GI Joe – Trailer

On the mainstream side of the genre ‘GI Joe’ is out tomorrow. By the looks of this trailer they’ve spent a lot on special FX, hopefully the plot holds up and hopefully it is better than ‘GI Jane’. There is a pleasing and unneccessary use of women in catsuits from what I have seen so far and it pleases me greatly.

The Superheroine Genre

Ok, now that Episode One is out and we get prepared for Episode Two we’ve got a lot of cool stuff coming up. I want to talk about the Superheroine / Supergirl / Ubergirl genre away from NGC. What are other people doing in the mainstream and in the fan made area? I’m going to explore some of the themes and some of the great videos, scenes, and artwork that is out there. Should be fun!

Episode One – Get It Here!

HD Caps:

Previews of Photos in HD pack:

At last, here is our first episode available for download. Watch as Powerstar struggles with an unknown assailant in a battle for control.

Our first episode is being presented in HD, however we are also making it available in Standard format at a discounted rate.

If you want to purchase in HD we’ll also throw in 50 hi-res photos of the shoot and Powerstar in all her glory too.

Total Running Time: 13 minutes

For HD Download+Photos

For Standard Download

ENJOY

Storyline: Elite Force Comms Intercept

Storyline: Collective Phone Transcript

Storylines

Throughout the existence of this blog/website we will have a backstory going on which involves all of the factions and many characters behind the scenes.

These will lead into the next episode and also start long story arcs which may take a long time to resolve as they ebb and flow through time. There will be a lot going on but for those interested in the story behind the episodes it should be fun.

We will also be very open to suggestions on story so if we like your idea we can incorporate it into the story and turn it into an episode, effectively making you a peripheral character for the faction of your choice.

…and for those who couldn’t care less about the story we’ll still be producing the sorts of things you like to see on a regular basis, so everybody wins!

From this point on the ‘Storyline’ section will release memo intercepts sent between characters to one another, which may explain some of what you see, and some of what you will see in the future.

Powerstar Profile

Identity: Powerstar

Real Name: Rachel Stark
Age: 26
Nationality: UK
Faction: Elite Force
Height: 5’6
Weight: 130lbs
Power: Energy Punch

Background:

Early Life:
Rachel’s parents were both killed in supposedly suspicious circumstances when she was 2 years old. Therefore she only has hazy recollections of them which are rendered hazier still by photographs. She was told that they were killed in a car crash but foul play was suggested. From this point she went to live with an Aunt and Uncle who many years later she discovered were not blood relations. Her childhood was not particularly happy since her aunt did little to hide the resentment of having to bring up and pay for a child which was not her own. Rachel consequently harbours feelings of abandonment towards her parents and some degree of disdain for families in general, considering their importance ‘over-rated’. As a teen she got into trouble for minor offences like shop-lifting and drugs use, however this all changed when she witnessed a dealer savagely beating one of her girl-friends. Rachel fought back on behalf of her friend, easily knocking the dealer unconscious, this event was to be a turning point in her life. She left home at 15 and has had very little contact with her Aunt or Uncle since.

Powers:
At about the age of 8 Rachel began to have what Doctors described as ‘epileptic fits’. These would occur every couple of months but became more frequent as time went on. Anybody who happened to be near her in the first few years as she fitted would feel very dizzy and often ill themselves. As the fits intensified on a few occasions Rachel’s fits caused anyone within a few feet to pass out. Rachel could feel when she was about to go into a seizure and would go and find a place by herself so as not to harm or involve anyone else. Also the embarrassment of her condition made her desire to be alone during these episodes. The last time her seizure took place in front of anyone was her Uncle when she was 14. This resulted in him not only passing out for almost a day but severe burns on his hands and milder burns on other parts of his body. He was admitted to hospital and it was put down to a bad electrocution, although he knew different he didn’t say anything to his wife or Doctors. By the time Rachel was 15 seizures were occurring every 2 to 3 days, causing a strain on her ability to socialise properly with anyone. The event with the drug dealer changed all that, when she hit him she felt a strong energy in her fist which sent him flying, as if he’d been charged by a large animal rather than an average sized teenage girl. After this she did not fit for a week, she knew these things were connected. In the coming months she practiced her punching, forcing the energy which accumulated in her body into her fists and expelling it with strikes, all the time getting stronger and conditioning her body. She needed to test it on people but it had to be those who deserved it and only when she had the control to not endanger anyone’s life.

