right now. i know i am not the only one feeling this way at seeing this project.
i agree that it is important to express ourselves creatively and artistically and i also am very supportive of controversial and difficult art. at the same time, i feel that we have a responsibility as artists to take very seriously the impact we have on people’s lives.
delving into this subject matter, which is so close to so much pain for me and for so many others, should be taken with great care.
i am more than concerned, and it starts with the first line of the movie’s description on kickstarter…these are the words that are used to describe my friends: “licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality”…the fact that this is said as a statement, as a point of fact, is really upsetting…
kyle was delusional and had a crazy idea that the rave scene was some orgy filled sex with kids crazy land…which is just not true…and the house he ended up at wasn’t a house of a bunch of ravers anyhow…
i am just very very concerned about the way we are going to be portrayed in the movie, particularly in light of the way that this description reads…how is it that in the entire community i am in contact with connected to this tragedy (including two listservs of family and friends of the victims) no one knows who you people are?
who are you? how are you connected? who were you friends with that died? how do you know what happened there that night? and how do you intend to portray the victims?
i believe that mental illness needs to be a normal part of our society’s dialogue and that we need to take care of those who need help…but is this film really going to do that or is it just going to dredge a lot of good people’s hearts through the mud and further misconstrue the electronic music scene and my friends even more?
there are a lot of things to make a film about that would be helpful and i am just not sure that this is the right thing to be doing…even if the purpose of the film is not to make money, it still feels like capitalizing (at least emotionally) on the pain of others…
To the people who will be impacted by this movie, you aren’t making a film about a sympathetic character, you are making a making a film about a terrible person. To try and understand someone’s intentions when there were no intentions makes your film anything but relevant. At best, you are searching for a sensationalistic way to gain attention by associating yourself to a tragedy. If you knew a survivor and a victim, you are already biased. But why not use that bias to interview the people who did survive and those who lost someone special to show something important – not just the mental illness from an untrained focus (are you an expert?). That is completely boring cinema with no scope, no view. Mental illness is a given with so much unjustified hate and frankly, it has been explored before in better films. Why not use your bias to create something meaningful that can help others. If you are really intent on using this as a jumping off point to start a dialogue about intervention, you’re doing it wrong.
for the record, i don’t believe in censorship. but i do believe in giving feedback when it is called for. and that sometimes includes encouraging people to do the right thing.
surely there are movies about all sorts of tragedies. and if that has to happen and if you feel you have to make this film, then i am not going to take some action to try to stop you. that also doesn’t mean i have to think it’s a good idea. and it also doesn’t mean that i shouldn’t inform you of that.
How very noble of you to decide to further victimize the surviving victims of this tragedy, all for the sake of self-promotion and profit.
You’ve never even attempted to contact any of the victim-survivors or the victim’s families to ask their feelings about such a project and what’s nauseating to me is your focus upon the murderer, rather than his actions impact upon them, which most unfortunately all survivors will carry with them till their last breath.
I have strong ties to the motion picture industry and will exercise everything within my power to stifle, if not collapse this project.
How dare you!
Ever donor’s ‘gift’ to you only serves to exacerbate the pain we victims feel. Those donors’ dollars will also serve to further the sensationalization of murdering children and may encourage another deranged individual intent on suicide to repeat such a tragic feat, perhaps on an even greater scale, just so you or another of your ilk can make them even more “famous.”
As a single parent who lost his only son in this tragedy, I am revulsed by you and your project. I encourage all who have already given funds to you to ask they be returned and hope all reading this do not give you the time of day.
I doubt any of us will now ever cooperate with you, even should you now decide to refocus your project upon the difficulties faced by us every day that passes, or who are children were; their loving personalities, their aspirations or the people they’ve positively impacted.
Jim Travers
Thank you for saying what I should have. My anger made me strike out with a useless ad hominem attack. This is exploitive – plain and simple.
on one hand i think — how can this be a good idea? it’s a tragedy.
but i went to a high school only a few miles away from columbine and was in school when the shootings happened. i’d been in columbine many times prior to the shooting for events, and my school was locked down during/after the shooting. to be sure, i was a far cry from the epicenter and wasn’t nearly as affected by it as many (most) were, but there were a lot of unanswered questions we all had about “why” the shootings happened. what was in the minds of the killers and how can it be prevented in the future? could it happen at my school too?
so on the other hand — this film could serve a greater purpose. it could be done in the wrong way – to focus on the gory events and recreate that and not pay proper respects to the victims.
but you know – it could be done in the right way too. perhaps this film could be something educational for all of us. to understand why or how someone gets to a place where they take these actions, this could teach us something.
so i don’t think it’s disgusting – yet. it has potential to be made in a way where we reflect upon ourselves and learn about how mental health is a part of a society. or, it could be done in a tasteless way, and i am a bit worried about that.
the filmmaker certainly has the right to make any film he likes, and i support that.
we’ll all certainly learn something. will it be tasteful and educational, or exploitative? we will find out.
As a filmmaker, I think you, Jagger, really need to reach out to people who were there and have an open discussion with them. They (as they actually are, not as you imagine them) need to be a part of the script, and they need to give you feedback. You are not Oliver Stone making a movie about 9/11. You are a member of a local community and you need to show respect to the people in your community. It is not hard to find people who were there, at that house on that morning. It is irresponsible and insensitive to portray them in a movie without at least meeting them. Seriously. Do your research and treat people well.
that are unpleasant: serial killers, wars, financial scandals, etc.
Some people like them, some people don’t.
REALLY??!! Free artistic explression??!! Thats the card you are going to play??!! How can you even attempt making this when 99% of the people that were involved wont give you the time of day? Your failure will benefit no one. I encourage you to drop this project and focus on something thats actually “artistic”.
Thank you for that, Kelly, but honestly, it’s too late for this filmmaker to gain our cooperation, imo.
