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NEW Stormy Tempest: Fight for the Future!
Howdy folks!
We've just released our second episode of Stormy Tempest Season 2 which introduces our new Supergirl-esque character, Lacey Slater. We first mentioned her here way back in 2010 and the wait is almost over. Lacey doesn't get her powers until the next episode, but in THIS episode (Prisoner in the Present) we establish her place in the Stormy Tempest universe and set the stage. We are working on the special effects for the next episode right now, so it won't be long before Lacey takes to the skies and wipes out an army of bad guys. Super-strength, speed, invulnerability, enhanced senses, heat vision... the whole shebang! Plus.... Stormy Tempest herself! It's going to be awesome!
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Stormy Tempest Season 2 continues! In the aftermath of Stormy Tempest: Torment in Time our heroine struggles to escape a psychedelic mental prison. She is trapped in an endless void with no hope of escape and taunted by an unseen foe. Her courage, her strength of will and her memories are violated. Her innermost fears rise up to consume her. Stormy is assaulted without warning and finds herself stripped of her defenses, her weapons... and her entire costume. Meanwhile the invading horde of evil Gorla Monks canvass the 21st century suburbs in search of their prey. And Lacey Slater, a beautiful and innocent young woman, begins an adventure that will give rise to one of the most powerful superheroines the world has ever known.
Nicola Rae returns as Stormy Tempest in a daring, unforgettable, sexy, provocative and nuanced performance that adds depth and dimension to Bill Black's sci-fi superheroine. Pierce Knightley expands the personality of reluctant hero Eddie "The Chill" Karbunkle. Chris Casteel sets aside the gorilla suit and adds a touch of comic relief. And Aliya Hayes debuts as Lacey Slater, a character destined to become a "super" fan favorite. Watch it now!
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Thanks for lookin!
AC
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- accomics
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- Markiehoe
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I'll be the first to confess that I haven't been a HUGE fan of the Cult Retro productions to date, primarily cause of their lack of "ubergirl elements" in their films. That said, the previous films (mostly Stormy Tempest) stuff has been entertaining and well-done, mixing action with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek comedy that gives them a lighter fill than a lot of other genre stuff.
Stormy Tempest Season 2 piqued my interest (obviously) with the introduction of "Lacey Slater", their oft-promised and currently 'unnamed' supergirl-esque character that they have been promising (more like teasing) for a while. As mentioned by their producers, the wait is over with Aliya Hayes in the role.
I was curious to see how everything was gonna translate to "film" from the stills that we'd only been privy to. Often, the translation from model to actress isn't always convincing, and in some cases, often painful. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised -- and now deeply in love -- with Aliya's character Lacey. Her uber-cutesy portrayal of Lacey and her radiating confidence at becoming a "comic book nerd's fantasy girl" stole the show, in my opinion, even without ANY super feats in this installment. Looking at the stills previously, I was concerned -- and not too excited -- with her "costume" that looked like, quite honestly, a cheap halloween version of Evil Kneviel. However, it does look better on screen and is used for a specific reason. However, I still hope they change it later to an outfit more worthy of her exceptional shape!
Speaking of exception shapes, I would be remiss if I did not mention the beautiful Nicola Rae in the lead role as Stormy Tempest, since the movie DOES center around her. Nicola Rae has always done a great job portraying the inter-galactic space officer. While Aliya is a diminutive little hardbody, Nicola is a statusesque beauty that conveys an imposing authority when she is on screen with any of the male cast. Her overall look gives me a striking flashback to Heather Lei Guezetta, who starred as the "Ms Richards" in The Awakening.
Regardless of physical looks, one thing that is apparent through the film and conveyed in the outtakes is the fun that everyone seems to be having in the production. One thing in my experience is that no matter how good the actresses look, if they don't embrace the role or have fun, it comes out like crap. No CRAP here!
As Markiehoe mentioned before, there is a teaser at the end for the next installments, including some "super moments" for Aliya. I really enjoyed those, but they were unnecessary...she had me when she zipped up her white boots!
ElF
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- lfan
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Angel Avengers look promising. Probably buy one of those and review it.
Aliya has some serious potential it appears. A more form fitting costume would be a welcome change.
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- Sarge395
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As you mentioned, Lacey's costume is deliberately amateurish. She's not supposed to be wearing a "real" costume yet because she is not yet a superheroine. At this stage we were simply trying to make her a fun, unique and interesting personality. Our hope is to spin Lacey out of Stormy Tempest Season 2 and into her own ongoing series of clips. If that works out, Lacey will definitely get a costume upgrade.
