• Bio
  • Blog
  • Film
  • Home
  • Join the Mailing List
  • Photography
  • Publications

J.W. Eberle

J.W. Eberle

Tag Archives: science fiction

The Making of a New Short Film: “As Seen On TV”

11 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Film, News

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

behind the scenes, comedy, creative process, creativity, film, film editing, filmmaking, Flagstaff, Obscure Studios, science fiction, scifi, screenwriting, script, short film, storytelling, writing

Still frame from As Seen On TV. Copyright 2019 Obscure Studios.

There was a time in my life where I could call up a couple of friends with a wild idea, grab my handheld camcorder and make a short film in an evening or a weekend. It was a freewheeling, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants style of filmmaking that prioritized creative freedom over everything else — including scripts, plot, lighting, sound — and it’s what allowed Obscure Studios, the film company I founded and ran with a few friends, to rack up well over 100 videos in just two years.

After moving from Arizona to Washington and away from my cadre of usual collaborators, filmmaking took a backseat to my writing and other creative pursuits. Last year, with the 10th anniversary of our minor hit, Reilly’s Dorm, looming, I had the chance to travel back to Northern Arizona. There, I carved out a couple of hours with my go-to partner in crime, the incomparable Will McDonald, to write and shoot a brand new short film.

We were a little rusty, but five years between short films can do that. We cooked up a story outline at my favorite coffee shop and the next morning, filmed the opening and closing scenes of the film in the Airbnb where we were staying and the woods behind Will’s house. That afternoon, we set up shop in the basement of Theatrikos, Flagstaff’s community theater and a longtime support of Obscure Studios. We rigged up a lighting setup, cobbled together a campy alien costume for me to wear, and filmed the scenes that make up the heart of the film, as well as a quick promo video.

And that’s all we had time for. We left straight from the theater to catch our flight back to the PNW and dove into a remodel of our house a few days later. It wasn’t until January that I remembered the footage that was waiting on my iPhone’s hard drive.

Over the course of a few weeks, I pieced together the shots we’d captured that summer day. I was pleasantly surprised to see how good most of it was and how well the pieces fit into place. I played around with audio effects to give my voice an unearthly quality, tossed in a couple of visual and lighting effects, and added a 1914 public domain recording of “Stay Down Where You Belong” by Arthur Fields, slowed down to 10% of its regular speed as the soundtrack (I had originally planned to perform my own synthesizer music, but I quickly remembered that I’m not very musically talented, so only a few notes made it into the final cut).

Overall, I’m really happy with how “As Seen On TV” turned out. Much of the credit goes to Will, a fantastic actor who’s immediately likeable on screen and blessed with impeccable comedic timing. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my inspiration: my lovely wife who said, “You and Will should really make a movie while we’re in town” and provided both an unplanned cameo and makeup/special effects assistance with the alien goo (aka dish soap).

Filmmaking is one of those things that demands so much time and attention to detail that you always feel exhausted at the end of a day of filming or editing. But, as soon as you see the final product, a dose of endorphins convince you that the sweat and tears were all worth it and all you want to do is make another and another. Making “As Seen On TV” makes me want to break out my camera and tell more stories, so don’t be surprised if you see more in the coming months and years. I feel a renaissance coming.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer, photographer and filmmaker in Tacoma, WA. Incidentally, Tacoma would be an amazing setting for a noir thriller, don’t you think? When not engaged in cinematic plotting, you can find him on Twitter. Learn more about Obscure Studios on our fancy website.

Join the mailing list today!

The First Thirty Thousand Words

09 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

30000 words, fiction, manuscript, narrative form, novel, novel vs short story, noveling, plot, science fiction, short story, speculative fiction, word count, writer, writing, writing a novel, writing journey, Writing Life, writing process, writing style

Boardwalk, Yellowstone National Park. Copyright 2018 Jonny Eberle.

At my core, I’m a short story writer, a factor that has been both a blessing and a curse as I set out to write a full-length novel. At the 30,000-word mark, just over one-quarter of the way to my goal, it hit me that I was attempting something new. Up until this point, I could’ve taken what I’d written so far and turned it into a very long piece of short fiction; one of those short stories without an ending that thinks its clever for leaving the reader hanging for resolution. But moving past 30,000 words in my manuscript, that easy off ramp is disappearing in the rear view mirror.

A novel is not a short story that didn’t know when to quit. Short stories, well told, are like diamonds — small, multifaceted, and complex, but contained. They’re defined by the surprising depth and tension that comes from expertly working within the constraints of the form to make each and every word matter.

A novel is not like that. I don’t even have a metaphor to describe it, because I’m still discovering the differences. I’ve noticed that my writing style has started to change as my word count grows. I’m thinking more about the big picture and how scenes need to echo forward and back through the narrative. Three plot points aren’t enough to sustain the whole thing from beginning to end. Instead, I’ve felt the need to add three or more complications to each scene to maintain forward momentum.