This is a film seeking to build empathy for a mass-murderer.
Above, it mentions not once any of his victims by name, nor suggests any sympathy due them or empathy for the victim survivors.
This project is misguided and its focus abhorrent.
He says he knew one of the victims and one of the survivors, but none of us have been able to verify this. We certainly do not know the filmmaker nor do any of us recall meeting him at any of the many memorial services. As far as I am concerned, he is a fraud and a liar, at least until he proves otherwise by his posting here the names of the people whom he claims to know.
Also, Kelly, have you read the Whitfish paper’s article?
Three notable quotes from it:
“Gravning personally knew many of the people in the house on the night of the massacre, including one who was killed and a survivor he has know since childhood.”
And:
“Even though I know people who are victims and who died, I still don’t want to portray Kyle Huff as a villain.”
And:
“Following the incident, Gravning says the Seattle media were off target in their portrayal of Huff.”
One more:
“Someone needed to extend a helping hand to Huff, Gravning said, which is the point he hopes to make clear through the film.”
No, Kelly, there will be no support for this film from this grieving father.
“Posted: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 10:55 am
Filmmaker to explore Capitol Hill massacre By MATT BALDWIN Whitefish Pilot Hagadone Corporation
A Seattle-based filmmaker is planning to shoot a feature movie based on former Whitefish resident Kyle Huff, the perpetrator of Seattle’s Capitol Hill massacre in 2006 that left six dead and two wounded.
Director Jagger Gravning says the film “Wallflower” will take an empathetic look at Huff’s struggles with depression. He believes the killings could have been prevented, and through the film, hopes to shed some light on the serious nature of depression.
Early in the morning of March 25, 2006, 28-year-old Huff, a 1996 Whitefish High School graduate, left a rave at the Capitol Hill Arts Center in Seattle to attend an after-party at a nearby house. Reports say Huff left the party after socializing for about three hours and went to his truck to retrieve several weapons. He then spray painted “NOW” on the sidewalk, walked up to the house and opened fire. He shot five people on the porch and three more inside. After the five-minute rampage, Huff killed himself as police arrived. It’s considered one of the worst mass killings in Seattle history.
Huff didn’t have a long history with violence, but was arrested in Whitefish in 2000 after shooting up a moose statue decorated for the “Moose on the Loose” project.
Gravning personally knew many of the people in the house on the night of the massacre, including one who was killed and a survivor he has know since childhood.
Following the incident, Gravning says the Seattle media were off target in their portrayal of Huff.
“In Seattle, it was reported as a random act, a mystery, like nobody knows why it happened,” Gravning told the Pilot. “Like this sort of thing just happens. I totally disagree.”
Gravning says that through his research, he concludes that Huff was depressed and possibly delusional. He had a support system in Whitefish, but once he moved to Seattle, he began to break down. He became more isolated and wasn’t able to recover on his own.
Someone needed to extend a helping hand to Huff, Gravning said, which is the point he hopes to make clear through the film.
“Everyone says with Kyle that you couldn’t predict this path,” he said. “That may be true, but you could at least see that he was depressed. At that point, somebody needs to reach out.”
He says he’s being careful in his portrayal of Huff and admits that it’s a sensitive subject for both those who were at the deadly party and those who knew Huff personally.
“Kyle Huff was a very sick person,” Gravning notes in the film’s trailer. “I’m not trying to say that we should have sympathy for Kyle Huff, but we should have empathy. Reaching out and having empathy is how we are going to prevent things like that from happening in the future.
“Even though I know people who are victims and who died, I still don’t want to portray Kyle Huff as a villain. There is something universal about Kyle Huff and his relation to the world. He had this downfall that, in a way, can happen to almost anybody. I definitely think there is something to learn from the story of Kyle Huff.”
The film will mostly be shot in Seattle and based on the timeline starting from when Huff moved to the city. The story will be told from Huff’s point of view.
“It’s not some sort of Hitchcock “Psycho” thriller,” Gravning said. “It’s more of a character study.”
Oh I guess you were too busy “artistically and cinematically” exploring other people’s pain to actually, you know, see if they were OK with it? Interesting to know that sensitivity to seeing my friends murdered is stifling your precious creative freedoms. Did you ever meet Kyle? Did you talk to him that night? I did. You don’t care about Kyle Huff or why he murdered anyone, you just want some money and fame. I hope it destroys you.
-Ian Gill
Based on what I hear a lot of survivors of this experience saying, it sounds like the desire isn’t to silence your artistic expression, but to have voices in something that was extremely traumatizing and painful for them. Which, in my opinion, you seem to have made poor effort to do so far. I am very close friends with more than a dozen of the people who first-hand experienced this shooting, and none of them know anything about who you are or why you are making this movie.
And like Kimberly said; to portray my friends as a group of people with “licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality” is not only incorrect and ignorant, but extremely disempowering to them. You’re portraying them as something they are not, and in my opinion it makes whatever your actually trying to delve into unclear and inaccurate.
As an analogy; what if you were abused and traumatized by someone, and then a total stranger made a documentary about why the perpetrator did what they did to you, without talking to you about it at all? Sure they have a right to make it, but wouldn’t that feel disempowering? Wouldn’t that just perpetuate that hurt further for you, and continue to silence you as the victim? Wouldn’t that make the documentary have extreme potential to be inaccurate? Wouldn’t that come off as being exploitative of the director?
Sure you have artistic freedom. But if you’re going to explore a real-life event in a documentary-style approach, isn’t it just more effective as a whole to explore it from all perspectives? Otherwise it leaves huge holes, and leaves a lot of people feeling disempowered and alienated, and leaves you looking like an overall poor director and artist.
Your claim of attempting to “understand” the motivation of a criminally insane person is entirely misguided. What can be gained from such understanding – almost nothing that isn’t already well known.
