JASON MILLIGAN: Motion Graphics and VFX Artist
Meet Jason Milligan, a versatile designer, motion graphic artist, and VFX specialist whose journey from the suburbs of Baton Rouge to the bustling streets of Los Angeles is a testament to creativity and resilience. With a background steeped in comic creation, storytelling, and a passion for animation, Jason's self-taught skills have led him to work on diverse projects, from television news graphics to founding Butcher Bird Studios. In this interview, Jason shares his experiences, insights, and the lessons he's learned throughout his dynamic career in the visual effects and film industry.
Q: How did it all start for you? What drew you toward your department? What was a major influence in your life?
A: I grew up in the suburbs of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Much of my childhood was spent drawing my own comics, writing stories, and devouring cartoons—Tex Avery, the Fleischers, Tom and Jerry, the Pink Panther, and 80s adventure cartoons are probably my strongest influences. I still have notebooks full of worlds I built for stories or roleplaying games. I also dabbled in theater and dance. My parents helped me buy a small consumer-grade VHS-C camcorder when I was 17 and movie making finally became available to me. My friends and I spent numerous days and nights making ludicrous and absurd short movies. This was the mid 90s before the rise of the internet and digital filmmaking. We had to be particularly clever about editing in camera and using a CD player routed through a four-track mixer to add soundtracks. I read whatever books on photography and film I could find at the library or bookstores and improvised the rest.
One day, one of my friends inherited an old 16mm film camera. We sat in the local library watching the footage we shot and were in awe at the difference in quality versus VHS. I pursued a broadcast degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette because it was the closest thing to film school yet still affordable. In college, I finally had access to computers and was introduced to Adobe products, the nascent stages of digital editing, and Macromedia Flash. For the first time in my life, I could finally make my own cartoons and I created many. I continued making short videos with my friends and numerous Flash cartoons on my own. The website Newgrounds.com had begun allowing users to upload their own cartoons and I submitted many. That online community helped me develop my animation skills. After graduating, I worked in television news graphics for two years before moving across the country to Los Angeles hoping to become an animator or filmmaker.
My career path became especially circuitous at this point including stints as a puppeteer, minimum wage retail work, and 6 years working in various departments (layout, design, motion graphics) of the comic book and manga industry at Tokyopop. I decided to try my hand as a full-time freelancer in 2010. Much of my work came from connections made while working at Tokyopop. Somewhat accidentally, Butcher Bird Studios slowly formed and became a full-time production company over the next few years as I joined forces with some of those connections. In 2002, I left my company to return to my design and animation roots.
Q: Where did you receive the majority of your training? School? On-the-job experience? Self taught?
A: I am, unfortunately, mostly self-taught. I, of course, took art classes throughout my education, but most of my industry specific knowledge has come from trial and error while on the job. Coming from a low-income family, the expense of art colleges was terrifying. Thus, I tried to acquire what I could from books, DVD commentaries, and magazines. As the internet grew, useful tutorials from places like Creative Cow and Video Copilot became invaluable. Teaching myself Flash in the early 2000s and constantly getting feedback from Newgrounds really helped me advance my skillset. It was my knowledge of Flash and growing experience with After Effects that would lead Tokyopop to promote me from the design department to a newly formed motion graphics department where we made motion comics, book trailers, and branded videos. This would ultimately lead to me being responsible for 200+ motion graphics and VFX shots for Tokyopop's independent feature film mockumentary called "Van Von Hunter."
Q: How important is formal education compared to hands-on experience and self-taught skills?
A: Being almost entirely self-taught has meant a slower progression in many areas and various knowledge gaps. It also means your networking pool is likely smaller. There are definitely jobs I have missed out on because of my lack of formal training. Being self-taught does let you guide your interests and development in a way a formal structure does not. I think the ideal scenario is a healthy balance between formal education and self-taught skills. Were I to do it all over again, I would strongly consider accepting that debt burden and pursue formal training. At the very least, I would choose to work as a junior for a longer period of time where I could learn from more experienced artists.
Q: Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of achieving?
A: I am terrible with superlatives; I have a hard timing picking favorites. I felt great success many years ago when I completed a 13-minute animated/live-action hybrid children's program made entirely in my apartment called "The Many Maladies of Marty Mitchell." I worked on it in my free-time for three years. Completing "Better Off Zed" and "Orbital Redux"—two enormous and ambitious projects—left me with a huge sense of accomplishment. But I think my proudest moments are when my work touches someone emotionally such as being told an old Flash cartoon made someone cry or my podcast gave a depressed person hope. Making things is great, but connecting with people through your work is the best.
Jason Milligan's journey through the visual effects and film industry is a remarkable tale of passion, perseverance, and continual learning. From his early days of making short films with friends to co-founding his own production company, Jason's story highlights the importance of creativity, resourcefulness, and the value of both formal education and self-taught skills. His experiences offer invaluable lessons for aspiring artists and filmmakers, reminding us that dedication and adaptability can pave the way to success. For more on Jason's work, including his impressive credits and to connect with him on social media, check out the links below.
WEBSITE: www.chinnykat.com
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3783279
INSTAGRAM: @fourchinnigan
Twitter/X: https://x.com/fourchinnigan
LinkdIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fourchinnigan/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@4chinny