As for "peril"... we use that term in the traditional pulp/comicbook sense of the word... referring to danger and adversity for our heroines to overcome. The modern definition of peril seems to imply rape fantasies and sexual abuse, which is not at all what we are about. The only reason we put our heroines "in peril" is to see how they get themselves out of it.
Thanks for lookin!
AC
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- accomics
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Good to hear about the costume as well...when I first saw the stills, I was a little concerned, but your motives/reasoning was apparent when it was laid out in the film...
Peace
ELF
accomics wrote: Wow! Thanks for the great review, ElF!
As you mentioned, Lacey's costume is deliberately amateurish. She's not supposed to be wearing a "real" costume yet because she is not yet a superheroine. At this stage we were simply trying to make her a fun, unique and interesting personality. Our hope is to spin Lacey out of Stormy Tempest Season 2 and into her own ongoing series of clips. If that works out, Lacey will definitely get a costume upgrade.
As for "peril"... we use that term in the traditional pulp/comicbook sense of the word... referring to danger and adversity for our heroines to overcome. The modern definition of peril seems to imply rape fantasies and sexual abuse, which is not at all what we are about. The only reason we put our heroines "in peril" is to see how they get themselves out of it.
Thanks for lookin!
AC
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- djitters19
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I think we take it for granted with established producers like Bully Pup and Random, but if others are willing to try and give us what they want, the least we can do is support them, right? Or maybe I'm not....
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- lfan
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- Markiehoe
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- AlbertC
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jpk2008 wrote: There's a special point in all of this. Those productions are more flexible to fullfill the expectations of their costumers, and this is very positive.
But what are YOUR expectations, JPK? As someone once told me, no feedback is still feedback (and "bad" feedback to boot)
Elf
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- AlbertC
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It is EXTREMELY helpful to hear what customers want to see. We don't make "custom" films, but we HAVE been known to include a specific scene or shot in our films just to satisfy the requests of one loyal and vocal customer. If we hear the SAME request from MULTIPLE customers it's nearly a guarantee that we will incorporate that suggestion into future projects.
Our new character Lacey, for example, was created specifically to appeal to ubergirl fans and we are very hopeful that you guys will enjoy her character and abilities. We'd love to hear what you think of her so far, and what you'd like to see from her in the future... and so would Aliya Hayes! Some of our AngelAvenger actresses are also interested in being ubergirls.
I can GUARANTEE that I will get emails and requests from multiple customers asking me to see Lacey tied up (if not worse). I am curious to find out if I will receive an equal or greater number of requests from SWM asking us NOT to do that. I am hopeful that we can drum up enough support for an ongoing CultRetro ubergirl series, so that we can finally make a set of films that do NOT require large amounts of rope.
Later,
AC
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- accomics
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It was fun, but I was left wanting more action, more power, and less of Stormy Tempest being held prisoner in her own mind. The actress who plays Lacey has a nice "hands on hips" power pose, and I am looking forward to seeing her have the abilities to go along with it. Call me corny, but I actually preferred her costume to Stormy Tempest's; it's good when she twirls.
The monks are suitably evil (even if a little hard to understand in their first scene). I just wanna see our heroines knocking them around instead of hiding.
- GeekSeven
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Don't be too ambitious. Rely on practical effects that a team of dedicated amateurs can perform. Think gun bends, bar bends, door smashes, car stops.....all the things that you can do with a camera that can showcase a mighty heroine without having to learn a ton on Adobe After Effects or similar software.
Use throatlifts judiciously. They're an easy way to showcase superstrength. Aaaaand that's why everyone uses them to excess. One's enough.
Story is great. Romance is great. Acting MATTERS. If the actress is really "into" the role, it's apparent from the very first frame. Seek out/audition people with talent in front of the camera. Even amateurs who believe in the movie and enjoy the material can work. A gorgeous girl in a great costume who phones it in isn't much fun. Remember: Your goal is to engross your audience for the entire film, not just your set pieces, and to make them crave the next installment.