There is no going back. I have to see this through and continue to see how the form forces my hand, as well as where I can push back to subvert it in small ways. I guess the best metaphor at this point of naïveté is a whirlpool. The farther in I venture, the more I am pulled in. It is a terrifying thing to see the scale of an unfolding novel reveal itself in bits and pieces, but it also gives me hope that I can charge ahead into the next scene and the next chapter until I at last reach the end.

Thirty thousand words down; 65,000 or so to go. Wish me luck.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker in Tacoma, WA. When not obsessing over his novel manuscript, he can be found on the Twitterverse. Watch his new short film, As Seen On TV, on YouTube or Facebook.

Join the mailing list!

An Open Letter to the Doctor

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Review, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1963, 2013, am writing, blue police box, brave heart, companion, Doctor Who, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, hero, letter to a fictional character, nonviolent hero, open letter, science fiction, scifi, TARDIS, Time Lord, time vortex, writing, Writing Life

Dear Doctor,

You are a man of many faces who has lived many lifetimes. For over a thousand years, you’ve been traveling through time and space in a ship disguised as a blue police box. But I’ve only been following your exploits for the past year or so. I first met you in your Ninth incarnation, when you were guilt-stricken with blood on your hands. It was clear to me that you were a great man, even if you didn’t know it yourself.

You are unlike any hero I have ever known. In our early travels through space and time, you were a guilty man who doubted himself. You saved entire worlds, but preferred to live in the shadows. You brought out the best qualities of your companions. In your eyes, there were no insignificant people. You reminded me to have a brave heart, even when all looked lost.

You are quick on your feet, eccentric, brilliant and unlike so many of the figures of your genre, you’re quick to show mercy. In a violent universe, you refuse to carry a weapon. You face armies with only your wits and a screwdriver. You were exactly the kind of hero I would’ve idolized in my youth.

You and I have something in common — we’ve both been running our entire lives. What you’re on the run from is a mystery, as you madly dash (allons-y!) from adventure to adventure, saving planets from the Daleks or the Cybermen or the Weeping Angels. Like me, you are plagued by demons and tempted by the darker side of your soul, but you refuse to give in. It gives me courage to fight my own darkness.

I don’t know who you are. You are a Time Lord whose name and past are shrouded in the veil of the time vortex and the ancient history of a forsaken world. You are a madman with a box, but you are also me. You are the highest hopes of what humanity could be. You are hope personified, Doctor. And as you and the TARDIS fly off to face the greatest dangers in the universe, that’s something I’ll keep with me, across all of space and time.

Yours truly,
Jonny Eberle

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer, Doctor Who fan and all around Anglophile living in Tacoma, WA. When he isn’t dreaming about the stars, he’s writing about going to them or on Twitter. Thanks for reading!

For the Love of Trek

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Review, The Future, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1966, 2012, am writing, Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, future, geek, hope, IDIC, inspiration, life, live long and prosper, nerd, peace, review, science fiction, Spock, Star Trek, The Next Generation, TNG, TOS, Trekker, Trekkie, TV, USS Enterprise, vulcan salute, writing

Forty-six years ago, the first episode of a science fiction TV series was broadcast. It was called Star Trek and it was destined to change the world. Half a century later, it is ingrained in our pop culture, lives on in spin-off shows, movies and books and has inspired three generations of thinkers, explorers and dreamers.

It began with a simple, powerful idea — that in the future, humankind could abolish war, poverty, racism and intolerance. We would strive not for money or power but for the betterment of ourselves. It was a radical idea for the late-1960s, when thousands were dying in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement was railing against inequality and two nuclear superpowers stood one phone call away from mutual annihilation. The idea that humanity would survive and thrive into the 23rd century as a peaceful society was a blinding flash of hope in a world so desperately in need of a reason to believe in a better future.

I was introduced The Next Generation during its original run (before I could even read). Then, as I grew older, I discovered The Original Series and its later incarnations. At first, I was drawn to the adventure, the larger than life characters and the explosions. It was only later that I realized there was a message. It wasn’t just the planet/monster of the week that I loved, it was the promise.

I watched a lot of Trek in middle school, shortly after moving to Flagstaff. I was having trouble fitting in and making friends. Star Trek taught me that I had a place in the world and I didn’t have to change — infinite diversity in infinite combinations made the universe go round. It was a soothing salve for the loneliness.

I know it’s just a TV show, but it’s my favorite TV show. Sure, it’s cheesy, but that’s exactly why we Trekkies (and Trekkers) love it so. The struggles faced by the crew of the Enterprise are more or less the same things we all struggle with. But while we get mired in petty fights, they rise above. They are us at our finest; the people we hope to someday be. We want Captain Kirk’s courage, Dr. McCoy’s humanism and Spock’s logic. We, too, want to explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no one has gone before.

And as long as people continue to be inspired by Star Trek and its ideals, I have no doubt that we’ll reach that final frontier.

— 30 —

If you liked that, beam up to Twitter, proceed to my feed, @jonnyeberle, at warp factor 9 and follow me for more interesting thoughts about whatever I feel like talking about. As always, I love to read you comments. Thanks for reading!

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy