[M.Thunder]

Series Trailer Now Live, Episode 1 is almost here.

Hey cool, our first glimpse of Evilyn's character! I was wondering if she was going to be in this series! She looks like some sort of suit (literally, she is wearing a suit. Could be PCOC or the Canadian EPA or something else) who joins to help navigate the legal side of things, though I could be wrong about that. If that's true, it will answer a lot of my logistical questions about setting up a new franchise. I like that she didn't wait to be hired, she kind of kind of hired herself and left (I assume) to put on a jumpsuit and draw up the paperwork.

The biggest hole in this team, so far, as far as I can tell, is they don't have an occultist. At least, I THINK they don't have an occultist: I know we don't know what their actual skills are yet, but it hasn't been hinted at that either of them are occultists...

There's a general lack of book-smart "brains" characters in the GBFCU. Alabama's Rookie and SLC's Silver are the only two I can think of off the top of my head... and that's a weakness. Take out the brains and you severely compromise the team's ability to think of ways to defeat you (besides "CHAAARGE"). An ordinary spook obviously isn't going to think of that, but a smarter enemy might.

I guess you don't need an occultist if you are dealing with generic spooks, but since most upticks in paranormal activity happen because of some sort of major entity becoming active, a lack of occult knowledge is going to be a problem sooner or later.

Why are so many of the British Columbia ghost stories centered around hotels? Is there something about BC hotels that just makes them ghost magnets? Is it just a Gold Rush thing because so many hotels are converted houses?

...That has nothing to do with anything, it's just a thing I noticed while skimming over Shadowlands (yes I read Shadowlands for fun in my spare time. No I don't necessarily believe in real ghosts. No I don't have an excuse.) ... Anyway, my current favorite BC Ghost stories are the headless Asian man who can be seen late at night crossing Water Street in Vancouver, and Pearl Cox, the 1940s socialite who died in a hit and run outside the Hotel Vancouver and has haunted it's 14th floor ever since. She's apparently quite a friendly and popular spook well-known to the staff and the hotel bar serves a "Lady in Red" drink in her honor.

Again, this really doesn't actually have anything to do with Ghostbusters:BC, I just thought it was interesting.

Might we be over analysing things just a bit?

Yep. Just a tad.

Gulp.

It's all in good fun I swear!...uh...

Cringe. Just... I'm sorry it's so annoying...

[The Rookie]

Alabama's Rookie and SLC's Silver are the only two I can think of off the top of my head... and that's a weakness.

[Cornelius]

Just watched the prologue. Did you know that the song that was used during the gaming/drinking bit had Dutch lyrics? My first impression was WTF? Expecting to watch/listen to a fully English video, I suddenly got my Dutch braincells in a twist after unexpectedly hearing my native language...

[Last_Minute]

Ep 01 - "Nightmare on Cambie"

[GhostBustin_84]

Well done!! Ready for the next episode!!

[hrdcordweeb]

That was awesome. Do you have any more background on that particular case?

[SPJ]

That was actually pretty cool. It reminded me of some episodes of RGB when they tried to use other equipment then the packs.

Great job!

[Last_Minute]

Also!

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[M.Thunder]

Woohoo!!

Well -that- was creative and new! A dream-walking bust. We began right in the middle of the action too, with Todd rattling off a list of the equipment and logistical stuff they've already got. So either Todd or Ryan must have had some serious money stored away. If this corporate franchise works the way most other big corporations do, then you have to pay a franchise fee as well as buy equipment and find an office that meets corporate standards. It's not cheap, especially since it sounds like they set it up without help from the city (or PCOC), meaning they had to pay for everything themselves.

I wish I knew where we were in terms of wiether this is their first "bust" or, like, seventh or something. They seem to know what they are doing with that equipment, so someone is either really into dense instruction booklets or they actually got some training somewhere. (Venkman Inc?)