On Her Own:
A week before her 16th birthday Rachel left her Aunt and Uncle and headed for London, she had saved enough money for a months rent on a bedsit in a rough area. Her stance was now very anti-drugs and to pay for her life she got involved with a dealer. Her proposition to him was that she could get money from his competitors and weaken their operation, making him much stronger in the area. At first her chosen dealer doubted this but there was no harm in letting her try since she wasn’t asking for any financial or physical help, the results were staggering. Rachel would return with usually a suitcase full of drugs but never any money, this didn’t worry the dealer though since he had assets to sell and his competitors were put out of action seemingly by their bosses. It was assumed that Rachel had somehow stolen the loot after offering sexual favours and drugging the dealers themselves. In reality she would break into drug dens with her face obscured by a full head mask and beat anyone there into submission, if the drugs weren’t there she would inflict pain on someone until they told her. Any money she found she would keep and the drugs found their way to her partner. This went on for about a year widening out to encompass most of North-East London. Trust had developed between her and her drug dealing partner to the extent that she knew where his stashes were kept. At this point she gave an anonymous tip-off to the Metropolitan Police who raided all of the correct locations, everything was easily linked to her now former partner and a stash worth millions on the street was seized. The drug trade in that part of the city had taken a hit that would take years to recover from. Rachel had accumulated around three-quarters of a million pounds in cash and so moved to a large flat in Kensington where she would plan her next score.

Power Maturity & Joining Elite Force
Rachel’s powers continued to develop. She had improved her punching to a level where she could decide the amount of energy to be released. Every one would contain some of her magic force effectively giving her a fluid super strength rather than the previous girly slaps followed by devastating haymaker. Now every punch had purpose but she could still employ a signature finishing shot with a short delay to build power. The drawback to all of this was the need to be constantly on the go. She joined a gymnastics club and excelled to an Olympic standard within weeks of training. This was a mistake since it created a buzz around her she did not want. Her trainer went to the papers exclaiming a dead cert for Olympic Gold in Sydney if she could be rushed into the team in time. No demonstrations were ever shown apart from some filming that seemed to show a girl doing extraordinary things. Since the papers were denied any interviews though the story was put down to camera trickery and her trainer was discredited. Someone more important than the newspapers had been watching though. Michael Sampson had multi-government funding from the USA, the EU, Japan and even Russia to set up an elite anti-terrorism unit. It was strongly believed by his hierarchy that supernaturally powered beings did exist and could aid governments in the capture of any target they desired globally. It was felt in 2000 that such a unit could prove beneficial in the future. Sampson was rather taken with the story of this gymnastics superstar and although it had been considered a hoax by the local media he dug a little deeper. What he found was a 17 year old girl who owned outright a large apartment in one of London’s most exclusive areas, yet she had no known source of income from work and a family apparently too poor to support her in such a way. No friends or social activity to speak of and only left her flat to go running for a staggering 5 hours at a time, daily. He took a gamble and approached Rachel to join his unit, at first she was very timid about revealing her power to anybody but her solitary existence had led to depression and the interest of this man in her was soon encouragement enough to divulge her secrets, this was perhaps naïve but she was still very young and harboured a weakness for anybody that showed her special attention. She was shocked that he was unsurprised by her power, impressed but unsurprised. He divulged that others with abilities, albeit lesser than hers had been found and were being trained for his unit. The work would be dangerous but most importantly for Rachel would keep her busy.

Elite Force Training:
She was taken to an underground facility in the German Black Forest whereupon she took part in training with other people of varied ability from around the world. Due to the nature of her powers physical training was still a large part of her day to avoid seizures which by this point would be a daily occurrence without it. However, the bulk of all training at the facility was mental. Preparing trainees for what they might see plus some kind of moral indoctrination. It was vital they not kill, lose their temper, swear, or carry themselves in any way that would harm their reputations. Rachel was possibly the most developed of any trainee at the facility, now with catlike reflexes, and a growing degree of invulnerability making her difficult to injure or to inflict pain on. Real lives were allowed as long as assignments from the Elite Force were given priority. Rachel trained there for two years as a star student. She fully bought into the ethos of ‘Elite Force’ as it was truly the closest thing to family she had ever known, she really belonged and being a favourite there meant everything to her. On her last day she was given the moniker ‘Powerstar’ and her costume. This was to be her public face, the one that needed to remain impeccable. From that point she became public knowledge and took to the field.

