PANICS
Encyclopedia
PANICS or P.A.N.I.C.S., an acronym
for People Acting Normal In Crazy-Ass Situations, is a comic science fiction
mini-series created by Rooster Teeth Productions
and released in 2005
. The series was produced primarily by using the machinima
technique of synchronizing video footage from video games to pre-recorded dialogue and other audio. The series was produced at the request of Monolith Productions
as a part of a tie-in with the Director's Edition of the video game F.E.A.R. which the Rooster Teeth team used to produce the series. The mini-series consists of five episodes. Four of these have been released on the Rooster Teeth website, and one — episode 0, a prequel
— ships exclusively with the F.E.A.R. Director's Edition DVD
.
The story centers on a newcomer to Bravo Team, a special military group formed to battle supernatural
enemies. As the series begins, Bravo Team has been sent into a military facility at night to investigate the reports of paranormal activity from within. This is a parody
of the main scenario used in F.E.A.R.
The Chief then introduces Frank again, and Frank asks whether he is Bravo 4. The Chief says no, pointing out that he is Frank. Frank asks whether the Chief is Bravo 4, and is told that he's Bravo Leader. Frank asks if he can be assigned the title of Bravo 4, and the Chief says he'll think about it. The Chief then inquires if anyone has any inquiries before the mission, and everyone says no. Frank tries to ask the Chief a question again, but the Chief assumes its about the numbering again and immediately replies, "No Frank, we're not going to call you Bravo 5". Frank corrects him and asks why his helmet doesn't seem to produce a swooshing "chuck" sound every time someone speaks, like it appears to with the rest of Bravo Squad. After everyone considers what he says, Frank eventually figures out that they're making it with their voices and wonders whether their low, heavy voices are faked too.
Bravo 1 replies that the voices are real, and are caused by a piece of equipment installed within the helmet. Bravo 2 readily agrees and says his helmet comes with it too, and a toaster
. Bravo 3 adds by saying his helmet has basic cable television
access. Frank calls them a bunch of jerks, which is immediately followed by a toaster's "ping" sound and Bravo 2 asking who wants a Hot Pocket
. Frank declares that he hates the team already.
" that they should rush in and help. Bravo 3, of course disagrees, advising the Chief that a code word in the middle of a panic situation is ill-fated. After the Chief enters the room while Frank screams his name, Bravo 2 and 3 agree that if they hear the word "corduroy", they will instead retreat from the premises.
The Chief enters the room as Frank is freaking out from the sight of blood covering the walls. Some of the walls have messages written in blood, supposedly Bravo 1's, such as 'I'm dying' and 'Help me'. After Frank notices that some blood trails lead around a corner, the Chief orders Frank to go check it out. As Frank looks into the other room, which he notes has the same poorly-lit style as the other rooms in the building and the doorways with no doors, the Chief spots the mysterious killer and starts screaming "Denim!" and "Polyester!", neither of which is the code word that he had previously told Bravo 2 and 3. Before he is killed, he curses Bravo 3 for jinx
ing him. Frank turns around to find the skeletal remains of the Chief and asks, "Hey, where'd all your meat go?"
Back in the other room Bravo 2 and 3 both debate whether they heard the code word spoken. As Bravo 2 tries to come up with an excuse to run to the car, Bravo 3 and then 2 are punched by the mysterious entity, Bravo 2 shrieking "HOLY SHIT! PUNCHING GHOST!". After realizing that trying to shoot it would most likely wind up with them hitting each other instead, they drop their weapons and resort to mêlée combat, punching and kicking at nothing but air as Frank enters the room. Perplexed, he asks "What are you doing?", just as he himself is punched by the mysterious entity.
Frank freaks out, but Bravo 3 calmly points out that logically, Bravo 2 was the only one who could have been possessed: The ghost would not reveal it was possessing someone, therefore Frank is not possessed, and Bravo 3 knew that he had not been possessed, so that means Bravo 2 was possessed by the ghost. Frank yells at Bravo 3, saying that ghost possession was only a guess.
Frank wants to get out of the complex, but when he tells Bravo 3 that the Chief is dead, Bravo 3 starts to get suspicious. Stating that all the craziness began shortly after Frank joined the squad, Bravo 3 concludes that Frank must be the ghost and tries to kill him, despite Frank's logical protests. Frank manages to avoid Bravo 3's shotgun blast, and Bravo 3 is suddenly nailed to the wall by the ghost. Frank offers to leave and return with a medic
, but Bravo 3 quickly dies. Frank decides to just run away, but turns around to find himself face-to-face with the ghost.
