Of all the people to be amazed by the scenery of the Universal Studios tour, none was more captivated then the 10 year-old boy who sat with his family and the rest of the tourists on the crowded studio tram.  The young man is Jerry Turner and this day was the catalyst of his dream career.

Born and raised in San Francisco and growing up in a blue collar middle-class family, making a living in film was considered a “kooky” idea, although Jerry always stood out as a very creative and active young man.  An artist by nature, he was very rarely seen sans pen, pencil, brush or spray paint can in hand.  He would spend the week creating art then spend Friday night and all day Saturday at the small duplex theater down the street from his home, the SeaVue Twin.  “I’d spend all of my $5 a week allowance at the movies.  It was hard to get anyone to watch the films with me when I got back from my vacation to Universal, because I would try to breakdown every scene and guess how it was made.  Not a talent many movie-goers enjoy.”

By high school, Jerry's dreams of filmmaking veered off course. His father's engineering skills were invariably tested by an old Chevrolet or two...or seven. "At 16 and 17, my Friday and Saturday nights we're now spent cruising El Camino Blvd. [in San Mateo, CA] in my '62 Impala. At that point all I wanted to do at the movies was kiss girls, problem was, Sacred Heart College Prep didn't teach auto shop...or anatomy."

Succumbing to a Catholic education, Jerry’s film career started out in theatre.  “My High School had a good theatre department so I figured I could learn about acting and the process of creating a story.”  Little did he know that that decision would lead him in front of the camera instead of behind.  A favorable audition at the American Conservatory Theatre prompted the young man to try on an acting career.  “I figured I’d go to USC Film School like George Lucas, but I forgot to get good grades.  Then one day a friend told me about the A.C.T. auditions and I decided at that point in my academic career that I had nothing to lose.”

Soon after starting classes at A.C.T., he auditioned for the traveling production of Tony & Tina’s Wedding.  Getting the part also landed him an agent in Los Angeles and off to Hollywood he went.  The reality of being just another actor without any contacts in LA was a bit discouraging, and after a few bit parts here and there, it was time for a change. 

Never giving up his relationship with canvas, paint, and now photography, Jerry’s art was now being sold to a few celebrities and prominent corporations.  He started an art gallery in 2001 located on the Sunset Strip above the Whiskey.  “I gathered seven distinct local artists to showcase and one celeb artist to help with opening night.  The art was outstanding, the location rocked and our opening was huge.  The only problem was the date, September 14, 2001.  People were still in shock but wanted to get out and forget about the tragedy for a little while, although the last thing they wanted to do was to invest in art.  Who knew if they’d have a wall to hang it on the next day.”

Sitting in his small Burbank house with his new bride, Jerry thought back to the day at Universal Studios when he was just a boy.  “After my wife had to endure another session of ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ babble, I remembered what I was so inspired by on that tour; the art of film.

The quest for movie-making was back on.  Jerry took as many UCLA extension courses as he could.  He also studied with renowned directing coach, Dov S-S Simens.  Looking for a project to shoot, Jerry came across the script for a critically-acclaimed play he had done as an actor when first coming to town.  “I chose Surprise, Surprise because first and foremost the script had strong and intelligent dialogue, and I knew I could shoot a full-length film using only one location.”

The only problem was the usual one, money.  A popular hurdle in a “first-timer’s” path.  After a few discouraging meetings trying to obtain financing for a small film by an unknown director, he decided to take the gamble.  “I was sitting at dinner with my wife and newborn son when suddenly I blurted out, I’m gonna refinance the house to make the movie. Let me tell you that went over like a cockroach in your tortilla soup.”

After some prodding, poking, pleading and a little Abu-Ghraib type torture, Jerry’s wife finally agreed to take the risk.  With only $45,000 to use as a budget, Jerry started on the 10 day production schedule that was to be his first film.  He collaborated with the original playwright, Travis Michael Holder, to turn the play into a screenplay using one setting.  “I thought it would be easier to use one location, considering my budget and time frame.  I also wanted to be able to pay the crew.  The biggest issue was that the setting needed to be a mansion fit for a TV star.”  So, Jerry did what most film school teachers would advise against, he used half of the budget on securing the right home to shoot in. 

With cast and crew in place, production on Surprise, Surprise began January 25, 2006 and ended exactly 10 days later, on time and on budget.  “Some people have criticized this project for not being filmic or mise-en-scene, but I see this film as something created using as little resources as possible, like money, and doing the best you can with today’s technology, a good script...and the San Francisco idea of pure cinema.