Wayne H Johnson Jr. has 15 years of rich experience in VFX Industry. His expertise ranges from Graphic Designer, Senior Instructor to Senior VFX Producer and Director. Currently he is leading his own Post Production Studio titled ‘Into The Void FX LLC’. As an Entrepreneur, he has developed a utility called ‘Cut Reaction’ which allows easy communication between the Video Editor and the Client. Read on more in his interview.

Wayne H Johnson Jr. has 10 Independent Films, including 2 feature films are registered in his credentials. Apart from the movies work, he had also produced and directed numbers of television commercials and corporate videos. Over the years Wayne had developed the skill of managing multiple creative projects at all levels of complexity.

Check out Wayne’s latest work – Shockwave Darkside.

Welcome abroad Wayne. How you joined the VFX Industry, was it planned or you found it as your calling ?
It was not my calling, I was always involved with VFX in almost all of my video productions. In 2010, I completed a music video for a local Minnesota artist named Alicia Wiley. This music video was full of motion tracked shots and CGI sets. I showed this video to my management company Pipeline Entertainment. They loved my work and offered me the their project where that needed Digital Set Extensions (DSE’s). I said, “Yes, we can do anything!” And then came another challenge to make it in Stereo 3D. I said; “no problem” even though we had never done a 3D project before. That really excited me, the challenge of doing something I have never done.

Check out Alicia Wiley’s video:

Kindly share with us your VFX journey so far.
I first got excited about VFX in 2001 with my first feature film : Ultro-Pep The Movie. The climax was almost all CGI with a massive car chase and ending on top of a water tower. The movie gave confidence that we truly can do anything. That’s why, In just about all of my short films and television commercials has some kind of VFX work. I don’t see it as a separate part of Film making, I just see it as another tool.

For instance in my short film, The Nihilist, we considered VFX as just another tool. Like the Bi-Plane dropping flechettes and also on more subtle effects like when the Dr. character shoots up with morphine. We used a real needle from World War I. We wanted to be safe so we found a kit from eBay. It never touches the actors skin, we faked that whole shot in After Effects. We used VFX to make the climax of my short film Breakables an extremely dramatic and emotional. VFX is, will and always be, an essential part of what I do in Film making.

Apart from Digital Artist, you are also a Senior Trainer. Do you think teaching makes you more powerful artist ?
Yes, the advantage of teaching at the same time as I am producing movies keeps my skills sharp. I have to be aware with the new technologies and become proficient in it as well. It also forces me to constantly remind myself of the fundamentals of Picture Making. The Grand Tradition of our craft is alive and well and I get to share that with all of my students.

How are you associated with Minnesota School of Business?
I worked for the Minnesota School of Business/Globe University from 1999-2011. My last Role with the organization was Program Chair of the Digital Video & Media Production program. Currently I am an Adjunct Faculty for Art Institutes International teaching part time in their Digital Film and Visual Effects departments.

What is the mission statement for your company ‘Into The Void FX LLC’ ?
‘Into the Void’ specializes in bringing our client’s imagination to the screen by creating compelling visuals that enhance storytelling at every frame.

What are your roles and responsibility at ‘WM Media Group’?
I am co-owner of WM Media Group. We are a small company that develops specific Web and Mobile Applications. My role is primarily marketing and also conception of new products. Cut Reaction is our first product we have launched.

Tell us more about your latest project – Shockwave Darkside.
There are a lot of things I cannot discuss about Shockwave Darkside because we are still in negotiations with many interested parties regarding the film. Please read the article with myself and the director, discussing VFX for the film.

We would love to get updated regarding ‘Cut Reaction’. What is it’s USP compare to other available tools ?
Cut Reaction grew out of a need to simplify notes and revisions from clients. I was tired of scrolling through a chain of e-mails to find the notes for a specific shot. Especially on a production that has multiple producers. So we invented Cut Reaction to make it WAY simpler.
Essentially it cut off all of the e-mail chains. It regenerate the TimeCode based Notes, so time is not wasted to find the required details. There is no “Fluff” no extra stuff, just the basics of what you need. I think that is what sets us apart from other tools. Most freelance video producers just need something simple to organize their day. Cut Reaction does that.

Check out the demo video for Cut Reaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh7jS_ZdUjk

So, what are your next goals ?
My next goals are to produce a hand full of feature films. We are currently in development on two pictures and looking for a two or three more properties. I think the processes that I have developed during the making of Shockwave Darkside have given us the ability to make anything. I mean we essentially made Star Wars in my basement!

Check out the gallery of Green Chroma Screen before after of Alicia’s video and still images of Shockwave Darkside.