"We need packs!" Well, yikes. There's Ryan's destructive tendencies showing themselves. I know the dirty little secret of Ghostbusting is that a lot of Busters get off on the power of being walking nuclear weapons who can burn down houses with the flick of a switch, but that is EXACTLY why there should be an actual screening process in place. Otherwise you could be a terror cell setting up a franchise, get the gear, and go burn down the city with it. You even get the cover of being able to call it an "Equipment malfunction" and make GBI take the heat for it.

... I know I keep slipping into thinking like a criminal, but really... You ain't afraid of no ghosts, but you damn well BETTER be afraid of humans because humans are terrifying.

A pack wouldn't have helped that particular bust anyway, unless Ryan thinks flash-frying that little girl would have gotten the ghost out of her. You need a slime-blower to de-possess people. Or you need to do what they did, apparently, and dreamwalk the ghost out.

BTW, the spooky nursery rhyme the ghost repeated was a very cool touch. Yikes. That lady is not your friendly library ghost!

Anyway, if this was not their first bust, I think we may have missed out on an important moment. No matter how prepared you think you are, the first time you really are face-to-face with a demonic hellspawn has got to be a heck of a moment. I know the GBFCU takes place in a world where Ghostbusting has existed for 30 years so people have had a lot of time to get used to the idea of demons and spooks and specters... maybe both Ryan and Todd have seen ghosts before, even before they became ghostbusters? They are young enough to have grown up with it, so...

And was that girl exorcism an official Ghostbuster bust or not? They talked about feeling like Ghostbusters but they weren't wearing their uniforms, and we didn't see them mention billing to the woman I assume is the girl's mother... we don't know they didn't get paid, but it might be more interesting if they helped the child for free, if just because it proves they are generally altruistic and GBI won't like it and tension!

Maybe they weren't wearing uniforms in an effort to avoid the regulators. They sure weren't happy to see Evilyn when she showed up looking all official and at first tried to deny being who they are. I assume we'll learn more about her later.


Nice episode guys! Can't wait to see where it goes from here. The game is on!

[Last_Minute]

Again, I don't want to confirm or deny too much or give anything away, but I can confirm that per this episode's log line this is indeed our character's first bust.

YouTube Description: "Todd and Ryan debate what it means to be a Ghostbuster while responding to their first call."

We're having our Episode post-mortem meeting soon and planning shoots for Eps 2 and 3, and I'm really happy with how everything has come together and I love all the feedback and seeing all the curiosity and questions come up!

One thing I'm considering doing when we're further along is a descriptive post about some deliberate creative choices (in story, character, framing and editing) that have help us along the way as well as some happy accidents we're noticing as we push the stories further along. Again though, this will be further into the series as we want you all to just experience and enjoy as fresh as it can be.

Thanks again! Keep watching!

[Last_Minute]

Cast photo and one sheet mock up by BD MacDonald Photography:

[M.Thunder]

There's some chaos and no mistake! Poster like that says we can expect shinanigans!

I just realized the guy about to spill the coffee is the same security guard who saw the ghost in the .5 episode. I guess we know where his character is going.


...I've been thinking more, so I'm going to spoiler-tag my rants so no one actually has to read them. Warning: much speculation and irrelevant micro-analysis ahead! Read at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So that was their first bust, huh? Well, these guys are some cool cucumbers. Like I said, its one thing to decide to be a lion tamer, it's another when are actually in the cage with the lion and it's looking at you and licking it's chops and it's HUGE. Even if you've grown up in a post-Staypuft world where ghosts and demons are a known public danger, this was a situation where a little girl's life depended on someone hacking into her mind and using their own soul as bait for a demon, all dependent on complex high-tech gear that they've never really used before.