Think like filmmakers. Think about blocking, lighting, sound, and shot set-ups. Make them interesting. Don't rely on a medium two-shot for all dialogue. Think about using a dolly. Call a local film school and cultivate friends in the student body....people with access to lights and the knowledge to be good gaffers or cinematographers. No one's expecting "Minority Report" but quality matters. When you have a crew of ONE, that shows. When you have a crew of FIVE who know what they're doing...when you have a comprehensive script and shot list....this stuff will be apparent to your viewers.
Be smart with props and set decoration. If a girl's bending a spraypainted pool worm in lieu of a large steel beam, that'll be apparent. There are ubergirl movies out there that depict this stuff done RIGHT. Seek them out. Use what they have. Bring your ideas and resources to the mix and make something terrific.
If you do, I promise you, I'll be an exceptionally loyal customer. I double-super-ultra promise.
Good luck!
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- eromacque
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If AC comics does something with an empowered supergirl instead of a depowered one, I would definitely give it a purchase.
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- oldHarmonyMotion
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To each his own.
I personally have no desire to see a super powered woman lord it over common folk. In order to showcase a superwoman you have to have super opponents equal to or superior to her in order for her to overcome and triumph in the end.
Basic story telling 101
I enjoy back and forth battles where the main character is basically a good person trying to do the right thing.
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- Markiehoe
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A gorgeous woman being the victor. Prefer bad girls but I'll take what I can get. Ursa/Conceptfan are my standards. Any SFX that show her strength and powers. Throatlift once a clip, but then throw in a crushing handshake or hand to the shoulder that brings the man to his knees in pain. Some back and forth with the antagonist but basically I want an Ubergirl that is going to come out on top. Some flying! Even some floating/levitating is better than nothing. Superbreath. Get a leaf blower, blast the guy, add in some sound effects. Good girl goes bad. Bad girl gets worse
I'll watch a peril video if the girl(s) and costumes are hot enough but it takes a lot of that before I'll pry open my wallet. I've seen a lot of the 'Giga' type Japanese superheroine peril videos that were converted into short YouTube videos that edit out a lot of the peril stuff and love those.
Understand you need to get feedback in order to even think about doing less peril and more female dominant.
Chime in fans.
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- Sarge395
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The action is definitely coming. This is our 8th Stormy Tempest release and one of the few that does not have heavy action. In this particular episode Stormy is recovering from injuries received in earlier episodes, which gives us an opportunity to explore her character and personality for a change. The action kicks in next episode, most of which revolves around Lacey Slater.
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- accomics
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The first Stormy Tempest film is probably right up your alley, though the effects are now dated. You might like AngelAvengers also. Generally we try to have a powerful and empowered heroine up against an equally powerful villain, though the heroine is pretty much always going to win in the long run.
The next two episodes of Stormy have no depowering whatsoever. Quite the opposite. Since the peril-fans are going to hate it, we're hoping that people like yourself will jump in and give it a shot.
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- accomics
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Some good ideas. Thanks for sounding off. You should check out our existing films. You will see we have no fear of either practical or digital effects and typically include more visual FX shots than the average Smallville episode. We've been making films since the 1970's. Our crew ranges from 2 to 11 depending upon who's available, but you won't be able to tell how many we had at the time from looking at the films. Today's video technology has evolved to the point where it really only takes one guy that knows what he's doing to get the job done. I would encourage anyone and everyone to give it a try.
Which ubergirl films are the ones that you feel are "done RIGHT"?
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- accomics
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I think you'll like Lacey. I should be able to post a few preview images by the end of this week. There will be flying, levitating, superbreath, heat vision, throwing cars and much more. You can also check out Tom Madigan's Supergirl YouTube video as a "demo". We did most of the effects for that also.
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- accomics
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Feel free to add more.
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- Sarge395
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ElF
Sarge395 wrote: Ubergirl films/videos that I loved include, The Awakening (Mandi Steele video), the cheesy Superwoman XXX Tits of Steel German porn DVD, Project Superwoman videos (almost all of them), the Mandi Steele Mary Marvel short video (fantastic slo-mo and great attitude), Raven Unstoppable, Smallville Supergirl scenes, Bustice and Supergirl Rescue a Submarine (Youtube it), and more as I can think of them.
Feel free to add more.
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- lfan
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I'd just like to kindly ask the producers of Stormy Tempest to take a quick look at this clip. I can just imagine Lacey in a scene like this. Hot dayum!
(and if you click through and just tab around the linked videos, you'll see scores of similarly edited clips that IMO nail the vibe most of us here would want to see).
** turn off sound **
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- yohashuan
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