What your movie -will- do is exploit prurient interest in the killings themselves – the gore, the death scenes, the final suicide. Your movie will be an enhanced, slow motion pay-per-view opportunity to gawk at a bloody seven-car automobile accident from the safety of a movie theater.
What your movie -will- do is glamorize mass murder and suicide for anyone so inclined, and make the next mass murder and suicide just that much more possible. It won’t be a lesson, it will be a lesson plan for anyone who comes to believe that such behavior is their only shot at fame and glory in their otherwise miserable lives.
You will encourage sympathy and empathy with the actions of the insane, and provide NO insight into how further massacres might be prevented, all in the interest of what?
Do you have thoughts of killing those who are having more fun, more sex, more fulfillment than you do? Do you too believe that people will finally understand and be sorry for you when they see the proof of your angst? If so, why not kill yourself now, you sick f*ck, and spare us the narcissism and ego-trip, as well as the blood of innocents. If instead you are merely taking advantage of the pain of others to make a buck, then shame on you!
Shame on you!
Shame on you!
How is this any different than a movie about any other tragic event that has happened?
I think if this, or any other film, book, or whatever is done tastefully and portrayed accurately and gives deference to those directly affected, it can be fine.
If it exploits the situation, does not recognize the true weight of what the subject is and is distasteful, then it’s shameful.
Otherwise, there’s a lot of emotion here and that certainly clouds folks’ perception here. Had the movie been about some other painful subject or situation that local people didn’t have a somewhat direct connection to, I doubt it’d elicit the current reaction.
I, like many of my friends, am completely sickened by this. The thing is even at the moment that I first heard of the shootings, I was lucky enough to not be present that evening, I was able to empathize with Huff. He would have had to be in a world of pain to inflict so much pain on the hearts of so many beautiful people. I can feel for him. The thing is that these people, my friends, whose house he ended up in at the end of the night that night, would have been able to look past his awkward and his pain. They would have been able to accept him for who he was and quite possibly help him to heal some old wounds. This group of friends has done that for me and so many other people. They are quite possibly the most accepting and loving group of people there is. He was in a safe place that night and he brought violence into the lives of so many peaceful people.
I can understand wanting to delve into the workings of a mind capable of open firing on a house full of loving people, I really can. But from what I gather, you didn’t know Kyle or any of the victims or any of us who have been and continue to be so deeply wounded over the events of that morning. This is not your place. You could have no possible insight into such an event without having been there or known some of these people personally.
After the shootings many of us were able to gather and hold onto one another. We held vigil and went through the throws of tragedy and mourning. It has been 5+ years and I can honestly say that I wish I was back in the room with everyone right now, so that we could cry and hug and protect one another’s hearts from the possibility of your film. I hope that you look into your own heart, and choose wisely with what motives you act.
I wonder if the filmmaker knew any of the people involved
Jagger, the filmmaker, knew Jeremy Martin well. He is a friend of a surviving victim who has since moved away from Seattle and has spoken with her already about the project. He was especially concerned about re-victimizing her and continues to be concerned about dredging up these obviously painful emotions.
The idea that this is for fame or money is just misplaced.
I am producing this film with Jagger because i believe in his reasons for doing so. I am not as personally connected to the event as he is, but nevertheless i represent the production of this project.
If anyone would like to speak about our reasons or tell us their story, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me directly.
Brian Nunes
(832)-421-1424
[email protected]
you have not contacted anyone involved in this tragedy. i think that fact speaks enough about the true motive of the film. you wont have my dollar. im going to cast a terrible spell on your endeavors. this will be a failure. in the spirit of forgiveness and compassion, STOP
It’s your word against ours, isn’t it?
Deacon’s mom still grieves the loss of her son. She spends sunday mornings talking to him at his grave side. You want to explore human issues? Explore that. What you’re prepared to do is cruel.
**applause**
Using an excuse of artistic freedom or a need to “understand or prevent” actions like this is not going to happen by making a low budget film. Using that money to go toward projects that help those who are emotionally distraught, or to the families of the victims would be a much more productive and helpful project.
Kyle huff was a person. he was a brother and a son. he was someones friend.
Those of us in the community, myself included, reached out to him and did our best to make him feel like one of our own.We knew he struggled with depression and felt like an outcast, and we reached out to him. My husband and I sat with him for quite some time at Better off undead, just so that he wouldn’t have to sit alone… And he turned around and brutally murdered six innocent people out of his own self pity and rage. there is no REASON. there will never be an explanation, because it died with huff.
This tragedy happened just barely 5 years ago, and is still a very fresh wound for many of us.
Mothers and fathers buried there young children because a single man decided that they were not worthy of life. because he decided that they were the scum of the earth and he was doing the community a favor. why are you going out of your way to honor and try to “understand” a man who had no respect for human life? What has he done that was so worthy of recognition, to have the story of how he took away the lives of 6 innocent people, some still only children, made into a film from his perspective?
yes, you can use the artistic freedom card. but this is not about the art. it seems to me that its about starting a controversy and getting your name out there because you “dared” to “go there.”
Do you realize the emotional distress you are causing to those who still live every day with survivors guilt? To the parents who wake up every day to face the fact that they will never see their children grow old and have families….
What will really be the benefit behind this film? Do you honestly think that someone will watch it and decide ” wow this is deep…guess i’m not going to go and shoot up *insert random location here*.”
If you want to help raise awareness, or help people to understand these types of behaviors in an attempt to prevent them, interview the families. Talk to the people who survived. Show people the side effects of brash actions like those that Kyle made. Show the hurt that the lack of help can cause. I think that people seeing the pain and suffering that those left behind deal with on a daily basis would hold much more power over someones decision to help someone with depression get assistance, than to create a film from the perspective of a person that is going to have to be assumed…. you know… since he didn’t really tell anyone and he’s dead now.
