John Witham
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Visual Effects
John Witham's lifelong interest in writing and storytelling has
paralleled his interest in using the technology of images and sound. An
avid photographer at age 11, he also was also creating sound collages
by blade-and-tape editing of audio recordings. He was the editor of his
school newspaper and was awarded independent studies in writing and
film study while in high-school.
John attended Austin College, a liberal arts school in northern Texas that was the perfect environment for all the elements to come together. He furthered his photographic skills in the Art Department there, as well as discovering painting as a discipline. He was the first Art student to be granted access to the Music Department's electronic music studio. There he explored creating the sonic compliment to the visual media he was producing.
Soon thereafter, Witham was professionally assisting the engineering of studio recording sessions in Detroit with artists such as George Clinton, the Funkadelics and Bootsy Collins. Witham's recording studio experience led him to Chicago in the '80s. While there, he continued to engineer music sessions and educational programs and he also started professionally producing and editing music videos.
Simultaneously he formed a multimedia performance ensemble called the Free Lunch Theory, This collective used video projections and live analog image processing as an integral part of their performances.
On the cusp of accessible digital technology, the Free Lunch Theory, working out of Chicago's Center for New Television,later used software-hacked video game consoles to produce some of the imagery they incorporated into their performances.Their graphically-rich music videos were referred to by WGN News as, "the future of television."
Witham has always relished the power of creative associations and groups. Landing in Austin in the mid 80's he helped form a band known as Jam Cadre. The group specialized in poetic spoken-word vocals woven into fluid musical grooves.
Witham was also working as a camera operator and editor for a production company that specialized in industrial videos for a defense contractor as well as commercial spots and political messaging. It was during this time that his skills as a camera-op and editor truly got honed. He also was assigned to do assistant-camera work on several film shoots for commercials and do production sound for a children's feature film.
John's affinity for multimedia and his love of emerging technologies led him to an affiliation with Austin's Robot Group, a collective of techno-artists. In the early 90's he transitioned from being a video-documentarian of their activities to an active participant and eventually one of the organization's officers. The group was successful in being awarded local and NEA grants to do youth-oriented outreach via technology-based art.
While being firmly entrenched in the medium of linear storytelling via video production, Witham believed in the way emerging interactive technology was empowering every person to be an active participant in the created world. He directed the software design of several increasingly sophisticated interactive installations that allowed participants to experience an augmented and responsive synthetic environment. By watching projected images they could manipulate virtual objects and create sounds just by gesturing or with body language. It was visceral and virtual.
It was at this time in 1993 that the Dallas Morning News did a story in it's Arts section on Austin's wave of high-tech artists and they featured John's work.
Concurrently, John was project manager and a creative director for the development of an interactive CD-ROM entitled, "In Praise of the Horse." Four years in development, this media-rich piece won the Texas Interactive Media Award for "Outstanding Information and Reference" in 1998.
After moving to Santa Fe in 2004, John renewed his creative association with long-time friend Rusty Kirkland. They co-produced two motivational videos featuring Witham's video, motion graphics and editing. They also renewed active musical collaboration and their music supports the character in the feature film, "the Twilight Angel."
While living near the "birthplace of the bomb," Witham worked as Communications Director with Nuclear Watch New Mexico, a watchdog organization involved with nuclear weapons issues. During that time he produced a video documentary, called 'Stop Divine Strake," about protests at the Nuclear Test Site in Nevada.
John attended Austin College, a liberal arts school in northern Texas that was the perfect environment for all the elements to come together. He furthered his photographic skills in the Art Department there, as well as discovering painting as a discipline. He was the first Art student to be granted access to the Music Department's electronic music studio. There he explored creating the sonic compliment to the visual media he was producing.
Soon thereafter, Witham was professionally assisting the engineering of studio recording sessions in Detroit with artists such as George Clinton, the Funkadelics and Bootsy Collins. Witham's recording studio experience led him to Chicago in the '80s. While there, he continued to engineer music sessions and educational programs and he also started professionally producing and editing music videos.
Simultaneously he formed a multimedia performance ensemble called the Free Lunch Theory, This collective used video projections and live analog image processing as an integral part of their performances.
On the cusp of accessible digital technology, the Free Lunch Theory, working out of Chicago's Center for New Television,later used software-hacked video game consoles to produce some of the imagery they incorporated into their performances.Their graphically-rich music videos were referred to by WGN News as, "the future of television."
Witham has always relished the power of creative associations and groups. Landing in Austin in the mid 80's he helped form a band known as Jam Cadre. The group specialized in poetic spoken-word vocals woven into fluid musical grooves.
Witham was also working as a camera operator and editor for a production company that specialized in industrial videos for a defense contractor as well as commercial spots and political messaging. It was during this time that his skills as a camera-op and editor truly got honed. He also was assigned to do assistant-camera work on several film shoots for commercials and do production sound for a children's feature film.
John's affinity for multimedia and his love of emerging technologies led him to an affiliation with Austin's Robot Group, a collective of techno-artists. In the early 90's he transitioned from being a video-documentarian of their activities to an active participant and eventually one of the organization's officers. The group was successful in being awarded local and NEA grants to do youth-oriented outreach via technology-based art.
While being firmly entrenched in the medium of linear storytelling via video production, Witham believed in the way emerging interactive technology was empowering every person to be an active participant in the created world. He directed the software design of several increasingly sophisticated interactive installations that allowed participants to experience an augmented and responsive synthetic environment. By watching projected images they could manipulate virtual objects and create sounds just by gesturing or with body language. It was visceral and virtual.
It was at this time in 1993 that the Dallas Morning News did a story in it's Arts section on Austin's wave of high-tech artists and they featured John's work.
Concurrently, John was project manager and a creative director for the development of an interactive CD-ROM entitled, "In Praise of the Horse." Four years in development, this media-rich piece won the Texas Interactive Media Award for "Outstanding Information and Reference" in 1998.
After moving to Santa Fe in 2004, John renewed his creative association with long-time friend Rusty Kirkland. They co-produced two motivational videos featuring Witham's video, motion graphics and editing. They also renewed active musical collaboration and their music supports the character in the feature film, "the Twilight Angel."
While living near the "birthplace of the bomb," Witham worked as Communications Director with Nuclear Watch New Mexico, a watchdog organization involved with nuclear weapons issues. During that time he produced a video documentary, called 'Stop Divine Strake," about protests at the Nuclear Test Site in Nevada.
