— essays & thoughts

from the

wavelength

Essays, insights, and dispatches on storytelling, sci-fi, and the craft of independent film.

sci-fi & culture

No. 3 | escape velocity

Science fiction may offer escape, but its greatest power lies in reflection, using wonder, fear, and adventure to hold a mirror up to who we are and who we might become.

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sci-fi & culture

No. 2 | Alienation vs. alien Nations

From Brecht’s "alienation effect" to sci‑fi’s alien worlds, this essay explores how distance - whether theatrical or cosmic - sharpens our view of what it means to be human.

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Craft & Technique

No. 1 | 3 pillars of great sci-fi

True sci‑fi doesn’t endure because of spectacle or tech, but because of the humanity at its core - stories shaped by authentic characters, coherent worlds, and resonant allegory that linger long after the visuals fade.

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sci-fi & culture

No. 3 | Escape Velocity: Sci-Fi is More Than Escapism. It’s a Mirror to Our Natures

Reflections on the Deeper Power of Science Fiction

by Graham Northrup

Science fiction films and books excel in three major sub-genres:

Adventure (e.g. Star Wars)
Thriller (Gattaca, Minority Report) and
Horror (Alien, etc).

Imagining futuristic or distant galaxies can stir the soul and instill an outsized sense of wonder. Dangerous technology or dystopian futures give us pause and inherently ask us to imagine ourselves in those ethical quandaries. And the terror of being faced with an implacable alien enemy or isolated in unforgiving terrain (deep space, anyone? Shudder…) shake us to our core and make us take stock of what mettle we are made of.

Each of these categories (and I’m leaving out all the sub-sub genres and genre-bending categories for brevity; I know they exist and have a place in our universe…), serves to transport its audience into galaxies far, far away, whether awe-inspiring, oppressive, or terrifying, and entertain us for a couple hours.

Indeed, that might be the primary purpose of sci-fi: to takes us places that we have never – correction: that no one has ever been before. Watching the protagonist answer the call to adventure and heroically rise to the occasion is worth the price of admission.

Yet, the impact of science fiction extends beyond mere “space tourism” or escapism. The moral journey we take alongside the characters is just as impactful.

Inasmuch as Sci-Fi transports us, it also provides a travelling companion: a mirror to our very natures. The earliest entries in science fiction were as much moral fables as they were grand adventure. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea warned of the moral hazards of revenge, obsession, and hubris even as it thrilled with the dazzling tech of The Nautilus and the astounding deep-sea environments and tropical paradises that it made available to its audience.

Good sci-fi either thrills the heart and fills the mind with wonderment

- or –

It stirs the soul - whether to emulation of the hero, or the shunning of moral turpitude.

The best sci-fi manages to do both.

sci-fi & culture

No. 2 | Alienation vs. Alien Nations: Brecht’s Verfremdungseffekt applied and contrasted in Science Fiction

by Graham Northrup

Bertolt Brecht was a consummate storyteller. He could spin a (theatrical) yarn as well as any. But he as also – and maybe more importantly – a philosopher who wanted his audiences to engage with the ideas of his plays more than the story itself. In a way, he set about to sabotage the prevailing immersive theatrical paradigm with one that disrupted the audience from being sucked into the story and instead having to acknowledge that they were observers or participants in a laboratory of ideas. His application of his notion of verfremdungseffekt or alienation effect pried his audiences out of their suspended disbelief, and make them self-aware and critical participants in the presentation. Brecht believed that by being hyper-aware that this was a crafted and curated experience to be engaged with on an intellectual level, rather than an illusory world to be transported to and lost within, would yield the most fruit for societal change.

Science Fiction in particular, and fantasy or speculative fiction in general, tends to take the opposite tack, but for very similar reasons. Just as Brecht wanted to highlight the human condition with it’s problems and potential solutions through alienation, science fiction storytellers seek to do the same thing through “alien nations,” or rather, worlds that are so far-flung from our typical experience, that they can’t help but draw attention to the curated and crafted themes of humanity and its vicissitudes.

All thoughtful Sci-Fi writers and directors understand that the more alien the worlds, circumstance, and even characters become, the more acute the audience’s focus on the relevant aspects of the human experience becomes.

In my previous essay on the Three Pillars of Great Sci-Fi Storytelling, aesthetic “alignment” becomes indispensable. Seamless worldbuilding that supports the characters is paramount so we are not distracted from the journey and choices of the characters, and the very human themes are transmitted effectively to the audience.

I imagine that Brecht would appreciate the impact that sci-fi novels and cinema have had on moral cultural (re)framing. While the popular theatre of his day was naturalism and realism, something that cinema has quite thoroughly adopted, his self-styled and alienating “Epic Theatre” has its parallels – or its opposite, to be precise – in Science fiction, where the more engaging the story and its “alien” setting is, the more profound it can be.

craft & technique

Wavelength | No. 1 The Three Pillars of Great Sci-Fi Storytelling

by Graham Northrup

“Sci-fi” often conjures stunning visuals and futuristic tech, but none of that matters if audiences don’t care about the people at the heart of the story.

As filmmakers working with limited budgets, we simply can’t compete with the massive spectacle engine that is Hollywood. But we don’t need to.

What we can do (and MUST do) is craft stories that resonate emotionally, that stir the soul and invigorate the spirit. Stories that “stick to your ribs” because they connect deeply with some aspect of our experience.

For me, that comes down to three keys: Authenticity, Alignment, and Allegory.

1. Character, or “Authenticity”

Grounded, multidimensional characters are the lifeblood of any narrative. In sci-fi, they’re even more critical because they anchor audiences in worlds that might otherwise feel alien (see what I did there?).

Give your characters a mix of strong “wants”, dormant virtues, self-sabotaging behaviors, and arcs that compel them to address the conflict of goals and flaws. Even if your protagonist IS an alien, it’s ultimately what’s HUMAN about them that draws us in. When viewers care about WHO the story is about, they’ll immerse THEMSELVES in your story. Whether utopian or dystopian, they’ll invest – and get returns as the story unfolds.

2. Seamless Worldbuilding, or “Alignment”

Worldbuilding isn’t about lore-dumping, and certainly not just about creating settings that are “cool!” (I watch some movies and imagine that the creators started off by saying “wouldn’t it be cool if…?” and never get to authentic character.) It’s about creating settings that feel lived-in and support the story without overshadowing it.

Every detail should serve character and theme (and if you can make them “cool!” on top of that, then bonus points). On an indie budget, this might mean triaging what the audience experiences: carefully “aligned” props, sound design, and dialogue that hint at a larger reality can carry more weight than even the most “stunning” - and usually expensive - VFX.

3. Timely, Universal Themes, or “Allegory”

The best sci-fi doesn’t just imagine the future, it reflects the hopes, fears, and challenges of the present. Themes like identity, freedom, and survival resonate because they’re universal, but they become more powerful when tied to specific circumstances and character choices in your story.

Not that every Sci-Fi movie needs to hammer home some sort of moral. But you really should ask: What does this world that I’ve created reveal about us today? What are the parallels or allegorical components of this story? Your answer to these questions is what can undergird spectacle with substance.

Key Takeaway:

Sci-fi isn’t about tech; it’s about human choices. If you start with compelling authentic characters, weave them into a believable, aligned world, and explore themes that matter, you’ll create stories that endure regardless of your budget.