Huff was unstable. there is no logical explanation for walking into a room full of people and blowing them away. its as simple as that.
You’re not doing yourself any favors.This will tank your career. We will make sure of that. we stood together as a family then. and we will stand together as a family now.
Have you even gotten permission from the families of the victims to do this project? Don’t you legally need their permission to tell this story, no matter who’s point of view it is from?? I can almost guarantee that Deacon’s mum will be outraged. As will Justin’s (sushi).
I don’t think you’ve truly considered all of the damage that this film is going cause. I see more harm than good.
If you want to understand Kyle’s actions, go to school and get a degree is psychology.
THIS IS SO SICK! how dare you take the end of our friends lives into a question like “why did this happen.” I lost three friends that day, and looking into or trying to sympathize isnt going to be good for anyone but yourself. Think about the family, the friends! My friend was murdered while her boyfriend hid in the bathtub and you want to talk about why this sick man did it? Its selfish. you are so selfish and rude for even thinking of this.
Wrong perspective, wrong film to make. If Mr. Gravning wants to make a larger film about depression and anger that covers 50 different examples, maybe that would fly, but to use this one example ties the point far too closely to the actual event and people involved.
If Mr. Gravning is asking for my support, I refuse. Thanks for asking though.
I want you to know that if you go through with making this film you will have HUGE protests outside of your showings. you cant take the pain from an entire community and turn it on its head by making a victim out of a monster. There are Thousands of people in the electronic music scene in Seattle that are going to be enraged by someone making a movie out of this to portray the person who murdered their friends and family members as a “sick person that deserves our sympathy”. he was an entitled, under-exposed bigot who instead of accepting those around him, and accepting himself and his NATURAL HUMAN IMPULSES, he decided to take the lives of innocent, fun-loving kids who wanted nothing more than to be treated well and accepted.
You can ignore what I am saying if you like, but there are already people organizing and planning to protest the making and showing of this movie. Think about the families, and their close friends, people who loved them deeply.. Do you know about the victims? do you know their stories?… how would you feel if your sibling, or partner, or best friend was brutally murdered, and someone comes along and tries to create a mass produced information source spouting about how the man who did it was really “just sick” and shouldn’t be held responsible for what he did. Also, were you ever part of the Seattle electronic music scene? b/c if not, you have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO BE MAKING A FILM ABOUT THIS. period. The only people who should be allowed to make this film are THOSE WHO WERE THERE. Who knew EVERYONE INVOLVED. not an outsider.
Just be prepared, you will not get a welcome reception.
you’re welcome!
If you use this as another excuse to demonize the electronic music scene in Seattle (like the news and police did after the fact) then you are the lowest piece of shit on this planet. This scene has enough problems with peoples unreasonably warped opinions of us, we don’t needs some “up and coming film producer” to go out of his way to make the victims of this crime look like sex crazed drug addicts.
YOU ARE GIVING KYLE EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED.
I was friends with several of the victims of this tragic incident and I am still friends with many of the survivors. They are all incredibly strong people who have taken years to deal with this event and face reminders of it every day. One of them still jumps and quivers every time she hears a moderately loud noise. She might end up doing that for the rest of her life. I am positive this film will do nothing to improve her situation. And, knowing their personalities, I can safely say that all of my friends involved would much rather have this money go to things like mental health treatment and emergency responder trauma training than a low budget, for profit hack piece like this.
The victims, their families and the larger community around them don’t want to deal with the grief this film will bring them. They went through enough the first time. And, if you were going to make any kind of film about this, I’m sure they’d prefer it to be about the beautiful and unique (and themselves somewhat tortured) people we lost or the incredible solidarity of their community that followed. And if you were going to do anything controversial, at least make it about the poor handling of the situation by the city and the media. I mean, that’s something you could actually help CHANGE!
The last thing any of them would want is a low budget fluff piece that glamorizes or trivializes certain mental health issues while totally disrespecting the genuine mental anguish and trauma this event inflicted on so many. But it’s pretty obvious you guys are gonna make it… and all of us will just keep on keeping on I guess.
Both Jenga and Kimberlily eloquently summed up my feelings after reading about this. (I highly encourage you to read them in this thread.) For many of us, this was not just some group of people this happened to, these are our friends, our family… and more importantly, our community. I think all the comments here reflect one main sentiment, we feel disrespected by the way you, Jagger Gravning, have approached this project.
Films have the ability to open up a dialog often stifled out of fear and grief; films can also educate people on actions and intentions not easily understood. Your film could have had a positive impact had you begun your process with respect. Even if you chose not to work directly with the families in order to have an unbiased opinion of what would drive someone to kill, you should have at least contacted them with your intentions. That is how you respect their grief and loss.
After the events of March 25, 2006, I saw diverse Seattle communities ban together. There was a thorough report done by professionals that basically concluded that there was nothing the city, nor the community, could have done to prevent this tragedy. If anything, we did everything right. The rave community opened their arms to Kyle Huff, but he pushed them away. For you to use words like, “licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality” to describe this community and imply that our behavior somehow contributed to what happened is not only sensationalistic, it is utterly false. It shows your underlying motivation and further erodes any semblance of trust that could have possibly been created between your work and our community.
I believe that documenting all sides of the story is important if we are to truly learn and grow from what has happened, but I do not believe that is what you plan to do. Through your actions, you have expressed a desire to put out “your” side of the story at all cost. Unfortunately, when you do that, it destroys the ability to create with integrity. In other words, you already doomed your project. Now we, as a caring and united community, have the responsibility to once again pick up the pieces of another tragedy, the one you are creating with every disrespectful step you take.
yvette Soler
Infinite Connections
I would like to pose the questions: Can anyone imagine a mass-murder plot worth writing, filming and releasing? Does the story arc promise anything worth watching? Won’t the story immediately fall into the tritest “movie of the week” form immediately, with “bright young people” and “a sullen rural person” and “hip, exciting nightclub locales” and “brewing tension” with dozens of foreshadowing images? Would a story like this be worth watching in the slightest? Isn’t the end inevitable in a project like this? Wouldn’t every member of the audience already know where it’s going? Could anyone turn this story into a worthwhile screenplay and a decent film? Ugh.
