Paul D. Johnson(1949-2003)
- Visual Effects
Paul Johnson, a native of California, attended Taft High and worked a
JBL before joining the movie industry. He was the pioneer of motion
control. While working for the now defunct Apogee, the company that
assisted George Lucas with Star Wars, a wire wrapper at the time, he
had his first exposure to a motion control system. After examining he
found that he could make it workable with some major corrections. So,
late one night he stayed in the studio after everyone had left and
tested his theory. When it worked, Apogee promoted him and motion
control was born. Later when Apogee went bankrupt, he and his partner
Alvah Miller began their own company Lynx Robotics, which supplies
motion control system to countries around the world.
He won two Academy Awards. He has been married twice and has two children from his first marriage. Paul faced the colon cancer that took his life with the same courage, honesty, and good humor with which he faced life. He was a truly brilliant man and a dedicated film maker. He will be missed.
He won two Academy Awards. He has been married twice and has two children from his first marriage. Paul faced the colon cancer that took his life with the same courage, honesty, and good humor with which he faced life. He was a truly brilliant man and a dedicated film maker. He will be missed.