We're proud to feature the first of a series of interviews for film/animation artists here on dA. Our first artist is Scott Johnston. We found Scott while trolling through the web site pages of top animators and invited him to join us for the opening of deviantART FILM! Needless to say, we were thrilled that he accepted and we're also happy to announce that he is perfectly addicted to our community.

(We got another one!)

Scott has worked with industry giant, Disney, and is currently working on a couple of projects including one that is being produced by Tim Burton. Here's the rest of the scoop, and show him some community love when you can.

Scott Johnston

"I was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada on February 13, 1973, and always interested in drawing, painting, building stuff and then destroying it, and then re-building it again. I received an honors degree in Fine Arts from McMaster University in 1997 and took a short Animation software training course at Seneca College in 1998. I've been working as a professional animator for 9 years in Toronto, Canada. I just moved back to Brantford and have a wife and two daughters aged 5 and 2, and am currently working on the feature film version of 9 at Starz Animation in Toronto.


What was the first film you ever made and do you still show it?

Well... that would be my school demo film from 1998 which was awful. I only have it on VHS and don't have a VHS deck anymore, which is just a tragedy


What software do you use to produce your work?

Right now I'm using Maya, but depending on the project I've also used 3D Studio Max, Houdini and Softimage.


Who is your favorite muppet?

It's impossible to pick one... I grew up with the Muppet Show! I can narrow it down to The Swedish Chef, Beaker, and Animal.


What is the longest time you've ever spent on a film?

I worked on The Wild for Disney for almost two years.


What was your favorite toy as a child and why?

I'd have to say Lego because my friends and I could build anything we wanted, and our imaginations would fill in the rest. And of course when we were done we had just as much fun smashing what we built and starting all over again.


How do you relieve stress if you're working to meet a deadline?

I take the train home every night, and I just try to clear my head and read a book...when I get home I play with my two daughters, and then a glass or two of red wine, or beer, or scotch after they go to bed.


What scene or sequence in any of your films presented to biggest challenges?

There have been many...in CG animation there so many things that can be a challenge, whether it be difficult acting choices, complicated action, or technical issues. One shot on The Wild I had to animate involved a herd of Gazelles stampeding and falling on ice, crashing into penguins, flamingos, kangaroos, and other animals. I lost count of the number of characters, and it was less than two seconds of film and it took over three weeks because my computer was just crawling... if you blinked you'd miss it.


Boxers or briefs?

Definitely Boxers


If you weren't doing animation work, what would you be doing?

I've always been very interested in Industrial Design or Architecture, so probably one of those.


What projects are you currently working on?

I just finished working on a film called Outlander, which is essentially Giant aliens vs. Vikings. Lots of gore! I'm now working on a film called 9 which is based on an Oscar nominated short film (you can find it on Youtube), being produced by Tim Burton.


What's the funniest or most interesting production story that you can share with us?

Funniest? Oh, there are so many I can't share.... we were in the middle of a crunch finishing up a film and the lease ran out on our space (after being extended numerous times) so we all had to move out over one weekend to make way for a carpet store....


What other art mediums do you explore?

Oil painting is my one of my main passions, but I've been doing a ton of digital photography, and digital painting with a Wacom tablet. If I ever get my butt in gear I'll put more stuff up on dA!



Would you be interested in participating in a live chat with our community at some point?

I'd love to, but.... I have no idea when! Unfortunately my schedule is pretty packed for this project.


Any words of advice for aspiring animators?

I would say that you should be like a sponge, and absorb new ideas, techniques and tricks from everywhere around you. Observe people and see how they move, their body language, and how they react to situations. Look at how their physique affects the way they move. I find when animating a shot it is far more important to animate what a character is thinking rather than what they are saying. It affects everything including the character's posture. I always animate the face last because if the character's body motion does not suit the dialogue, the face is not going to save it. Learn from the criticism you receive rather than being offended by it. Understand that you may think you've just done the perfect shot, but that means nothing if the director doesn't like it! There's always more than one way to answer a problem. It is a great job but also very very hard work!


Since coming to deviantART, what do you think of it here as far as the site itself and the future of film and animation?

I love it. I have found so many new artists that are so incredibly inspiring. I haven't had the chance to paint for a little while but I'm getting back into it now! This is a tremendous community and resource for any artist whether an aspiring one or an established one. I look forward to discovering more animators and film makers as well and watch the community grow!


View Scott's demo reel, if you haven't already!
and thanks, Scott, for a wonderful interview!


_{This interview brought to you by ^FallenRox and ^guruubii}