Alpha Team arrives at the complex to find out what happened to Bravo Team. They find a single survivor, Frank, huddled in a corner. Frank informs them that Bravo Squad is dead. When asked whether he is okay, Frank's eyes begin to glow red and he declares in a raspy voice, "Don't call me Bravo 4. My name is... Frank." The Alpha member asks whether Frank would like any eye drops for the redness, Frank declines and asks for a glass of water for his raspy voice.
Bravo Leader, more commonly known as the Chief, is the leader of Bravo Team voiced by Gustavo Sorola
. He is constantly disrespected by his subordinates. He also has the unfortunate task of writing up field reports while the rest of the team drinks beer. He, like Bravo 1, is killed by the mysterious entity in episode 3. While all that is found of Bravo 1's remains are walls coated in blood, the Chief's charred skeleton is discovered by Frank.
Bravo 1, a seasoned member of the team and voiced by Mike "Burnie" Burns
, is distinguished from the rest of the group through his loud mouth, and the fact that he is dragged off by the mysterious entity during episode 1. Although he eventually dies off-camera in episode 2, the audience and Bravo Team can clearly hear his screams as he is slowly eaten alive. Also known for his constant swearing. Possibly the pointman of the group since he was the first one in the hallway before the rest of the squad entered.
Bravo 2 is the realist of the group voiced by Patrick "Drexel" Burns. Despite being a paranormal activity investigator, he does not believe in ghosts, much to Frank's dismay. He often uses the line, "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this." to precede his delivery of a "logical explanation" for any paranormal encounter the team has had although this eventually makes them sick of hearing it, especially Frank. He unfortunately dies in episode 4 after Bravo 3 decided to kill him on the assumption that the mysterious entity had possessed him. During the mission, Bravo 2 mentioned that Bravo Team is nothing compared to Alpha Team and comments "Man, those guys have always been jerks".
Bravo 3 wears a gas mask for some unknown reason and complains of Frank referring to him as "the gas mask guy." Matt Hullum
provides Bravo 3's extremely low vocal range. He constantly questions the Chief's orders, and in the Chief's last moments of life, he blames Bravo 3 for having jinxed him although Bravo 3 did advice Chief prior to his death that using a codeword in a situation like theirs is ill-fated. Bravo 3 is also responsible for Bravo 2's death after shooting him at close range with his shotgun. Bravo 3 was about to kill Frank too, but the mysterious entity nailed him to a wall before he received the opportunity.
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
for People Acting Normal In Crazy-Ass Situations, is a comic science fiction
Comic science fiction
Comic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that exploits the genre's conventions for comic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirizes standard SF conventions like alien invasion of Earth, interstellar travel, or futuristic technology....
mini-series created by Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions is a production group from Austin, Texas that specializes in the creation of live action shorts, animated peices and machinima, or films created using real-time, interactive engines from computer and video games. The name Rooster Teeth is a euphemism for Cockbite, an...
and released in 2005
2005 in machinima
The following is a list of notable machinima-related events in the year 2005. These include several new machinima productions, season finales, and the 2005 Machinima Film Festival.-Events:...
. The series was produced primarily by using the machinima
Machinima
Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...
technique of synchronizing video footage from video games to pre-recorded dialogue and other audio. The series was produced at the request of Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions is a Kirkland, Washington-based computer game developer. Monolith is also known for the development of the graphical game engine Lithtech, which has been used for most of their games...
as a part of a tie-in with the Director's Edition of the video game F.E.A.R. which the Rooster Teeth team used to produce the series. The mini-series consists of five episodes. Four of these have been released on the Rooster Teeth website, and one — episode 0, a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
— ships exclusively with the F.E.A.R. Director's Edition DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
The story centers on a newcomer to Bravo Team, a special military group formed to battle supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
enemies. As the series begins, Bravo Team has been sent into a military facility at night to investigate the reports of paranormal activity from within. This is a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the main scenario used in F.E.A.R.
Episode 0
Frank stands with the Chief (Bravo Leader) and after being introduced, the Chief tells Bravo squad to give Frank a big Bravo Squad welcome, which is essentially them half-heartedly saying "Hi". They then begin introductions starting with Bravo 1, who informs Frank that in the event of the Chief dying or getting possessed, Bravo 1 automatically assumes leadership. Frank (after a few seconds of thinking) turns to the Chief and asks about the possession bit of what the Chief said earlier, but is ignored. Bravo 2 is introduced as the skeptic of the team, and Bravo 3 as the wild one.The Chief then introduces Frank again, and Frank asks whether he is Bravo 4. The Chief says no, pointing out that he is Frank. Frank asks whether the Chief is Bravo 4, and is told that he's Bravo Leader. Frank asks if he can be assigned the title of Bravo 4, and the Chief says he'll think about it. The Chief then inquires if anyone has any inquiries before the mission, and everyone says no. Frank tries to ask the Chief a question again, but the Chief assumes its about the numbering again and immediately replies, "No Frank, we're not going to call you Bravo 5". Frank corrects him and asks why his helmet doesn't seem to produce a swooshing "chuck" sound every time someone speaks, like it appears to with the rest of Bravo Squad. After everyone considers what he says, Frank eventually figures out that they're making it with their voices and wonders whether their low, heavy voices are faked too.