There was a point during Kyle’s rampage that he was asked why he was doing this by a somewhat shocked person whom had gone to the kitchen to get Kyle a glass of water, when they came back Kyle was gone (had gone to his truck to get the weapons) and was standing there with the glass in his hand when the shooting on the porch started… while everyone else was running he asked Kyle why? Kyle said, “This is my art”… now making a movie about it is yours. I know it is an irresistible subject matter, and I know it would probably sell, someday they may even make a blockbuster hit about it that may be further from accurate than what you are trying to do. How ever you cut it, this is not art, what Kyle did is not art. This is just the perpetuation and fixation with sick minds and serial killers that led up to Kyles actions and feelings that it could be seen as art. It will not prevent ANYTHING. Please quit feeding the beast in our serial killer obsessed, money focused society.
As someone who lived a half block from where this all happened, it brings back some unwanted memories, just sayin.
I am writing to you as both a friend of one of the victims of Kyle Huff’s shooting spree, and as a long time member of the rave community in Seattle.
Time and again our community has been portrayed in the most sensationalized manner possible, reducing a complex and vital aspect of many people’s lives to a sound bite about sex and drugs. Headlines over content.
I can’t help but feel that making a film in the manner you have been describing in your posts is seeking more headlines than truth. This feels more like exploitation than a character analysis. What is the story arc here? That a young man with a history of gun violence in his small town came to the big city, where he sees a group that he grows to hate because of ideals like “peace, love, unity, respect”. He feels outcast, and when someone in this community extends an offer to join them at their home he’s just pushed too far. Our protagonist then takes it upon himself to right these wrongs, so he goes and kills innocent kids in a home invasion then commits suicide by cop.
I was performing at the rave that night at CHAC. I was invited to hang out at the house after, and I play back my decision not to go every time I hear about the shootings. My friend Chris aka “Deacon” went to the after-party. I’m not sure if you knew that he also felt like an outsider, but he found support and friends in the rave community. So my friend dies, and you are talking about making a movie sympathetic to his killer.
You want empathy? Share the story of the victims who still live with this every day. With the mothers and fathers who lost their baby to this young man who made the decision to take their lives.
Your posts on this thread speak a lot about “I would like to address some of the more emotion-driven comments here. There have been many films about or based on the Columbine shooting (including a Palme d’Or winner), as well as 9/11, the holocaust and other real-life tragedies and horrors. I do not accept the notion that the Capitol Hill shooting is the one event in America that is too taboo to be explored artistically or cinematically..”
I assume you are referencing documentaries such as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11” What strikes me is that this doesn’t feel like a documentary you are making. It feels like a docu-drama with a focus on Kyle Huff as the victim. This is the reason that you are facing the backlash you are now.
I don’t expect you to change course as I am sure I’m not the only person expressing their feelings to you on this subject, and I’m sure you’ve already made the decision to move forward with your project one way or another. I simply felt the need to share with you my concerns. This touches a nerve with this community because we have been painted in such a poor light before, the message you are sending to all of us now is this:
“Your friends deserved to die because nobody helped poor Kyle Huff.”
This may not be your intent, but this is the impact that folks are reacting to. If you are unable to feel empathy enough to see this perspective through your rhetoric of “artistic expression” then I wonder how well you can portray Kyle Huff’s perspective.
Blaming the victims for their “licentious lifestyle” and painting Kyle Huff as the victim feels wrong, but that is exactly what the following statement says to me.
“Kyle Huff searched for purpose by stalking Seattle’s rave scene, whose licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality both fascinated and repulsed him. Eventually Kyle unleashed his pent-up emotions in a shocking and suicidal last stand”
I sent you a reasonable and curious letter, to which I have received no reply.
I can only assume that you are interested more in hype than integrity.
Judging from the information garnered from a quick Googling of your name, I wonder if you’re not just some hack kid wishing for his 15 minutes in the sun.
Gaining notoriety as the guy who pissed off everyone touched by this event isn’t going to make you famous. I would love to know which award you’ve won, as an ‘award-winning filmmaker’- as far as I can tell you are a not very merry prankster who has nothing better to do than fuck with people.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jagger+gravning&
I’m sorely disappointed and disgusted.
<3 <3 <3
Thank you.
Fascinating how many of the negative commentors seem like such hostile, unpleasant people, but repeatedly make a point about how wonderful they and their community are. Selfish to think only of themselves and not about the social good that can potentially come from examing a tragedy and possibly preventing future ones, in turn saving lives of people other than their personal friends. I hope the film does get made and join the ranks of media that helps society to reflect and progress.
No one could have predicted what he was going to do.. (SEATTLE CRIMINOLOGISTS STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREDICTED! ARE YOU REALLY ARROGANT ENOUGH TO SAY YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THE MIND OF A KILLER THAN TRAINED PROFESSIONALS!?) I met him at several events and after-parties before that night and there was NOTHING off about him. He was accepted, he was gentle, kind, soft spoken and helpful… he even gave me 10 bux so I could get home one night. He really seemed like just another average newcomer to the scene. He seemed just as distressed and out-cast as EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY. We welcomed him with open arms like we do anyone that is looking for a safe place to be themselves… and he turned on us in the most vulnerable moment possible.
