This month’s behind-the-scenes article may seem a little slight at first, but what’s about to unfold here is a taste of the creative process here. 365 Infantry is a bit of an alchemy project, the synergizing of a unique look and feel via a melting pot of influences and aesthetics. Today, we’ll be discussing three of the big tentpoles behind the series’ identity: the rides, the guns, and the fashion.
This isn’t meant to hand out lifehacks for storytelling, it isn’t unearthing some great truth, it’s an exercise in what happens when a filmmaker gets to play God with a theoretically unlimited budget, one who abides a single law: Rule of Cool.
We try to keep the science plausible and the world adhered to its own interior logic, but at the end of the day, 365 Infantry is a pulp series devoted to entertaining readers with a far-out future where the good guys and the bad guys clash from behind the wheel of their badass cars and bikes, shoot their pew-pew laser guns, and have a whale of a time doing so.
Before we dive in, a note from the meta side of things:
There was one core tenant I could not break from, barring a few exceptions. I conceived 365 as having been written during the summer of 1985. Why 1985? Because it’s smack in the middle of the 1980s and the 20th century Cold War was still a few years away from ending. This decision was meant to set the parameters of the series’ retrofuturism and limit what could appear in-world.
Now, without further ado, a style guide to 365…
Part I: The Rides
From its very inception, 365 Infantry was a hardware-centric series, but with an admittedly superficial bent. Those expecting statistics and an excess of jargon might be a little underwhelmed, but these machines are integral to the action, drama, and style of the show. The cars and bikes become characters onto themselves, taking on a scrappy, playful quality in contrast to their electric enemies, the leviathan tanks and hovercraft cold, smooth, and slender, like a devilish legion of machines designed by Syd Mead and Gerry Anderson.
The big thing I was looking for in each ride wasn’t if it had the fastest engine or the most aerodynamic build, but what character the machine had. Some innate quality that came to life when you looked at it and would pair well with its rider. And there’s no greater epitome to this approach than the Urban Avenger’s Wonderbug, “The Red Devil.”
Here is the Volkswagen Beetle. The answer to the Third Reich’s demand for a “people’s car.” A machine whose first large-scale production run was in the name of the German war effort, the Kommandeurswagen built primarily for officials in the German Military. A machine born of fascist demands, but whose economy and performance had now lent it mass appeal in the free world, one which facilitated the humble Bug’s adoption by the hippie counterculture of the 1960s, right alongside the now iconic Microbus.
The car itself, from its smiling bumper to its wide-eyed headlights to its modification potential, was the only ride to pair with Haven’s vigilante-in-residence. He was perky, he was technically unassuming, and that deception gives way to a five-alarm spunkiness in practice. He helped Lita live up to her original pitch: “Looks like a hippie, shoots like a sniper, drives like a maniac.”
This kind of character-driven choice-making didn’t just stop at appearances. In what I can only describe as the greatest act of subconscious coincidence in my life, I paired Moto Corp Lt. Gibson Blanc with a 1949 Vincent Black Shadow.
I was first introduced to the Black Shadow in a Discord server. Someone had made mention of the motorcycle when I was looking for ideas and when I saw it, I liked the cut of its jib. When I finally sat down to “cast” rides with riders, I cast the Black Shadow as “Exciter,” Gibson’s permanent bike on cool factor alone.
And it was shortly thereafter that I realized what had been done.
Now, the name Gibson is a reference to writer Walter B. Gibson, the grand architect of pulp fiction legend The Shadow.
Allow me to reiterate: I gave Lt. GIBSON the Black SHADOW. The kind of shit you couldn’t make up, and thank God for it. “Exciter” is always fun to write for because she has this indomitable sort of spirit around her, something that instinctively rings true whenever I look at the Black Shadow.
That was the general process of picking the Old World rides. Going on gut instinct, and matching character-to-character. But what did the future look like to 1985 me? Simple: this.
What you’re looking at is the inspiration behind the HOV-CRAFT line, known colloquially as autocops. The only difference is that they aren’t on wheels.
Now, Lancia had the car made in 1970, but I’m kinda cheating on my rules because of the true inspiration behind its inclusion. The Stratos Zero was cast to play a special role on the Silver Screen, as one of the all-time greats.
Michael Jackson.
