by Kurt Donath on 30/11/2007

Elton went to a Star Wars convention in Orlando, Fl. back in 2002. He had just wrapped production on his Thesis film “Nerd Wars.” He was particularly upbeat about his experience shooting it and thought with some extra footage he could pull off the big third act that centered around what else, a Star Wars convention. Once there he happened upon meeting Kevin Smith, the director of the Jay and Silent Bob films. One of Elton’s biggest strengths was to get people to do favors for him. It goes without saying that he managed to get Kevin Smith to make a cameo for the film but it was cut out of the final edit. It was the all around winner of the IFAC thesis films of 2002. It won Best Writer, Producer, Cinematographer, Director and Editor. (Elton was both Director and Editor.) It also won the prestigious “best film” at the Dragon Con Short film festival in 2002. Elton ended up putting “Nerd Wars” on you tube where it built somewhat of a cult following. The man who played Chewbacca in the film had this to say about the experience. "I played Chewbacca in this film. I also went-out with the cheering brunette wearing the blue jacket. Cute girl. Fun experience." In July 2006 Elton wrote a self biography to promote his company “Union Jacked Films.” The following is Elton in his own words. “Don’t you just love those bios that director’s write about themselves in the third person? I’ve taken a break from the movie making dream temporarily these last years. Well, at least the making my movies dream. In 2003 I moved to L.A. and began as a camera P.A., while moonlighting as a script reader and analyst for U.K. production companies, which I then applied in the U.S. I also freelanced as a camera operator and assistant, producer's personal assistant, and even a stunt double, writing and pitching screenplays in my spare time. Anything to do with movies and the entertainment business. In 2004, I moved back to Miami, and worked around the globe on commercials mostly as a camera assistant, and in 2005 as a PADI certified underwater camera operator. My background before L.A was in editing primarily on Avid, Media 100, and Adobe Premiere. Online are two surviving samples of the hundreds of promos I must have edited for individuals, website companies, CD-rom interactive business cards, and even erotic web content plus an erotic feature about nudity and fish. The director had an affinity for these things. No, I'm not suddenly referring to myself in the third person. I mean the director who hired me. Nude women hunting wild boars was his other passion. Miami can get kinky. In 2004, I founded an import - export company which now has connections in Hong Kong, China, United States, United Kingdom and Latin America. The company has expanded into electronics, textiles, hot 1950s collectibles, antique restorations, and somewhat related to my Bachelor of Fine Arts Film degree: collectible American and foreign original movie posters. All of this equates to a lot of traveling. While overseeing my multi-level company, I'm still free to camera assist on commercial promos worldwide, having been to India, Argentina, and next year Palau, plus I aid Latin American production companies as assistant director or line producer. Still features is my passion. So more news to come as I finally work in some time to shoot my first feature length film.” - Elton Sebastian When I found out tonight that Elton was gone, I just couldn’t believe it. Although we weren’t the closest of friends in film school, we shared the same dreams. All Elton ever wanted to do was tell stories. Stories that made you think. Stories that made you feel. Most importantly stories that made you laugh. Elton had a great sense of humor. I’ll never forget being in scriptwriting class and hearing a woman start to have an orgasm and turn around and see that it was coming from Elton’s cell phone. He had a woman moaning as his ring tone. Elton was always the clown. It’s a shame that the world will never get to know him. –Kurt Donath Tribute by Kurt Donath