Chris Johnstone
3D Generalist and Motion Graphics Designer
London Area, United Kingdom
christopher.johnstone@gmail.com
07770 918 172 / 07734 396696
Summary
I am a 3D Generalist and Motion Graphics designer working with Maya, Houdini and After Effects, with a vast amount of experience in all aspects of motion design: live events, broadcast, film, TV, Web, Post-house, Agency work, creating a wide variety of digital work.
I started using 3D software with 3D Studio 2, Wavefront Advanced Visualizer, TDI Wavefront, Alias, Alias Wavefront, standalone software’s Dynamation and Kinemation, Maya and have progressed from there. I regularly use proprietary production tools.
I work in events with programmers – for example through touch screen interfaces, experiential installations, DMX cued lighting, projection mapping etc
I script a little in AE Javascript, MEL and Python. I use Arnold, Redshift, Renderman RIS, vRay, Krakatoa etc for rendering.
Freelance jobs up to May 2022:
Moonraker VFX: 3D Generalist working on Frozen Planet 2 and various 3D tracking projects.
Make Associates: Interactive table
Imagination: Rolls Royce Visitors Centre in Goodwood
Coffee & TV: Mercedes AMG Commercial
The Shark is Broken Theatre Projections At The Ambassadors Theatre
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story presented by Mark Gatiss at London’s Alexandra Palace – Houidini environmental simulations for Nina Dunn
Brand Fuel – A procedural particle animation in Houdini to represent the “sparking of the world’s potential” in a CEO presentation for Arm Technologies.
Lucky Generals – The motion design for new brand graphics for Broadway in New York reopening.
Double Negative – 3D Generalist / Fix it Guy and Motion Graphics for the 3D feature ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’
Liquid TV – UEFA Euro 2020 graphics package.
Jack Morton: Motion DesignInfographic Sushi Train Table – Ericsson 5G
Jack Morton: Motion DesignInfographic Touch Table – Schlumberger
Imagination: 3D Generalist, AD JLR electric car interactive table
Connected Pictures: Motion Design TV Commercials
Big Buoy Productions: Houdini and Maya TV commercials and film promos
Imagination: Senior 3D Generalist
JLR Innovation Lab – Ingenium Engine Interactive Exhibits
Parlourwood: Motion Design DeWalt Powertool
Moov Ltd: Motion Design Wimbledon Opening Film
The Abstract Union Ltd: Motion Design HD Projections for Atom Events
Imagination: Motion Design Geneva Auto Show
BlackRock Investment: Motion Design New York Aladdin Conference
Imagination: Motion Design Vignale Relationship Manager Excellence Film 2015
J K Rowling Pottermore: 3D Consultant: Audit of Sony PlayStation assets, retro engineering game assets, Look development for spells
Jellyfish Productions: Maya Generalist Ten Channel Ident, Red Bee
BBC World Service: Motion Design World at War Series
Nexus Productions: 3D Generalist, Compositor
RAID Campaign USA. rig, model, look dev, beauty comp
Treatment Studio: Motion Design, Art Direction
Live music tours, concerts, events, award ceremonies, large-scale theatre, opera
Imagination: 3D Generalist, Motion Design, Art Direction,
Don Perignon Point of Sales, Harrods: 3D Alioscopy Screen
Motor Shows (Various) for Geneva, Detroit, Shanghai, Paris, Anaheim
3M Innovation Centre – Interactive Innovation Museum
Canon Enterprise Services Visitors Centre – Interactive welcoming animation
Shell GTL Table: Now in residence at The Hague Museum.
ML Studio / KPX Video: 3D Generalist, Motion Graphics, Direction
Paul McCartney Tour Graphics, Bon Jovi Tour Graphics, Chemical Brothers Tour Graphics.
Developed and executed ideas for the pixel-mapped screens breaking down the live performance into a series of cued animations to work alongside to lighting and stage design.
Puma: In-store Brand video for Yasuhiro Mihara: Direction, Motion Graphics
Directed and executed a Promotional Brand Film for the Puma brand Mihara, a range of shoes and accessories designed by Mihara Yasuhiro.