And it all works perfectly. In fact it never seems like anyone was ever really worried it WOULDN'T work perfectly, not even the girl's mother. Even as they are leaving, Todd and Ryan don't really seem that awe-struck by what they just did. Like it was easy for them. Maybe like even becoming Ghostbusters was easy, one phone call while drunk. THAT is so easy it was almost an accident. If any part of this hasn't been easy for them, we haven't seen it: no footage of them actually struggling through those giant manuals or working with Venkman Inc trying to accquire the right gear or filling out forms to get the proper permits (I assume they need permits... or can anyone own a PKE or a dreamwalker if they just call and order it? And if anyone can own those things, why aren't there WAY more amateur Ghostbusters around? Wouldn't every home want a PKE, especially if they happen to be cheaper then GB inspection fees?) or dealing with PCOC or GBI or the EPA or studying Tobin's or engineering or... did they even test out that dreamwalker device before they used it on the little girl, or did they just plug it in and assume everything would be fine? Did they actually know what they were doing on this bust, or did they just get rediculously lucky that nothing malfunctioned and nobody hit a wrong switch or anything?

There's a saying that in fiction, we admire a character more for TRYING then for succeeding. Whatever struggles Todd-Bro and Ryan have had setting all of this up are kept off-camera, and as a result, I don't really care about their success. It's nice that they saved a kid, but they seemed to do it because it was a job, and not because hey, there's a child in need, lets help. Helping that child didn't cost them anything, not even in terms of jitters of the OH GOD WE'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE AND IF WE SCREW UP SHE COULD DIE variety. No part of this seems to really scare them, and that's a shame because characters who confront and overcome fear are much more interesting then characters who don't have any fear. Same deal with struggles: characters push their way through road-blocks and set backs because they actually care about saving the day are more compelling then people who become heroes because eh, why not, right time, right place, nothing better to do.

In the original Ghostbusters, our heroes became heroes not really because they helped people and got paid for it, but because despite their fear and their selfishness they eventually stepped up and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the city. I'm not saying everything needs to be on that level, in fact it probably shouldn't be, but the point remains that a victory that actually costs the heroes something will be more meaningful then one where they breeze in, everything goes perfectly, nothing really bad happens to anybody, the evil is defeated and everybody heads out to celebrate.

And I'm done ranting now. Blargle.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

This Post Contains Spoilers

Congratulations on the photoshoot! This is starting to look really official! I eagerly await episode 2!

Good luck!

[evilyn13]

Thank you for your feedback M. Thunder. I enjoy reading your thoughts on our series, so never feel bad for posting them <3

[Last_Minute]

My reaction when M. Thunder replies:


You can always count on me to read them, you're like our own focus testing group!

Thanks!

[Hoot]

Awesome guys well done.

[M.Thunder]

Aw, don't say that kind of stuff, it'll go straight to my hips. I mean head.

In that vain, I've re-watched the series thus far and broken down my analysis by character. Again, much rambling ahead. Do not recommend reading. Repeat: read at own risk. You have been warned.

Ryan

We don't know a lot about Ryan. He seems to be a carefree, cheerful sort of dude. What’s interesting about him is he took it on himself to be kind of Todd’s buddy-slash-den-mother, bringing him coffee and job leads, drinking booze and playing video games long into the night/morning. and seems to have a even higher opinion of Todd’s abilities then Todd does. He’s unfazed when Todd calls him “annoying,” which implies loyalty, although it does not define what KIND of loyalty. Is this Samwise Gamgee following cheerfully looking after his Frodo, or is this Peter Pettigrew attaching himself to the strongest, coolest guy around?

I think Ryan’s excitability might have a dark side. He seems like a guy who is into ostentatious displays of power, and if he can’t picture himself as the guy manipulating the lion, he obviously CAN picture Todd doing it, which might be why he’s so attached to Todd.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH:
How Ryan handles his first pack will tell us a lot about which path he’s closer to. What does he really enjoy more, coffee runs and video games, or imposing his will on ghosts and monsters with the ruthless deployment of heavy weaponry? How much will he still need Todd after he’s finally got all the power he’s ever wanted at his fingertips? After you’ve made an almighty supernatural force into your bitch with nuclear fire, what ELSE will ever be fun?

