TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE Interview Series 3: THIS ORACLE MOON's Jeff Buhler

In this installment, writer/director Jeff Buhler discusses his episode, the sci-fi themed This Oracle Moon, starring Ron Perlman and Doug Jones

Vegas Outsider: To provide context, how were you first approached to contribute to Tales From Beyond The Pale and what were your initial thoughts about the overall project itself?

Jeff Buhler: I’ve been friends with Glenn McQuaid and Larry Fessenden for years. I’m a big fan of the Glass Eye Pix films and absolutely loved I Sell The Dead. Not to mention that Glenn was one of those people who really “got the joke” with Insanitarium, so that made me like him even more! When he told me about the radio show, I immediately jumped on the chance to get involved.

VO: Could you provide a brief setup for This Oracle Moon itself and how the idea came to you for it?

JB: Glenn and I had been searching for something to do together and we kept kicking around weird Sci-Fi and horror ideas. He already had the concept for This Oracle MoonOracle Moon are actually the characters Glenn originally came up with. I used them as the seed to my version of the story and they came to life in a strange way but not really as the main drivers of the plot. and had been working out some early art concepts and story ideas. I basically took what he had and wrapped an original story around it. The defunct colony and colonists that our astronauts are going to investigate in

VO: The tale has a strong Outer Limits/Twilight Zone tone in terms of plot, especially twists, and hearkens back to old 50's sci-fi, i.e. Forbidden Planet. I'm curious to know what kinds of outside influences helped you shape the storyline for the episode.

JB: I like the weird old radio shows from the 50’s and 60’s like Inner Sanctum and Dimension-X. And no one who works in horror can underestimate the influence of The Twilight Zone. I love the way those stories are so compact and build to specific moments. I’m also a big fan of Philip K. Dick, whose imprint you’ll see all over Oracle Moon. There’s a casual sense of the mundane his characters exude, despite the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in. I wanted to capture some of that in Oracle Moon. JeffBuhler

VO: Given your screenwriting experience, in which you have to always consider the visual medium and its limitations, i.e. budget, how was it writing this story knowing that since you have purely sound to work with, those hindrances may not apply? On the flip side though, were there any particular difficulties in crafting a piece that relies solely on sound?

JB: In many ways writing for audio is a freeing experience. I really enjoyed sitting down without all the pressure that a feature brings to bear. The process was really fun but there are certain traps you have to look out for. It’s really hard to get all the description in your character’s dialogue without having them look stupid. When I first heard the actors speaking the lines, however, I realized that my fears were unfounded. I was really lucky to have such professionals that could take my words and make them feel so natural and easy. I really credit them with achieving that.

VO: How was the overall recording process in terms of execution and actor direction? I've read that you were all able to get this in the can in around six hours or so. Was there any preparation beforehand with the cast or did you all simply work out the performance tones on the spot?

JB: I have to admit I was a little nervous about the recording session. We basically had one long afternoon to get the whole show in the can and I had never worked with Ron Perlman or Doug Jones before. The other two leads are the incredibly talented Molly Bryant and Mark Kelly, both of whom I cast in Insanitarium and have worked with on a lot of other stuff. We set up the studio so everyone could move around and see each other while recording their parts at the same time. That was as close to “live” as we could get and it really helped the energy in the room. Ron is such a professional. From the moment he opened his mouth, I knew we had our Captain Marsh. His voice is so recognizable and has a very commanding quality to it while still having a little bit of that roughed up edge. And Doug Jones just tore the roof off the place with Max. I always try to write characters that will be fun to play and from what I witnessed in the studio, I’d say Doug had a pretty good time with it!

VO: Given the tale's rather open ending and the rich characters you fashioned within it, would you be interested in continuing with this particular world in the future? Characters like Max and Captain Marsh feel a little too good to keep down.

JB: Of course! I love these characters and I also think there is an opportunity to dig deeper into what happened with the original colony as well as what happens when the military envoy shows up at the end. The template for a feature is basically already there and it’s something that Glenn and I have discussed. This would be an amazing film to shoot on a restricted budget. Everyone always thinks that big Sci-Fi ideas need to be expensive but with some simple computer techniques and a little creativity, very realistic effects can be achieved for peanuts these days. I’d love to see Ron and Doug reprise their roles so everyone can witness what we got to see that day in the recording studio!

To check out this episode and more, go to www.talesfrombeyondthepale.com