Ultra Galactic Gung-Ho Gurus, a new children’s comedy video, premiered at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences last week.
The three hour event combined two screenings of the show with games, trivia, prize drawings and a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the show.
Ultra Galactic Gung-Ho Gurus (UG3) disguises an educational program with a comedic medium.
UG3 centers around an extraterrestrial reporter, Thunder Stone, and his intrepid crew of journalists for which the show is named.
The Gurus are on their way to cover an exclusive story elsewhere in the galaxy. Suddenly, their ship is stranded in orbit around a planet they have never heard of before: Earth.
The Gurus discover that the dominate life form on Earth, humans, are on the verge of becoming a full-fledged space civilization.
In what only can be described as journalistic extortion, the producer of their show refuses to send a repair vehicle until they produce a story about earth and its inhabitants.
The premiere at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences is the first of a three part series.
The Creators of UG3, brothers Al and Lee Waller, hope to form their own educational film company. UG3 is their second educational film.
The brothers financed their project using the grassroots fundraising website Kickstarter.com.
Al and Lee Waller grew up in Warner Robins and started making short films as teenagers.
Lee Waller is responsible for the technical aspects of the show, and Al is responsible for the creative aspects.
The film is essentially a smorgasbord of media: 2-D, 3-D, stop-motion, puppetry, flash animation and vintage footage.
The Wallers chose to premiere Ultra Galactic Gung-Ho Gurus at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences because it has a unique combination of subjective and objective exhibits.
UG3 covers the topics of mythology, literature, history, and science, paralleling the museum’s exhibits.
Al Waller works in Atlanta, Ga., and Lee Waller works in Cleveland, Tenn.
The brothers worked late nights, getting “less than three hours of sleep a night.” They emailed segments of video back and forth, rarely collaborating in person.
Al Waller used to be an elementary school teacher. His wife is a teacher as well.
The Wallers used their professional educational experience to turn UG3 into an educational comedy without alienating their young audience.
“We screened the movie for at least 150 third through fifth graders,” Al Waller said. The brothers struggled to find a balance between educational and engaging.
“Some segments were too boring or a joke was lost on the kids,” Al Waller said.
The brothers are planning to host a showing of UG3 in Atlanta in the future. They are also in the process of writing a book that complements the show.
Their working website is process742.blogspot.com and product website is UltraG3.com.
Educational exhibit opens at Arts and Science Museum