Your basis for this film is completely flawed… riding the “preventing future shootings by understanding the mind of the shooter” ticket, is not going to do anything but further destroy an already damaged community, and give kyle huff EXACTLY what he wanted. This community NEVER recovered from this. This is a 5 year old, open, bleeding wound… and your rubbing sodium hydroxide in it… As someone else said, you are invalidating their deaths. “your friends deserved to die b/c no one helped kyle huff.”
I couldn’t agree more.
As a survivor of a violent crime, I always wish I could talk to someone about it. But it makes me people uncomfortable.
It’s painful and it’s horrifying but I still wish I could just talk to people without them feeling sorry.
(But for the movie, I don’t know if this is the right way to go about it. Why not talk to victims’ families or the survivors that experienced that awful night? Why not focus on these wonderful people who were taken from their loved ones (with permission from the loved ones)? Remember them but don’t use their memory to get money or recognition.)
i agree with just stop…
its hard enough on the friends that survived~
i dont think rehashing this will get you positive attention from anyone who actually knows what went on or knows anyone who was killed…
and as far as understanding why he did it? he was crazy! there doesn’t have to be an explanation of why he just was… if anyone would have seen it coming they would have stopped it…
its bad enough remembering much less a movie being made to immortalize this…
bad form, stop while you are ahead and save your effort for a movie that isnt about the deaths of too many close ones…
Judging from a quick search for “Jagger Gravning”, your other works seem to embrace the exploitation of “offbeat characters” or go about interviewing under the guise of “journalism” (when you’re really just being annoying and sensational).
You might have garnered more support for this project if you hadn’t started off by slandering the victims/survivors with their “licentious lifestyle and exuberant sexuality”.
I hope you realize, someday, that being sensational can drum up debate and interest and emotions in your favor. But, sometimes, even people like Perez Hilton apologize when it backfires.
Fascinating how many of the negative commentors seem like such hostile, unpleasant people, but repeatedly make a point about how wonderful they and their community are. Selfish to think only of themselves and not about the social good that can potentially come from examing a tragedy and possibly preventing future ones, in turn saving lives of people other than their personal friends. I hope the film does get made and join the ranks of media that helps society to reflect and progress.
dont view this as selfishness for protection of “the scene” or “those left” its the protection of those who died and their name and what they did! not rehashing the story of a killer… that gives him even more attention even in the afterlife…it is wonderful of our community to accept all even though we are all sometimes “selfish and hostile”… and social good? there isnt anything that could be done as so many have said… and preventing ones is like trying to stop the rain… in short crazy people are crazy no stopping that… no matter what community or scene this isnt exclusive to rave…
couldnt have said it better…
SO I just posted videos made by this director, one of which was him trying to pay a bill collector with money in a urine filled bottle. Now that video is private. I ask, is this the type of person who should be making this film? Stand by your work or admit you are an attention seeker.
More and more this feels like it is about making a scene as opposed to making a difference. Is this how you would portray this tragedy? With this same level of maturity. You owe someone money, they send you to collections and you give it to them in a urine filled container?
I’d prefer if a film exploring the mind of the person who killed our friends not be made by some “Jackass” wanna-be.
If the film is based on the filmmakers notion that “Because reaching out and having empathy is how we are going to prevent things like that from happening in the future.” I have concerns.
Let me say this. How is inviting someone into your home and welcoming them not demonstrating empathy for someone? So people reach out to Kyle by inviting him into their home, and he repays them by killing them.
What we really need are parents who will raise their kids instead of expecting the schools and society at large to take on that responsibility. If Kyle deserved empathy and compassion from anyone it was his family and friends. So I hope that makes it into your picture.
The basis of your intent is flawed, sort that out before you throw your whole “This is for the social good” catchphrases around.
Hey man, This is Huff’s ghost talking. Hell is actually pretty bad and my whole excuse of “I was abused, had a rough life, and shit happened” was simply responded with, “Yeah that’s called life” by Satan himself. Anyways, being looked at slightly funny for being a juggalo at a rave–also I’ve had the time in the after life to understand magnets–finally makes sense. It would be like wearing a BeeGee’s shirt to a Zeppelin concert. Really I thought that after my crazy shooting spree and murders, that would be me going out in a blaze of glory that would be my final impact on the world. But no, i was wrong! You, my friend, have helped me spread the impact years later as well as twist the knifes i so carefully placed into the backs of the still surviving victims and families. And for all that, I thank you. I only killed 6 people, but you with this film will mess up the lives of so many more; im jealous to be honest. Also, good job on not contacting the grieving families of those I shot up, their input would have totally given you the wisdom to not make this film. Well if the rapture is actually tomorrow, May 21st, I’ll see you soon!
Love you long time,
Da Huff
I have no personal affiliation with the tragedy, except that I lived a couple blocks away at the time and still think about it, particularly the victims, often. I hope that the family members/friends reading this know that even those of us who didn’t know your children/friends still think of them often and wish we had had the chance to know them.
I agree with all the concerns expressed here particularly about the perspective taken by the filmmakers. Since a full/”expert” report was already conducted and shared with the community I can’t imagine what this documentary would add. And by focusing on Huff, it seems like well-worn territory. Even similar projects that are tastefully done, with participation of the victim’s families (see the book “Columbine” by Dave Cullen) don’t really have much to add to the larger dialog on violence.
People have made films before on subjects like this but rarely without securing the support of those most affected ahead of time. I don’t know if you thought that this blog post or other media coverage of the project would serve as reaching out to the victim’s families but it does not and you should have done that first and allowed them to give input on the focus of the project. I am not completely opposed to projects like this (see aforementioned Dave Cullen book which I recommend) but such work requires a sensitivity and inclusiveness you have not yet shown (and it may be too late for that). You must prove yourself to be capable of handling such sensitive subject matter, particularly in the absence of work/film experience that would lead us to trust you in advance. I would also like you to respond to Andrew’s question requesting evidence of some of the claims that you make about incidents like this being preventable- I have never seen reference to research showing this to be true and since it seems to be the foundation of your project I would encourage you to reconsider your assumptions.
