Mehlville Filmmakers Make Steampunk Series

A Mehlville couple is producing their own five-part web series mixing the look of the Victorian era with elements from the stories of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and H.P. Lovecraft.

Julie Wilhelm and her husband Gary Lobstein—who both grew up in Oakville and live in Mehlville—had a goal to raise $2,700 to film Dirigible Days, which they describe as a “steampunk-themed sci-fi/action/comedy” on their website.

“All hell breaks loose,” Wilhelm said, describing the plot of Dirigible Days. Wilhelm plays the sassy, mute pilot of the airship S. S. Beatrix.

“I get a lot of fights,” he said.

In the movie, Captain Santiago Dunbar and his airship crew transport a dangerous prisoner above an Earth transformed by catastrophe. Lobstein, who plays the escaping prisoner, also directs the series.

The entire story will be in steampunk style, which both Wilhelm and Lobstein admit is hard to describe but easy to spot.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that includes futuristic technologies or design elements as they might have been imagined during the Victorian era. The style mixes future with past, giving the clothing, accessories and props in Dirgible Days an otherworldly, post-apocalyptic feeling.

“It is such a visual thing,” Lobstein said. “That’s why we are struggling to describe it. You know it exactly when you see it.”

The couple is raising money on Kickstarter.com, offering posters, MP3s and other goodies to supporters and fans that donate. As of Sunday, the web series had raised $2,832 from 60 backers, putting them over their $2,700 goal.

“I can’t wait to see this series complete!” fan Tim Scherer wrote on the series’ fundraising website. “Super cool style, awesome ideas and wonderful aesthetics!”