Chris Chan VS. The Internet

"Megan actually wanted to be reunited with Chris because she thought it was gonna be fun, but the director went against it because it was gonna be too corny and forced"

- Geno Samuel



Chris Chan VS. The Internet is a cancelled and (presumed) lost documentary film directed by film student Joseph Draft, which would've focused on the current condition of Chris and the long-term effects that internet trolling has had on his mental state. The trailer and a leaked minute from the opening are the only known surviving portions of the film, and as of November 2020, the film remains in limbo, if not outright lost.

According to Naught, the mostly-completed film was later destroyed by Draft out of stress over film cuts and infighting with some of his collaborators. Naught also claimed that Draft face-doxed himself after a 4-hour conversation once the drive was destroyed.

History


When first announced, the documentary garnered significant criticism from Kiwi Farms due to its announcement being through a Kickstarter page via a tweet from Chris, and having a funding goal of $20,000, which Kiwi Farms members argued as being too high considering the film was stated as being completed. The description on the Kickstarter page initially had very little information on the documentary and no breakdown of how the $20,000 of the budget would be used, which led to much speculation on how the money would be spent and how much may be for profit. The page was eventually updated and described that the film had been completed (to a point), included new interviews with Barb and Chris, new interviews with Megan Schroeder and that the purpose of the Kickstarter was to conduct additional interviews with the Chandlers and also with various YouTubers who discuss Chris such as Geno Samuel (known for Chris-Chan: A Comprehensive History) and Sachumo (known for his 2015 documentary and 2017 interview of Chris).

Kiwi Farms user CMCW posted in a thread about the project, claiming to be involved with it and wanting to do a Q&A. However, despite CMCW answering several questions, several Kiwi Farms members remained hostile towards the project and its creators. The Kickstarter for the film was abruptly cancelled on 6 April 2019, only two days after its announcement.

According to Geno Samuel, Megan actually wanted to reunite with Chris in person; however, Draft vetoed this, feeling it would be "too corny and forced". According to Naught, eventually, Megan changed her mind on being included in the film, and requested her inclusion be cut. Naught also claimed that the stress over the matters led Draft to give up on the project, and eventually destroy a hard drive containing the only known copy of the film. Draft also feared that the hostility surrounding the film would also lead to him getting doxxed, so he did the job himself.

According to Geno, "Joe's buddy who saw the footage said they got lots of footage of Chris belching and screaming in public, and was all giddy about it".

As of November 2020, no other copy of the film has surfaced, so it can be presumed that if it isn't sitting on a cloud service or other hard drive somewhere, then the film has been lost.

Mentions by Chris
"You all could have had this genuine and heart-felt gem, but you’ve had to shoot yourselves in the freaking feet by spamming hatred like a bunch of beheaded chickens or ”World War Z” Zombies."

- Chris expressing his disappointment over the cancellation.

On 20 September 2020, Chris, having discovered a mirror of the trailer on YouTube, left a comment thanking the uploader for archiving it. Chris later posted his thoughts on it to Twitter. In the tweets, he confirmed that the female voice heard near the end belonged to Megan, and accused trolls of "spamming hatred" and thus getting the documentary cancelled. Viewing the trailer also sparked Chris into having an emotional breakdown over Megan, which he chatted about in The Place.

Transcript
[We see a shot of a C-Ville Weekly vending box in the city, and a shot of a Ruckersville entrance sign.]

Chris: [audio reused from this video] Hello. I record this message, in re...in response to the Encyclopedia Dramatica page that has been against me...

[Chris is seen placing a tray of markers on a table, then begins drawing Sonichu on a piece of paper with a black ballpoint pen.]

Chris: Every detail...on that heinous page, against me, is all a pack of lies.

[''A montage of Chris walking through a woodland, selecting a pack of Crayola markers at a store, drinking coffee plays. Chris is then seen hugging one of the beagles while the other bays in the background'']

Barbara: [narrating] At first, he couldn’t talk. So, he was...err...trained with a speech therapist. His behavior was not normal.

Barbara: [on-screen] I...wasn't aware of...err...all what was going on, at first.

[Chris breathes outdoors with his eyes closed, then the film's title appears, followed by a shot of Megan (from behind) in an antique shop]

Megan: Now, he...he seems like a totally different person to me.

Leaked Opening
On 12 July 2020, a phone recording of the intro to the documentary was leaked, featuring Chris walking through the woods while singing "You've Been Trolled" and shots of some of his toys.

Transcript
[Black screen with white text displaying "The following film is true... and honest".]

[(on screen) Chris walking in a forest.]

[Black screen with white text displaying "A film by Joseph Draft".]

[(on screen) Chris singing the lyrics to the song "You've been trolled" while continuing to walk in the forest.]

[Black screen with white text displaying "Christine Chandler" while the audio of Chris singing can still be heard.]

[Black screen with white text displaying "Barbara Chandler" while the audio of Chris singing continues.]

[(on screen) Chris finishes the song while looking at the camera.]

[Black screen with white text displaying "Chris Chan VS. The Internet".]

[A montage of Chris's MLP and Legos toys along with the Sonichu Plush.]