Bravo 1 replies that the voices are real, and are caused by a piece of equipment installed within the helmet. Bravo 2 readily agrees and says his helmet comes with it too, and a toaster
Toaster
The toaster is typically a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 W and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes...
. Bravo 3 adds by saying his helmet has basic cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
access. Frank calls them a bunch of jerks, which is immediately followed by a toaster's "ping" sound and Bravo 2 asking who wants a Hot Pocket
Hot Pockets
Hot Pockets are microwaveable turnovers usually containing a combination of cheese, meat, and vegetables. Hot Pockets are currently produced by Hylan Steez.- Varieties :...
. Frank declares that he hates the team already.
Episode 1
As Bravo Team moves into the facility, Frank begins to narrate the moment with some internal monologue. It is quickly revealed that he is in fact speaking out loud and annoying the team. Frank replies that it calms him down. The team, after letting their annoyance be known, inform Frank that they actually never see any paranormal activity, that in reality they simply run in, waste some time, run back out and say they chased off the ghosts, and get their paychecks. As Bravo 1 rambles on about how their bosses expect them to chase off ghosts with machine guns, something sneaks up behind him and drags him away. As the rest of the team try to figure out what happened to Bravo 1, we can hear him off screen screaming in pain as something kills him. The episode ends with Bravo team realizing the situation and the Chief's dismay at having to write a report on it.Episode 2
While Bravo 1 keeps screaming for help in the next room, the rest of the team keeps pondering on an optimal solution, preferably one that doesn't involve them going in. Frank is the only one who insists on taking a look on what is actually happening to him, but the others strictly disapprove the idea of entering the hallway. As the screams die off amid sounds that suggest Bravo One choked to death on his own blood, the group tries to pick a volunteer to see what actually happened, but no one seems interested. The Chief decides to go in first and take Frank with him.Episode 3
The Chief and Frank go into the next room to see what has happened to Bravo 1, with Frank going in first. Before the Chief follows, he leaves instructions for Bravo 2 and 3 that if they hear the Chief scream "corduroyCorduroy
Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel to one another to form the cloth's distinct pattern, a "cord." Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel between the tufts...
" that they should rush in and help. Bravo 3, of course disagrees, advising the Chief that a code word in the middle of a panic situation is ill-fated. After the Chief enters the room while Frank screams his name, Bravo 2 and 3 agree that if they hear the word "corduroy", they will instead retreat from the premises.
The Chief enters the room as Frank is freaking out from the sight of blood covering the walls. Some of the walls have messages written in blood, supposedly Bravo 1's, such as 'I'm dying' and 'Help me'. After Frank notices that some blood trails lead around a corner, the Chief orders Frank to go check it out. As Frank looks into the other room, which he notes has the same poorly-lit style as the other rooms in the building and the doorways with no doors, the Chief spots the mysterious killer and starts screaming "Denim!" and "Polyester!", neither of which is the code word that he had previously told Bravo 2 and 3. Before he is killed, he curses Bravo 3 for jinx
Jinx
A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:* A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck;...
ing him. Frank turns around to find the skeletal remains of the Chief and asks, "Hey, where'd all your meat go?"
Back in the other room Bravo 2 and 3 both debate whether they heard the code word spoken. As Bravo 2 tries to come up with an excuse to run to the car, Bravo 3 and then 2 are punched by the mysterious entity, Bravo 2 shrieking "HOLY SHIT! PUNCHING GHOST!". After realizing that trying to shoot it would most likely wind up with them hitting each other instead, they drop their weapons and resort to mêlée combat, punching and kicking at nothing but air as Frank enters the room. Perplexed, he asks "What are you doing?", just as he himself is punched by the mysterious entity.
Episode 4
After some punching, the surviving members of Bravo Squad conclude that they have managed to scare the ghost off. However, Frank points out that since the ghost is invisible, it might still be in the room with them. Frank guesses that the ghost might even have possessed one of the squad members. Bravo 3 agrees with Frank, and then suddenly kills Bravo 2 with his shotgun.Frank freaks out, but Bravo 3 calmly points out that logically, Bravo 2 was the only one who could have been possessed: The ghost would not reveal it was possessing someone, therefore Frank is not possessed, and Bravo 3 knew that he had not been possessed, so that means Bravo 2 was possessed by the ghost. Frank yells at Bravo 3, saying that ghost possession was only a guess.