This is what I mean by Rule of Cool. The only reason I even knew about this car was because I knew it was the one that played The King of Pop in the 1988 fever-dream anthology Moonwalker, and I happen to love Moonwalker! And what this Lancia had was that aforementioned Syd Mead factor I seek in depicting the futurist world of Haven; streamlined grace meets modern technology.
And I think this particular decision exemplifies one of the main methods to my madness…
Part II: The Guns
In the shock of all shocks, I, a humble filmmaker, enjoy the odd movie every now and again. I know, I know, be still your beating hearts!
Smartassery aside, I turn to cinema not just because it is my primary trade, but because film is like a giant smorgasbord of potential influences. It’s like the old Akira Kurosawa quote, “In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film.” There are so many potential points of inspiration contained in a film, it’s impossible to ignore.
When it came to picking guns, there were only three factors I needed to satisfy:
The Neo-West: The Wastelands as the modern Western frontier
The Power Fantasy: Guns with iconographic value and/or cool factor
Futureproofed: Since the series is being “written in 1985,” all guns past the year 1985 are off the table.
The Western angle was easily fulfilled, with darts thrown at a wide variety of 19th-century peacemakers, including Lt. Blanc’s dynamic duo of Colt Single Action Army revolvers, Alan Firedale’s steampunk-looking twin LeMat revolvers (recommended by Steeled Spies co-conspirator Spenser Rudolph), and Nic Ridgefield’s main sidearm of choice, a Smith & Wesson Model 3.
Futureproofing was the easiest part of the process as that just means I don’t have to worry about anything made after ‘85. Some of the guns that cut it close included the Barrett M82 wielded by Capt. “Grim” Herrera (first produced in 1982) and Lita’s emergency sidearm, the cyberpunkian Mateba MTR-8 (reportedly first produced in 1983 and recommended by conceptual consultant Theo Schaefer).
And then of course…there’s Point #2. Boy did I have fun with Point #2.
Point #2 was of great interest for me because this was the point at which I could let my impulses run riot and bless a mighty handful of characters all the cool shit. And that’s where the movies came into play.
For Auto Corp soldier Evelyn “Teddy” Blanc, I gave her twin Beretta M1951s the grips of a certain Colt M1911. The cobra-painted grips off a Gold Cup National Match, owned by a certain Lt. Marion Cobretti. Why? Because I love Cobra!
Then there’s General Adam Knox, the head honcho of the 365th, the boss to end them all. Though the concept art doesn’t do the choice justice, that right there is Smith & Wesson Model 29, chambered in .44 Magnum. “What’s so special?” you may be asking yourself. Well that’s simple! The .44 Magnum is the most powerful handgun in and it could blow your head clean off.
Just ask Inspector Callahan.
And for my coup de grâce in the face of evil, I turn to dear Lita. The Urban Avenger is a cornerstone example of the series’ style, and there is no greater tribute to that than to give her a special go-to gun, the tool of a true vigilante.
I gave her the Wildey Hunter. A .475 Wildey Magnum whose starring role came in the hands of real-life owner and operator Charles Bronson in the 1985 Cannon extravaganza, Death Wish 3. Undoubtedly home to one of the highest body counts in 80s action cinema, the pistol enjoyed a nice starring role for at least half the massacre in question.
That’s the gun I gave her. I gave the bitch Charles Bronson’s personal pocket Howitzer because I could. Because that’s the kind of fun I like to have here with this series. All that batshit power in the hands of a batshit crazy revolutionary.
The best part of the world I’ve built is that I can get away with these varied gun selections, all thanks to widespread laser-based weaponry systems. In short, a single, electrically-charged cartridge is loaded and locked into the chamber, with laser rounds discharged via repeated strikes on the primer. The locks on the cartridge do not disengage until the cartridge is completely drained.
This doesn’t completely negate the issue of cycling, this doesn’t change the fact that these units have to be made in all variety of calibers, nor does it mean malfunctions are a thing of the past. What it does mean, however, is that you can spend an entire battle with just one fully-charged bullet. Thusly, I’m freed of a lot of technical concerns some of these magnificent machines faced in their day.
And it is here where we descend from the world of modified rides and guns to unadulterated crimes of fashion.