Lastly please be open to the anger being expressed here. People are obviously (understandably) in a lot of pain and though it can be hard to respond graciously to personal attacks this should be accepted as coming with the territory and as a natural consequence of your not reaching out to them sooner. I know it’s hard but please keep an open mind to what is being expressed here.
100% in complete agreement. That “empathy” just might be the “push” someone else needs to express their angst in such a way. That’s how these things play out.
In complete agreement. The community NEVER recovered, how could it? In my mind his actions pretty much ended it for me. I left Seattle, and a community that was my life for almost a decade. I have been to maybe 2 events since. I can’t see my friends from the past without everything being brought back up in my mind, and I am sure they experience the same.
I get that it’s a free country but like, this? Really? Now? And what’s with making Kyle seem less than human? I don’t understand some people’s obsession with this. His family was just as destroyed by this event as anyone else. KYLE WAS A SICK MAN. That doesn’t mean he deserves a movie for his sickness, he deserves peace. I’m asking as a human being to stop this, there’s some other awesome comments but please, this is so insensitive and rude I can’t even begin to make a complete sentence without sounding like a jackass. THIS TRAGEDY COMPLETELY UPROOTED THE RAVE COMMUNITY AND RESHAPED IT INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. A movie like this disgusts me, and I would hope that anyone with a hint of respect wouldn’t donate a dime to this thing.
Please don’t make this. As someone who was directly involved with the incident. Please. I do not think I will every fully recover from this day honestly.
R.I.P
i second that, ian.. well said..
maybe by another film-maker, at another time, with different intentions.. but i don’t see that this guy is taking a correct angle of approach with this.. starting out by asking for monetary hand-outs to even make the money – and with no mention of where & how the proceeds/profit will be distributed. very tacky… very unprofessional…
“starting out by asking for monetary hand-outs to even make the MOVIE”***
I’ve always been an advocate for free speech and artistic expression but its hard to keep topics like that in mind when the subject of a controversial project can strike you on a personal level such as this.
This is a huge grey area here. On the one hand as someone who knows some of the people who were there and have heard accounts it is definitely disturbing to think that someone is possibly trying to display the culprit as a helpless individual who was as much a victim as those who lost their lives. I myself am even insulted by the phrasing “Licentious lifestyle”. You do not have to be within the rave scene to be promiscuous or without morals every subculture/clique you come across is going to have a portion of people that behave as such. While I’m not going to deny that there are indeed a number of those who do act this way not all of us do. This already makes me think those who were killed are going to be painted or viewed in a negative manner which is completely undeserved, I get the feeling that many family members will be enraged by the portrayal of young people the film maker doesn’t even seem to know anything about. We are not all lawless individuals out to bring down the order of the world.
Still there is also the matter of free speech here, the making of this film is not impinging upon anyones rights. He is free to make this movie though as clearly stated here anyone involved in it is more than likely going to hear a lot of negative stuff from those that this event is very significant to. This isn’t the first controversial film to be made like this, I’m sure the criticism following the making of Downfall far surpassed what we are seeing here for its sympathetic portrayals of Nazi war criminals even if that took place over half a century ago and the shootings in capitol hill happened only 5 years ago. However with topics like this I am unsure of how successful Gravning will be at getting support for the movie.
This is clearly stabbing at wounds that still have not yet healed and I honestly hope this film does not get finished. I hope the film maker has the decency and the respect for the victims, their friends, and families to not do this.
Gravning said. “I’m literally trying to make a film about what happened with Kyle Huff.”
Shouldn’t make a movie about this pathetic excuse of a human he shoulda just killed himself and let my friends live but he didnt and now your gonna make a movie about him you have said lots about huff but what about the people who died that day my friends Melissa, Deacon, Sushi, Suzanne,Jeremy or Jason. Huff deserves to be forgotten he shouldn’t be glorified in a film he should be forgotten and forsaken left to burn in hell
you are awesome. lol.
“Thank you for the message. I disagree with your assessment that I don’t have a right to express my perspective on Kyle Huff.
I do however respect your right to express your hate, and to express… your intolerance of someone who is espousing a perspective that you disagree with.
Almost everything that is portrayed in the script are things I witnessed with my own eyes. It is my own life I am using as the source material for this film. The film is being made from the perspective of someone who attended rave events as an outsider, and was made to feel alienated because he was not able to conform to the rave community’s expectations.
I wish you peace, love and respect.
Sincerely,
Jagger Gravning
(206) 290-6841″
I would like to know personally how you were “alienated” and made to try to live up to “expectations”. If you REALLY have known anyone in the scene you would know that we welcome people of all kinds as long as they follow a simple code that EVERYONE has heard a thousand times… Peace, Love, Unity, Respect (and occasionally RESPONSIBILITY). You dont have to be any kind of person, to be accepted in this community, you only have to be respectful of the other people around you (liking techno doesn’t hurt). Its not all about sex and drugs. Yes, there are people in it for that, but they are not the majority and they NEVER stick around.
so what was your problem? you were incapable of being nice and respecting those around you? are you just that sort of person? If you have something against this scene then you need to drop this project right now b/c all you are going to do is rip another huge wound in an already destroyed community. It really seems like you are only using this horribly painful event to spring board your self to fame… I really hope this comes back to bite you in the ass… I have never known anyone who could be this insensitive to SO MANY peoples pain.
Your wrong.I can tell you he is talking to people that were there, he just hasn’t talked to you yet. Not everyone feels like you do.
A voice of reason.
Having met and talked with some of the people who had to live through this horrible ordeal, right off the cuff this can not be made in a way that will do anything other than bring back hurt that happened in very recent memory. I have nothing snotty or mean to say, just please don’t hurt the people already impacted by this any more.