Powerstar:
The first year in this guise meant great change for Rachel. She became a public figure for a public which still had to wrestle with the understanding of supernatural beings amongst them. She was a serious individual and did not take well to any public engagements, she was always chaperoned to help her answer any questions properly but it didn’t hide her aloof nature. This was accepted positively however as a woman who just wanted to get on with the job. Thankfully any public engagements were always brief to allow her time to expel her building energy. Her first major assignments took place in Afghanistan in late 2002 and involved her with soldiers sweeping bandits out of the countryside and dispatching armed militias, her ability to drop any assailant with a single blow was a great way for the army to take prisoners for interrogation without bloodshed. Her known presence in the field was useful for maintaining support for the military campaign amongst women and was valued by the countries taking part. Things changed however in 2003 when the war in Iraq started. The Russians and some European nations were against this war and forbade any member of Elite Force to take part in it. The Americans and the British could have done with the good PR Elite Force could provide, by showing it was important to spare civilians wherever possible but they reluctantly agreed to keep Elite Force out of the war. This led to a reorganisation of the unit to domestic levels. They were now assigned to anti-terrorism in cities but in truth there was so little of it about that Rachel was largely liasing with Police to stop drug and vice rings. This left her more time to herself as herself and not Powerstar. This time was not spent on building a solid social life however for fear of seizures and being able to hide her super identity with anyone. This period led to depression again and a genuine resentment of her powers if not her actual job as Powerstar herself. She largely did not take part in the politics and PR that surrounded Elite Force at this time but remained a prominent member.

Psychology:
Rachel is a woman that requires purpose to stay on an even keel. Whenever purpose is diminished she is soon prone to bouts of depression. These are not particularly severe as she is aware of the causes. The causes are the increasing curse of her power, a lack of social life and an inability to form strong relationships with anyone outside of her Powerstar guise. The fact she has never had a significant partner makes her unsure of how to be around men, any interest shown in her by a man is deeply rewarding for her and will put her on a high for days, even if she has no attraction to him. She is very confident when it comes to her powers and her training, having never been close to defeat at any stage, perhaps she is a little complacent by now. She has a jealous streak, usually towards other women in strong relationships. She has a couple of friendly acquaintances who are both female but they are rather plain and single, making them less of a threat. Her jealousy also manifests itself professionally towards the Elite Force member ‘Miss Freedom’. She was discovered in early 2005 and is the most naturally gifted woman anyone has encountered, even more powerful than Rachel. Ms Freedom’s relatively comfortable upbringing and sky-high confidence are aspects which Rachel envies and dislikes about her. It is by no means hatred and barely even dislike, Ms Freedom is unaware of this. Rachel is zealous about the cause of the unit and maintaining her guise of Powerstar as one that the public at large can always trust, she doesn’t break the rules. Rachel is an aloof character and a ‘wallflower’ at any function, were she left alone, she is uncomfortable in social environments, her joys come from training and doing her job. She dislikes villainy in all its forms, and typically is not someone who tries to understand it. However she is beginning to long for a normal life more than ever, her greatest hope is that her powers may one day alter so that the build up of energy leading to seizures dissipates. She thinks about that more than anything else now.

Episode 1 – How we made it, Part 3

Pretty much any episode that gets released for sale will revolve around an encounter/altercation and involve some form of combat.

The type of combat will be based upon the skills of the characters it concerns and on some level what each one is hoping to achieve. If one combatant merely wishes to get away, he or she will fight differently than if their objective is to kill. Equally a character who delivers Energy Punches like Powerstar would fight differently to someone with psychic powers or long range abilities. This is key because I really do not want to make something which is very repetitive, and I want it to be interesting in the future to think about how known characters might fare against one another.

In this first episode we have Powerstar whose primary interest is to expel her ever building energy with kind of force punches. You can tell these apart from normal punches by sound effects in the scene. Conversely her enemy appears to want to go toe to toe with her… but is that really the case? Those who see the episode will find out. His motives in this fight colour the way he operates within it.