Frank wants to get out of the complex, but when he tells Bravo 3 that the Chief is dead, Bravo 3 starts to get suspicious. Stating that all the craziness began shortly after Frank joined the squad, Bravo 3 concludes that Frank must be the ghost and tries to kill him, despite Frank's logical protests. Frank manages to avoid Bravo 3's shotgun blast, and Bravo 3 is suddenly nailed to the wall by the ghost. Frank offers to leave and return with a medic
Medic
Medic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency...
, but Bravo 3 quickly dies. Frank decides to just run away, but turns around to find himself face-to-face with the ghost.
Alpha Team arrives at the complex to find out what happened to Bravo Team. They find a single survivor, Frank, huddled in a corner. Frank informs them that Bravo Squad is dead. When asked whether he is okay, Frank's eyes begin to glow red and he declares in a raspy voice, "Don't call me Bravo 4. My name is... Frank." The Alpha member asks whether Frank would like any eye drops for the redness, Frank declines and asks for a glass of water for his raspy voice.
Outtakes reel
Currently only available to sponsors of Rooster Teeth Productions, it is essentially a compilation of outtakes and cuts from the actual episodes released to the public. The outtakes include an alternative demise dialog of Bravo 1, during which he says "D'oh, it just sprayed me with Mace! WHY WOULD IT DO THAT?". Other things are Bravo 2 spinning out of control, and how Frank could recognize the Chief as a charred skeleton. Various takes are also shown with Frank saying alternate dialog to the Chief's skeleton such as "Ooh, gold fillings!" and "Your clavicle's showing!"Characters
Frank is the nervous rookie of the group voiced by David Zellner. He is a bit of a straight man to the group despite having a quirk of vocally narrating the moment to calm himself down. Unfortunately, his nerves got the better of him and Bravo 3 when, in episode 4, he suggests that the mysterious entity might have possessed one of them, leading to the shooting death of Bravo 2. By the end of episode 4, Alpha Team arrives in the scene to investigate what happened and finds Frank as the only survivor and has either been possessed by the mysterious entity, or just has a sore throat and red eyes. The viewer is left to interpret this turn of events.Bravo Leader, more commonly known as the Chief, is the leader of Bravo Team voiced by Gustavo Sorola
Gustavo Sorola
Gustavo "Gus" Sorola is a computer technichan for Rooster Teeth Productions, and is also a voice actor in their machinima series, including Red vs. Blue as Private Dick Simmons and in The Strangerhood as the Computer, a role he shared with Geoff Ramsey...
. He is constantly disrespected by his subordinates. He also has the unfortunate task of writing up field reports while the rest of the team drinks beer. He, like Bravo 1, is killed by the mysterious entity in episode 3. While all that is found of Bravo 1's remains are walls coated in blood, the Chief's charred skeleton is discovered by Frank.
Bravo 1, a seasoned member of the team and voiced by Mike "Burnie" Burns
Burnie Burns
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an independent filmmaker living in Texas. His best known contributions have been in machinima, although he has also worked with live-action. In April 2003, Burns, along with several of his friends, created the Internet machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch...
, is distinguished from the rest of the group through his loud mouth, and the fact that he is dragged off by the mysterious entity during episode 1. Although he eventually dies off-camera in episode 2, the audience and Bravo Team can clearly hear his screams as he is slowly eaten alive. Also known for his constant swearing. Possibly the pointman of the group since he was the first one in the hallway before the rest of the squad entered.
Bravo 2 is the realist of the group voiced by Patrick "Drexel" Burns. Despite being a paranormal activity investigator, he does not believe in ghosts, much to Frank's dismay. He often uses the line, "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this." to precede his delivery of a "logical explanation" for any paranormal encounter the team has had although this eventually makes them sick of hearing it, especially Frank. He unfortunately dies in episode 4 after Bravo 3 decided to kill him on the assumption that the mysterious entity had possessed him. During the mission, Bravo 2 mentioned that Bravo Team is nothing compared to Alpha Team and comments "Man, those guys have always been jerks".
Bravo 3 wears a gas mask for some unknown reason and complains of Frank referring to him as "the gas mask guy." Matt Hullum
Matt Hullum
Matt Hullum is an independent filmmaker in Austin, Texas. Along with Burnie Burns, he is a co-founder of Rooster Teeth Productions, a company that specializes in machinima, the art using engines from computer and video games to create films...
provides Bravo 3's extremely low vocal range. He constantly questions the Chief's orders, and in the Chief's last moments of life, he blames Bravo 3 for having jinxed him although Bravo 3 did advice Chief prior to his death that using a codeword in a situation like theirs is ill-fated. Bravo 3 is also responsible for Bravo 2's death after shooting him at close range with his shotgun. Bravo 3 was about to kill Frank too, but the mysterious entity nailed him to a wall before he received the opportunity.