Spokane filmmaker delves into ‘Dark Crystal’ for a prize-winning film

James Pendleton has long been involved in the local film scene, and his directorial debut, a short titled “Gich and the Skystone,” has already earned him recognition as a filmmaker. Pendleton’s short was named first runner-up in a fan film competition organized by the Jim Henson Co., the studio founded by the legendary Muppets creator.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Jim Henson since I was a child,” Pendleton said. “He really shaped a lot of my desire to be a filmmaker. I think Jim Henson was always really good about storytelling, and that’s all film really is for me.”

The prompts for the contest, which was juried by the heads of Henson’s studio, asked that filmmakers tell a complete story in less than five minutes and set it in the universe of Henson’s 1982 fantasy feature “The Dark Crystal.” That film, about a power struggle that overtakes an otherworldly kingdom when an all-powerful gem is shattered, was a minor success upon its original release and developed a cult following over the years.

“I wanted to do something that had the same flavor of the original film,” Pendleton said, “but that also told a complete story and was intriguing enough to hold its own.”

Like Henson’s film, Pendleton’s four-minute short features no human actors, focusing on a furry, rock-dwelling creature called Gich. While scavenging for stones, Gich comes across a glowing crystal that hurtles out of the night sky, and its discovery sets off the events that occur in “The Dark Crystal.”

“I was always curious about the origins about the crystal itself,” Pendleton said. “It’s a take on how the crystal came to be, and it’s from the most unlikely and innocent of sources.”

Pendleton says he learned of the Henson competition just six weeks before the deadline. He storyboarded the entire film in a night and then created the Gich puppet out of old stuffed animals and a winter hat he found at a thrift store.

“He’s basically Frankensteined out of a bunch of different materials,” Pendleton said. “I was still gluing the puppet the day that I started filming, which was three days before the final edit was due. I filmed for two days, then I had the last day to edit.”

The production turned out to be a family affair. Pendleton’s wife, Ashley, helped him construct the puppet. His brothers lent their assistance to the visual effects, camerawork and post-production. Pendleton’s father babysat his newborn son while he was out shooting.

“It was kind of like a family project once I got them all involved,” Pendleton said.

The entries in the fan film competition were judged on the basis of originality, production value, character design and storytelling. Jim Henson’s daughter Cheryl Henson, one of the judges, was especially enthusiastic about the film, commenting that the Gich puppet was well designed and that the film’s ending “provides a satisfying twist.”

Pendleton has worked as a crew member on several North by Northwest productions and is currently a special effects coordinator for the SyFy series “Z Nation.” Since “Gich and the Skystone” was named a finalist in the contest, Pendleton has won a trip to Los Angeles for a tour of the Jim Henson Studio and Creature Shop and a screening of the winning shorts.

“Seeing my film on their YouTube channel with the Jim Henson logo on it, it just made me feel like a part of something that I never thought I’d be a part of,” Pendleton said. “It was really exciting.”