Ok, so these are all the theoretical ideas behind what we wanted to do. How do we achieve this in practice?

We were not keen to improvise the scene, we knew this would waste time and since we could not devote more than a single day of shooting due to costs it seemed clear that each move must be planned. Otherwise we’d end up with something which didn’t make sense and lasted 3 and a half minutes.

To solve the problem storyboards were created with Poser, much easier than drawing them out. Here are a few that we used:

We even had time to do facial expressions (probably not something I’ll bother with in future). This was a great if not daunting way to get the actors to learn the piece, once the order was there it would help in the amount of run throughs we could perform using different angles.

In all there were about 160 storyboards for the fight. Perhaps we’ll be more relaxed in future about that but it proved to be a good way to shoot efficiently on limited time.

Factions: Red Mist

Red Mist is a faction which is currently recruiting talent. Their objective is to one day replace Elite Force as the globally endorsed super-powered special forces unit.

This fledgling operation is being totally funded by a large proportion of Collective members who have lost faith in Elite Force as the organization to look after their interests. Red Mist is devised as a unit that will stick very closely to the ideals of the Collective. The best way to do this is to carefully select membership which broadly holds compatible beliefs to theirs prior to training. This will slow recruitment down somewhat but the Collective is blessed with access to extensive intelligence and are now on the look out for independent super powered vigilantes to interview for a post.

Red Mist members are to be afforded considerable freedom in their own lives so long as when the unit calls they stick rigidly to mission objectives. In return for this loyalty members will be well looked after.

Red Mist will focus less on PR than Elite Force and more on results. It has been broadly agreed amongst Collective members in the media that Red Mist will receive no criticism, and that trust between the public and it’s members is valued above admiration.

The leadership of Red Mist will come from Collective members but they have agreed in taking the job to be removed from the loop and merely accept orders as given. Red Mist members will know nothing of where the orders come from and at this stage do not even know the objectives, all have expressed that they will work for the organization as mercenaries and not question or criticize the mission. This is the idea at least.

Factions: The Collective

The Collective is a secretive organisation made up of the cream of society and freemasonry.

They are chiefly influential families that spread across the world. Their number includes present and former politicians, king-makers, media moguls, business tycoons, and many other types of people as yet unknown. The Collective is virtually unheard of amongst the public but is obsessed over by conspiracy theorists, libertarians, and human rights campaigners.

Meetings are held amongst members annually in varying parts of the world and any known members describe these meetings merely as informal discussion groups with opinions being thrown around about current affairs. The idea that decisions on these matters are made by The Collective and acted upon is strongly denied.

The facts are these:

The organisation was founded in 1953 at the time that Britain tested their first atomic bomb. It was a pro-capitalist group at this time but members were asked to leave their politics at the door beyond that point.

It is said that Collective meetings were often the cradle of new strategies about winning or keeping hearts and minds away from communism. Once terrorism became a threat to the North American contingent of the group and communism melted away in Russia and became somewhat ‘civilized’ in China focus was redirected.

‘Us vs Them’ became blurred, you couldn’t look the enemy in the eye anymore which made it very difficult for the media based arm of the group to keep the public engaged.

It is true though denied that setting up Elite Force was initially a Collective decision – “If the bad guys are hard to see lets at least make the good guys easy to see” was the feeling. This experiment proved overwhelmingly successful to the point where Elite Force themselves became a potential threat. The Collective had been happy to bankroll Elite Force provided it would act as a loyal mouthpiece for whatever the Collective wanted to say. When it started to makes it’s own decisions a large part of the group called for it to be dismantled. This act, whomever was used as a scapegoat, would clearly be too unpopular to take the risk. The Collective needed a unit which was fully under its control and whose members were sold on their ideals without any filters, as had been the case with Elite Force.

There is some disagreement in the group about what to do. Some feel that Elite Force as it is has not strayed too far from the path and could be reformed. While others advocate an entirely new group with entirely new members. What the Collective does agree on is the need for some members of Elite Force to be removed.

The Collective has grand plans going forward which requires a unit that is less about PR and more about the cause for which it is fighting. That cause is known to a few now, and it will change things forever.