John Berton
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John Andrew Berton Jr. is an award-winning computer graphics animator and visual effects supervisor. His most recent project is Charlotte's Web.
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[edit] Education and early career
Berton holds a B.A. in Communications and Film from Denison University, where he was also a writer-performer for a small radio comedy troupe called Pith. After a brief stint as a disc jockey, he joined the acclaimed Computer Graphics Research Group (CGRG) computer graphics program at Ohio State University, later known as ACCAD (The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design).[1] There he earned an M.A. in Art Education/Computer Graphics. This led to artistic and experimental work at Cranston/Csuri Productions, an Ohio-based early CG company founded in 1981.
In 1986 Berton joined Mental Images, a software company that also had a production division to help develop their renderer. Together with Rolf Herken and Roger Wilson, he created an animated film (also called mental images) that was well received at SIGGRAPH, NICOGRAPH and Prix Ars Electronica. [2]
[edit] ILM work
Many of Berton's best known films were made during his tenure at Industrial Light and Magic, which began in 1990. These include Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (also 1991), The Mummy (1999), and Men in Black II (2002), among others. By 1992 he was a cg department manager, by 1997 a digital effects supervisor, and in 1998 a visual effects supervisor. Many of the films on which Berton worked have received awards and nominations in special effects categories, including the 1991 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the 1993 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Jurassic Park , and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for The Mask.[3] Berton's last film for ILM was Men in Black II, in which he also had a cameo role as an alien postal worker. He has also appeared as himself in several programs and featurettes about computer graphics.
[edit] After ILM
Since leaving ILM, Berton has been digital effects supervisor on I, Robot (2004) and visual effects supervisor on the aforementioned Charlotte's Web. Producer Jordan Kerner explains that Berton was hired for Charlotte's Web because the filmmakers needed someone "who had been involved with field that had a tremendous amount of fully 3-D, computer-generated characters who have to convey thoughts and emotions." The film's visual effects were produced by five different companies, but it was Berton, according to Kerner, who "drew those elements together."[4]
[edit] Awards
Berton's personal awards include the Monitor Award for Best Computer Graphics Animation on the 1984 Super Bowl, the Nicograph Grand Prize for Computer Animation for the short film Snoot and Muttly, and an Honorable Mention from Prix Ars Electronica for Mental Images.[3]
[edit] Personal
John Berton lives in California with his wife Susan and his two children, Kiersten and Nathan.
[edit] References
- ^ Carlson, Wayne. Part 6: The development of OSG. History of CGRG/ACCAD at The Ohio State University. Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, Ohio State University. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ^ Alumni: John Andrew Berton Jr.. ILMfan web site. ILMfan.com (2003-9-19). Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ^ a b John Berton. The Mummy video site. Universal Studios (1999). Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ^ Filming in "Radiant" Victoria Australia (Macromedia Flash). : About the Film. Charlotte's Web Movie official site. Walden Media / Paramount Pictures (2006-12-15). Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
