Embedded Files
storyteller | educator
Why I tell stories...
For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to stories about people at the moral crossroads where there isn’t a perfect answer, only choices and consequences. (Maybe that’s why the Kobayashi Maru has always resonated with me.)
It's a preacher fighting the undead on the frontier.
It's a free Black man rescuing enslaved people in 1850s Kentucky.
It's the indentured cubicle servant stuck in the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
It's soldiers and civilians stuck in an alternate forever war set after WWII.
In all of these, the character is the heart of the story.
I appreciate morally complex stories where ordinary people are forced into ethical dilemmas, in a variety of genre settings, because I love exploring what makes us human. The protagonist and the antagonist are always doing what they see as right in their eyes; what interests me is how far they'll go before they start to become the same person.
Who am I?
So, just a few quick things: I'm an educator and storyteller at my core. And for me, the ultimate marriage of these two passions is when I'm able to bring stories from production (good and bad) back into the classroom to help provide teachable moments. I believe active practicing of storytelling (be it documentary, narrative fiction, educational videos or even fun stop motion projects) is an invaluable experience as an educator. This is an experience I hope to continue until the day I can no longer teach, and someone else continues the story.
I live in Bellevue, KY, with my wife and two children. When I'm not in the classroom, editing or in production, I take classes in 3D modeling and animation, and collect action figures and toys from the '80s to today. I keep saying that it's so I can use them for stop motion projects, and not because I'm trying to reclaim my youth -- if you repeat a lie enough times, it eventually becomes the truth, right?
Interested in working with me? Reach out to directorjohngibson[at]gmail[dot]com.
COMPLETED PRODUCTION WORK
This is a selection of work that I've completed over the years. This includes both narrative and documentary work, experimentation and hobby work.
Revelation Trail
Feature Film / eOne Films
Underground
Documentary / KET
Half Finished
Featurette
OutSCIder Classroom
Series / PBS / KET
When a Person Reaches Out
Documentary
Film Geography
Class Documentary (England)
One Last Sortie
Animation / Class Project
Stop Motion Projects
Experimentation / Hobby
SCRIPTS AND TREATMENTS
This is a selection of scripts and treatments I've worked on over the years. All are original works of my own, or collaborations with other noted writers.
Borderlands
Feature Film
Five Deaths of Roman Jameson
Feature Film
Iron Wing
Animated Series
RT: The Tides of Legion
Feature Film
RT: Brothers at Arms
Featurette
Safe House
Featurette / Feature
What some people have said about my teaching and my work:
Ain't it Cool News
[Revelation Trail is] Powerful. Well acted. Expertly crafted. Indie Horror done right.
Michael DeFellipo (Horror Society)
I’ll give Revelation Trail an 8 out of 10. Super polished and professional, grassroots and a possible pioneering (see what I did there?) movie in regards to revamping how films are made. It’s got a talented and realistic lead, and lots and lots of zombie blood!
Troy Anderson
(Anderson Vision)
Gruesome kills, excellent makeup and the landscape come together to make a rip-roaring rampage of carnage. If you pick this up blind, I envy you. Honestly, [Revelation Trail] has to be the best written indie western I’ve seen in a decade.
Jamie Dexter
(The Leaf Chronicle)
Everything about [Revelation Trail works. The dialogue is expertly written, cinematography of this quality is not something you’d expect to find in an indie work, the music is professionally done and the zombies look downright gruesome and scary.
Student #1 Evaluation
Professor Gibson seems to have an ability to connect with students in a way that makes you want to listen to what he tells you. He has almost a conversational approach to teaching where you feel as if you are engaging him in discussion as much as he was teaching the material.
Student #2 Evaluation
I am so extremely passionate about my EMB major, and a lot of that has to do with Gibson. His passion for this career flows out of him every class period. I learned from him how to not just see my degree as a job, but as a CAREER. Something I can be passionate about and love doing. Something I can make a difference with and have fun with.
Student #3 Evaluation
I have learned so much in this course. I came into the class fresh out of EMB 140 (also with Gibson) and felt overwhelmed at first, but once the class got started I felt like I was learning so much about production and filmmaking that I felt confident in my abilities enough to make this class my favorite this semester . This was truly a great learning experience for anyone interested in filmmaking.
Student #4 Evaluation
John Gibson is the coolest professor ever . He is so animated and passionate about film and it really helps get through some of the more boring topics sometimes. He is also really good at sitting down and talking with students if they need assistance. Favorite professor thus far in my college experience. 10/10.
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