Best. Comment. Ever.
Not much of a”Love Culture”. More accurate would be “hateful and vicious”. It’s a movie. Only a movie. This guy can make anything he wants to make. It’s only a movie. You don’t have to go see it.You can go see what you want to see.
several people who were directly involved in this, including parents of the victims, people who lived there, and many close friends have already commented here in this post, and they have adamantly and unanimously opposed your project.
It’s clear you aren’t interested at all in their input or opinions and just want to capitalize on this tragedy. if your filmaker actually cared about the people touched closest by these events he would respect their wishes. don’t pretend like you have any compassion when it is obivous from your actions you don’t.
To say you knew people from this tragedy and make a movie saying you want empathy for the man who murdered your friends in cold blood?? I dont care who you are, that is just plain inhuman thinking. You are just trying to capitalize on a tragedy where I and a lot of my friends lost a lot of good people. Kyle Huff doesnt need any recognition for what he did, he lost his rights when he MURDERED people.
Instead of making this film, how about you take your donations that you made and give them back to the families that lost someone because of Huff. If you are the friend you say you are, then that should be a no brainer.
I dont think you realize the harm you are doing to the people who actually lived through this experience. I personally don’t want to hear about how we should have empathy for a person who killed my friend for just trying to shut the door to prevent any other deaths.
I am sorry but to make this movie is a slap in the face for each and every one of us who lost someone that night. Just think if you were on that side of the coin, someone killed your mother and now someone wants to make a movie on how we should have empathy for the killer. You wouldnt like it at all.
You are going to do whatever you are going to do but think of the families who are emotionally and financially ruined because of this event. They are the ones who deserve our empathy, not Kyle Huff.
this tragedy has actually been examined to death. we don’t need another amateur hour synopsis by someone who was at best, peripherally involved, admittedly has a bias against the rave community and is only looking to start controversy for his own publicity.
it’s pretty sickening to hear you call this community “selfish” when you look at it in light of the film maker who obviously is not concerned with anyone’s viewpoints or wishes but his own.
Something to get riled up about other than VPC.
Lots of judging going on here. Typical for this “liberal” neighborhood. Liberals can’t stand anything they don’t agree with.
Jagger has contacted my daughter who was there that night and they have known each other since high school. My daughter is opposed to having the movie made. I know Jagger personally and I don’t think he is just out to make a buck on this movie, but since it hurts so many people, I don’t think he should make it. It makes me cry when I think about the shooting and how close my daughter came to dying as she was in the livingroom at the time. I knew Jeremy Martin too and I still cry for him and the others who were murdered. I know movies like this are made all the time, but I don’t see that they have helped society in any way. Please Jagger, don’t make this movie!!
you are a joke and just as sick as kyle huff. this “art project” of yours is completely selfish and disrespectful. this isnt a murder mystery novel being released on film it is something that actually happened, and there were more people involved than just you. your view on this tragedy isnt anymore important than anyone else involved stop making kyle huff a rock star and bragging to the world how connected you are to this famous tragedy while the people who are really connected are suffering. you are a SELL OUT and thats all you will ever be. put your camera away and put your pen down your adventure into the movie business is a total failure. empathizing with murdering psychopaths is how 6 million people died during the holocaust
You must hate all documentaries because they are based on something that actually happened.
but if you must make this, i expect 100% of the profits to be donated to community psychiatric clinics and therapists for the uninsured.
My name is Rachel Belle and I’m a reporter for the Ron & Don Show on KIRO FM here in Seattle.
I’m doing a story on this today and I’d really love to have some of your reactions in my story. We could do a quick phone interview. If you’re interested please email me your name and phone number: [email protected]. The sooner the better is ideal since I have a deadline approaching!
Thanks and cheers,
Rachel Belle
Diverse? Latest census shows Bellevue is 65% white. Capitol Hill? 80% white.
It’s sad that you would take advantage of this for a story.
Im sorry but if your really going to make a movie about this it should be about all those who died or seriously injured. It should be about what great people they were and the things they were going through leading up to this event. Not about the angry asshole that shot at them. You are saying you want perspective on his life and how he was feeling? Obviously he was crazy, I was there that night I searched him before he came into the party and was watching him all night standing in the corner staring at people dancing like a damn lunatic . I knew there was something wrong with him and the rest of security and me were all waiting to see what he was going to do.
No one wants to feel sorry for him because he had no conscious he knew exactly what he was going to do that day you could see it on his face when he walked in the door. He was jealous and pissed off that other people were happy that was his motive plain and simple
What you are doing is wrong, If any movie is made about this it should be in memory of all the wonderful people our scene lost that day we miss all of them more then you can imagine.
I hope you have a heart and decide to turn this in another direction.
You are hurting people who have been through enough and bringing up painful memories then shoving what happened in our face.
I understand your looking at this from a artistic point of view but please find something else to make a film about.
I knew Jeremy Martin and I know the “one” surviver you spoke to as well. She told you she was opposed to this film and she has spoken with the other survivors and they are opposed. You haven’t done much since your mount vernon days Jagger. I figure you are looking for something controversial to get some attention to your work, and that’s just wrong. If these were your “friends” maybe you’d have a little more respect. On behalf of mt vernon and us who grew up with jeremy and the “survivor”, you will not get your funding, and thats a promise
deal with it and try taking your fucking head out of the sand. Until we take a long hard realistic look at how these terrible things happen…they will continue to happen. These are sick people who need 100% exposure. Who are they, what set them off? Can we prevent this in the future? All of you cry babies that want to whine and deny should go home to mama and have her read you another fairy tale…..get real people!
How can you say you are close with the victims and you glorify Kyle?
You should be ashamed to call yourself a friend to those deceased.