“John is a boy with his head in the clouds…”
Or so his dad used to say. That, and "he's walking around with a head full of bloody magic!"
Nowadays he puts that head full of magic to good use, creating animations, motion graphics, VFX and video content for award winning TV, film, live events, social media, cinema advertising and more.
Primarily working in After Effects and Cinema 4D he's built a reputation as a reliable, fast working creative, and has been described as "a safe pair of hands with a pretty eye."
After a successful period of freelancing John spent 10 years at post production house Flix Facilities before setting up Head in the Clouds in early 2017.
During his time at Flix he worked on a wide range of TV productions. From kids (Postman Pat SDS, The Furchester Hotel for BBC, Toby's Travelling Circus and Roary the Racing Car for Channel 5), to hard hitting documentaries (Crimes that shook Britain, Fred & Rose).
He also designed and created the opening titles for BBC’s Little Explorers, My Team: The Cheerleaders and the BAFTA Award winning My Life and Old Jack's Boat.
His work was integral to the BBC’s BAFTA nominated Poppies and the multi award winning My Life episodes: Me, My Dad and his Kidney, I am Leo and Born to Vlog.
Since starting Head in the Clouds he has continued to produce VFX and animation sequences for TV including Brassic, Gangs of London (Sky), The Responder, Doorbell Detectives (BBC), Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders (Channel 5) and many My Life episodes for the BBC including Dancing Queen, We Fight Fires, The Positivity Tour, Child of the Wild and RTS winning The Fastest Boy in the World.
Film projects include The Corinthians: We were the Champions, Grim, Shed of the Dead, Hunger Times, The Old Turk and Habit.
When he isn’t at his desk you’ll find him at the cinema, up a hill or most likely at the barrier at a James gig!
Animation
With an ability to adapt to a range of styles, John brings illustrations, artwork and character designs to life using 2D & 3D animation techniques. Projects include TV and cinema advertisements for Ben & Jerry’s and Lindt, magical promos for Lavinia Stamps, title sequences and animated characters for the likes of Old Jack’s Boat and The Dumping Ground (BBC). And he’s even blown up CG balloons for Tim Burton! (Tim Burton retrospective exhibition MOMA New York)
Motion Graphics
John has a long history of generating graphics for TV documentaries, corporate presentations, exhibitions and events. Illustrating sensitive content for kids in CBBC’s My Life, hard hitting facts in Channel 4’s Dispatches and the science behind the chaos in World’s Worst Weather, to name but a few. His work has also been used in electronic advertising, DVD menu design and projected onto screens in concert halls and arenas across the country.
VFX
Whether enhancing a shot through particle effects, keying and compositing actors into magical worlds, generating elements for character interaction or good old “fix it in post” clean up, John has a wealth of experience and relishes the challenges that each project entails. He’s made it snow in Greendale (Postman Pat SDS), over-run an allotment with zombies (Shed of the Dead), taken Burna Boy to the future (BoohooMAN) and helped one child sail around the world in a paper boat (Wise Owl Trust).
Video
John always works with a sensitivity for the subject matter and never needs an excuse to sprinkle a little cgi magic to enhance a story. Video projects include the prestigious Reach business awards across the north west of England & Wales, top secret mission briefings for Commando Joe’s and various school prospectus for the Wise Owl Trust.