Part III: The Wardrobe
One of the great never-ending maxims espoused by a variety of writing teachers of all stripes is the classic Mark Twain quote “write what you know.” Now, when placed in certain contexts like academia, this results in a bunch of students writing schmaltzy love stories and finding hokum drama in the mundane world of reality. In the case of my crazy ass, this spurs me to be learn as much as I can about what I want to write. It also pushed me towards how I dressed myself.
There are certain aspects of the series I haven’t really have a chance to live out. Research and imagine, yes, but very little real-life experience. I can drive but I’ve never been within earshot of a racing scene, only getting to check out old-school rides at cruise-ins. I can shoot but I don’t have a gun of my own, list goes on. But the one thing I did have control over was what I wore. And what I wear, more or less, winds up in the world of 365 Infantry.
Leather jacket? Check. Denim for days? You betcha! Bullet belt? Best $100 I’ve ever spent. Cowboy boots? Got ‘em in spades. Hawaiian shirts? Never felt comfier. Sandals? Bootleg Birks standing by.
The costume design of the series basically falls into two camps:
The Neo-West (Again): Old West wardrobe meets rock-n-roll style
The West Coast: Sun-and-sandal wares with a little hippie thrown in
Both halves of the coin serve the purpose to fully immerse the series in a unique mid-century aesthetic. The same unique 40-year period I find myself inspired by (the 40s thru to the 80s) is the same period in which many of these combos, fads, and items came up.
Let’s dissect with a few willing models. First up, Nic & The Boys from Metröpolis!
Our literal poster boys for the Wasteland style really demonstrate it all. Nic and Richter’s cowboy boots, Nic and Harry’s bullet belts, the black-and-blue of their jeans and Richter’s leather (an ensemble inspired by guitar god Ritchie Blackmore), and Nic’s fringed suede jacket and cowboy hat. It’s the image of the cowboy melded with the rock-n-roll delinquent of the 50s that would mature into the leather-clad headbangers of the 80s. The whole lineage in one package.
Only thing they aren’t bringing here is their shades game…
Ah, there we are! Let’s just say I keep at least two sets of Aviator-styled shades in my arsenal. They are the shit and I won’t ever pretend like they aren’t.
Let us flip the coin over to the summer-fun end of things…
It’s a world of shorts, sandals, and comfortable garb. Aloha shirts left unbuttoned, tank and cropped tops letting the fur fly free. I call “the West Coast” look as a catch-all term; it’s the kind of garb you’d find yourself in down by the beach or walking the streets on a summer’s day.
There are some deviations of course. Marcus and Sabina’s ensemble is littered with some of the Roman touches necessary for The Hunt, namely Marc’s tall gladiator-styled sandals. And while some of these choices are cutting the ‘85 dateline very close (Buck’s Teva-styled sandals would’ve just been introduced in 1984), there’s something quite ageless about this style. And it gets even better (and stranger) when the two sides of the coin come to touch.
I wasn’t joking when I said Lita was the stylistic cornerstone of the whole series. From her denim jacket and well-worn jeans to her fingerless leather gloves, from her punk mohawk to her Birkenstock-styled sandals, she blends all the edge and eccentricity of 365 into a complete package. The streetwise punk rocker and the weed-smoking hippie, all rolled into one. I included Boss in here because of him basically being a mirror image of Lita, sans jacket.
Now, obvious odd duck here are the Birks, but there’s something about them that works. Both characters are go-getting fighters with their own ways about the world, but they never seem on edge. Lita tends to relish in the mayhem she attracts while Boss always plays it cool as ice. And I figured the Birks, known not only for their “classic” hippie look, but for their comfort, would be fitting for these two. Ready to fuck someone up, but never testy about it. Usually.
All in all though, I think the costuming speaks for itself. It’s a weird little fusion of mid-20th century aesthetics that congeal into a kind of Coastal Western look unlike much seen today. And it all fits like a hand in a glove for me.
Conclusion
If there’s anything this exercise in choice-making has demonstrated, it’s that I tend to fill my projects with the things I love. The sorts clothes I enjoy wearing, the kinds of vehicles and guns I’d like to have some day down the line. And 365 Infantry, for all its violence, all its gratuity, all its bleaker shades and overtones, is a work overflowing with love. A love of style, of machinery, of comfort, and yes, a love of all things cool.