What Is This All About?

We're glad you asked. Shooting Stars is a game (currently played over LiveJournal) where you have the power to create Actors and bring them up from no-respect Extras all the way up to World-Class Superstars!

Tired of the terrible selections on television, an empowered being called The Director has decided to create his own programming. Instead of working with scripts, The Director chooses to set up the Stages for his Actors, give them a Plot to go with, and let them work out their own lines and parts as they see fit. The concept works similarly to improvisational theater -- although Shows can get cancelled if the Actors fail to perform well, and Actors who continue to give bad performances may suffer... unfortunate fates.

Many of the show concepts contain elements of the supernatural, perhaps because of the influence of The Director; in some cases, this is obvious, such as the hellacious sitcom "Married to a Demon" and the humorous gameshow "Who Wants To Be A Vampire?", but in some cases it is far more subtle.

One interesting aspect of each Show is that Actors effectively become the Roles they are playing while on set; until the cameras stop filming, the 'worlds' they depict are as real to them as the computer screen you're reading from now.

Shows range over a variety of genres, with new shows being added as The Director sees fit (particularly at the end of a filming season), and unpopular shows cancelled as necessary.

While filming an Episode, Actors must play out their Roles to the best of their ability (and without using out-of-character knowledge), just as if these Roles were their personal characters. Episodes generally last two weeks of real time, although the Director may choose to extend this time limit to finish filming a particularly poignant Episode - or, if he prefers, can sum up an Episode at the end of the two weeks, even if the Plot has not been resolved.

In addition to their performances on stage, each Actor has an electronic journal which is connected to the journals of other characters; this effectively allows them to communicate with each other when off the Studio lot. There is also an Actor's Lounge, where those of talent go to rub elbows (and those without are swiftly escorted out by security.)

Check out the links above to learn more!