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Hi All,
I know it is a couple of days early, but it is Hallowe’en weekend and the movie was ready, so I’ve just put Haunted up on http://www.elegancestudios.com/page8/page20/index.html
Hope you’ll partake of the movie and let us know what you thought of it!
Cheers, Hywel.
Excellent.
Thanks very much, Bismark. I really hope that people like it; this was my project and I really hope I did a good job of a damsel-in-distress storyline.
Actually, it wasn’t until ‘Haunted’ had gone up for sale that I started wondering what other people would primarily look for in a damsel-in-distress story. Of course, I know that everyone’s tastes differ, but the things I thought were important are probably the following;-
1) Proper, realistic, energetic struggling
2) Enough set up so that you know something about the girl/girls involved, and have an opinion about them
3) Gags! They just seem to go with DiD stories
4) Rope, tape or cable ties feel more appropriate than metal. I don’t know why
5) A scary/evil perpetrator who the damsel-in-distress really, really wants to get away from.
I’d love to know other people’s thoughts if you feel like sharing?
I
1. Check
2. Check
3. Check
4. Check – as a speculation, modern handcuffs have an “police” vibe, and other kinds of metal restraints have a “fetish” vibe. But the classic DiD has the damsel bound for “practical” reasons, and having bindings that seem somewhat improvised gives it more of that feeling.
5. I’d call that one optional.
Here’s something I wrote a while back for another forum:
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Variations on the Damsel in Distress – an essay“Damsel in Distress” is in some ways a compromise, something consisting of various overlapping forms. Any given DiD fan is apt to like some of the forms more than others, especially as a given liked (or disliked) form moves away from the central idea of “damsel tied up.”
Here’s my take on some of the different forms. Of course, a given DiD scenario may combine more than one.
Gagged for Gold
The damsel is tied & gagged to keep her from escaping and/or giving the alarm as the captor proceeds to obtain the loot he came for – money, jewelry, secret papers, etc. One variant is the kidnapping, where the loot is ransom money paid for the captive damsel’s return.Tied for Terror
The damsel is tied up and subjected to a peril that will frighten her, demean her, and/or cause her pain. The darkness of this form will depend on the seriousness of the peril and on whether the damsel is only threatened with the painful & humiliating torments or actually subjected to them. One common variation is for the peril to be (threatened) death.Roped and Rescued
“Villainous Interruptus,” where a rescuer comes in to foil the captor (or at least his plans) and free the damsel. Most commonly played off a “Tied for Terror” variation, but can be played off on of the other DiD forms. The stereotypical examples are the damsel rescued from the railroad tracks, from the big saw in the timber-mill, or from being a virgin sacrifice to the local dragon.Pinned-Down Pin-Up
Here the damsel is restrained in a way as to provide a sexy display, not just for the admiration of the audience, but also for the captor and for other characters within the scenario. One example is the scantily-clad female chained (or at least leashed) at the foot of the tyrant’s throne – as in the famous case of “Slavegirl Leia” and Jabba the Hutt.Cuties in Comfy Captivity
This one is my personal favorite. It’s also notable for the “peril” factor being dialed way down – possibly to zero. The damsel is tied up or otherwise restrained, but also pampered. The form may be combined with “Pinned-Down Pin-Up” (e.g. in an odalisque or harem-slave scenario) or with “Gagged for Gold” (e.g. a gentleman kidnapper who keeps the damsel comfortable while waiting for the ransom to arrive.)Knot Really In Danger
This focuses on the point-of-view of the damsel, catering to the fantasy of being tied up and given the thrill of being put into peril. But of course without the peril being a real danger, because then the fantasy wouldn’t be any fun. The “force fantasy” is one version of this, where the peril consists of actually being ravished, but with the ravishment not actually being bad because it was either pre-arranged as part of the game (in real life) or because it’s in fiction and the Power of Poetics is invoked to make the unconsenting sex romantic rather than horrible.Bad Girl Bound
The damsel here is, if not an actual Villainess, then at least a Naughty Girl. The captor here is actually the hero (or a reasonable facsimile), who ties the damsel up in order to keep her from hurting others. One variant has the damsel tied up so that a possessing spirit can be questioned. This blends into “Secured for Safety,” below.Secured for Safety
As with “Bad Girl Bound” the captor is the hero or a reasonable facsimile. However the damsel here isn’t Bad, but simply someone who innocently gets into trouble. Thus the damsel is tied to keep her out of peril, rather than putting her into it. This can blend into “Bad Girl Bound” or “Gagged for Gold” if the damsel is simply on the opposite side of the hero-captor, with her bad-person aspects being downplayed.
===================================A few thoughts, hoping they are helpful and not too late.
Ariel, on “what to look for”, I agree but add that “gags” and “rope” may not be universal. If you can get across the idea that rescue is impossible (“Go ahead, scream as much as you like. Ha, Ha, Ha!”), then you may be better without the gag. With the right plot, Damsel may not have to upset the sound engineer by actually screaming. Metal can work. My first thought is that classic chains and old fashioned dungeon irons are easier than shiny handcuffs. But the Damsel must have an incentive to carry on struggling. Andromeda chained to the rock strikes me as classic DiD. I’m thinking of the film “Clash of the Titans” (the 1981 version, not the recent one).
Two additional suggestions (and I thought “Haunted” had both):-
1. Suspense. Does DiD know what is really happening or going to happen? Things hinted at that the audience doesn’t quite see or hear. The Perpetrator just a fleeting figure (as in “Haunted”) or whispering in DiD’s ear (We see her reaction but don’t know what he says).
2. Humour. Actually great in any story – but done well and without too much.May I also add a word on file formats – updating what was said about “Slave Auction”?
There may be other members as “non-tech” as me who don’t know how easy it is to get software that will convert file formats. When my free RealPlayer last updated, it offered me what I thought was a good deal for an upgrade that would do it. So I now have videos, including “Haunted” on DVD as well as MP4. I’m sure some information is lost in the process but for those of us not fully into TV on the PC, our hardware and room layouts make watching on the tv a better visual and social experience.
So far, the only downside is that my wife and I can’t get through the first scene of “Haunted” without complimenting Ariel on her style and discernment in choice of car (standard criteria: it’s almost identical to ours). Other members may not have this problem.
Andrew
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