This Post Contains Spoilers

Todd-bro

This guy has "our main hero" practically written across his forehead. He's young, handsome, charismatic and he’s made all of the important choices in the series so far by forming the franchise and spearheading the rescue of the girl. So far, everything's gone well for Todd. Heck, maybe everything's always gone well for him his whole life. He speaks confidently about how he can “solve any problem,” and I don’t think it was bravado. He might just be one of those people who's just naturally good at things, who's lived a charmed life where everything seems to just work out for him, so it's easy for him to be confident. The only thing that seems to worry him is the possibility he may never find a job worthy of his awesomeness.

He’s also, well…not particularly likable. He’s a bit too aggressive about his desire not to take orders from anyone and a bit too hungry for a spotlight he won’t have to share. In spite of this, he’s going into a job where teamwork is essential and he is going to be on call 24/7. I wonder what will happen when he realizes this.

Interestingly though, unlike Ryan who complains they aren’t real Ghostbusters without packs, Todd actually seems more interested in what Ghostbusters DO then the cool toys they get to do it with. He felt alright about helping that girl, although he doesn’t seem to know yet if he really found that a really fulfilling use of his potential.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
Todd is the leader, the founder, the reason why this entire series is happening. For him, the moment of truth will come the first time he makes a serious mistake. When a plan of his completely falls apart, or a tough choice backfires, and clients or team-members are hurt, killed, or worse, and he has no one to blame for it except himself.

Todd seems convinced he is bullet-proof, and that his luck and charm will sail him through anything, and maybe so far he’s been right. The first time he’s really confronted with failure and defeat, and being responsible for terrible things happening to people who trusted him will be HUGE for his character. How will he react? What will he do? Can he even process something like this happening, or will he go into denial? Mistakes are things other people make, right? People like Todd just don’t make mistakes. Do they? What happens when they do? How do they come back from it?

In Japanese philosophy, they call it (roughly) "the leader who weeps," and it goes basically that a leader who cries because he feels the pain of his people as acutely as he feels his own pain... THAT is the leader a samurai can follow with their whole heart. It's whenever Todd finds himself in that situation that we will find out who he really is.

This Post Contains Spoilers

Evilyn

We literally just met Evilyn, so what we know about her is limited. We know she works (or worked) for the city in some capacity. We know she was wearing a suit, which is code for "serious official person." We know she was carrying paperwork of some sort in a manilla folder that she handed to them when she told them she would be joining their enterprise.

The big question, for me, is if she really KNEW she was going to quit her job and join them when she confronted them on the side-walk. She knows who they are even without uniforms, so she was obviously looking for them. I predict the answer is in that folder she handed them. If it was her resume, then she was already planning to do what she did. If it was some sort of lawsuit or official paperwork from the city, then she switched sides at the moment of truth.

It is interesting that she only needed to take one look at these guys to know that they didn’t really know what they were doing. And it’s even more interesting her reaction to this wasn’t to pull a Peck and start dictating changes, enforced by whatever authority the city's given her, but instead to dive right in and get her hands dirty leading from the front line, saying "here's how it's done, I'll show you, we can do this). This MIGHT put her in conflict with Todd, the de-facto leader, but if Todd’s smart, he’ll spot that somehow she has information about this line of work that he doesn't and support her in doing what she says has to be done.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she used to be a Ghostbuster in another franchise, or if she worked in a firehouse, or if she has family who are ghostbusters, or something. She'll be the insider, clearly.

This Post Contains Spoilers

In a more general sense, I came across a bit of fiction criticism I think may resonate here. If your goal is to tell an engaging story, don’t be afraid of what’s uncomfortable. When you reach that moment where your character’s stated goals and values don’t match their actions, or where there are conflicting forces at play internally or externally, DON’T GLOSS OVER IT. Explore it. These will deepen, rather then weaken, your characters and your story. That’s the stuff truly memorable characters are made of.

Phew.

Ok that’s more then enough from me.

[Last_Minute]

I'm interviewed on "Between two Pints" and talk about our approach to creating a series!