3DD Entertainment: Red Carpet Romance: Motion Graphics
Tangerine Films: Land Rover / Range Rover: Art Direction, Motion Graphics
Unit Post Production: SkyHD Idents
Nexus Productions: Coke USA
Turner Broadcasting UK: Design Director for the creation of the Italian ‘Boing’ cable channel: my team won two Turner Awards. Other Branding jobs for Turner include the creation of the CNX channel, two UK based Boomerang refreshes and a European Cartoon Network refresh.
Head Of Design
Aurora Media Worldwide
Nov 2017 – Jan 2019
My role was to create, develop and implement new graphics packages. Associated Brands included FIA Formula E and the associated Race Teams, (Jaguar, Audi, BMW, Nissan, McLaren, Spark Racing Technology, NIO, ABB…), FIA Extreme-E, Jaguar I-Pace e- Trophy, The Goodwood Festival of Speed, Revival and Members Meeting, 6 Day Racing Cycling, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the DR-1 Champions Series, a drone racing series. The scope of work covered outside broadcast productions, factual content, short form digital, format creation, and everything in-between.
Creative Director of Motion Graphic for P&G Hairworld 2010 in Paris
Knife Edge Aug 2010 – Nov 2010 (4 months)
As creative director for Knifedge I conceived a series of films commissioned by Jack Morton for P&G’s stand at the 2010 Hairworld exhibition in Paris. All films were delivered in 5 x 720pHD for a screen size exceeding 37m in width and a height of 4m. Content was also created for a 19.5m x 2.3m LED arc.
Design Director and Brand Manager
NOW Owned by IMG / TWI
TV Branded Continuity Graphics, Show Titles, Promos, TV Studio Design, Print, Advertising and Website Graphics. I was solely responsible for the graphic requirements of seven live TV studio shows a week, one weekly band performance show and one weekly chart show. My graphics also had to converge simultaneously on the web.
Design Director & Effects Director
VHQ Asia: Working closely with directors and producers to pitch and shoot their ideas. I gave pre-visualisations for their concepts, and gave direction to production designs and effects. When supervising post production I worked alongside cell animators, 3D animators, telecine graders and compositors.
Storyboard Services
Stone Animation, Storyboard Services, South East Asia
I opened my own design and storyboard company working for commercial directors, agencies and post houses in South East Asia.
3D Generalist and Motion Graphic Designer
Filmline Production and Powerhaus Post Production
2D and 3D Motion Graphic Designer
UCM Ltd
In recognition of our Animation and Graphic Design combined with our Technology we won the Gold BIMA Award of 1993. UCM became a European leader in interactive multimedia. I created designs and animations for what were at the time unique and extraordinary multimedia applications Clients included: Olivetti, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, NEC, and P&O.
In UCM’s ‘Studio’ department I first became involved in taking briefs from clients, developing storyboards and producing finished jobs.
Honours & Awards
D&AD Digital Design Award 2012
Imagination London – Digital Design / Digital Design Pearl GTL Interactive Model
Bronze Cannes Lion – Design 2012
Imagination London – ‘An Expression of Innovation’ for Royal Dutch Shell, Pearl GTL Interactive Model
IVCA Gold Award – International Event of the Year 2010 – IVCA
2010 with Jack Morton Worldwide for Procter and Gamble The Job: Wella International Trend Vision Awards Final 2008 – 2010 Roll: Creative Director of Screen Content
Gold BIMA Award– Gold BIMA Award for Design in Multimedia with UCM Brighton, UK for Olivetti, Milan, Italy
Education
Middlesex University
BA Hons, Graphic Design
Graphic Design, Print and Illustration, Photography, Early Computer Art, Animation.
Black and White Digital Art on a Mac Classic using Illustrator 1.0, Fontographer 1.0, Photoshop 1.0 Colour Digital Art and Animation using Amega Computers and the Quantel Paintbox
References: Available on request