Paul Douglas Johnson

Johnson, Paul Douglas
Born on February 2, 1949 in Hollywood. Passed away August 12, 2003 of colon cancer. Survived by wife Karen Johnson and daughters Aja and Naomi. Paul lived his entire life in L.A. After graduating Taft H.S., he was hired at JBL, an audio company. Though he had no formal education, his talents were recognized and he was promoted to engineer, designing components and receiving a patent for one invention. In the late '70s he joined the film industry as a model maker. On his second production, Star Trek, he was hired by Apogee to solder electronics; soon he was promoted to effects stage manager, and independently wrote the first computer program for motion control that revolutionized special effects on that and later films. Paul and Al Miller formed Lynx Robotics, developing and refining motion control in film: they were awarded a Sci/Tech Academy Award in 1989. They received two more Sci/Tech awards from the Academy in 2001; one for developing the C-50 Camera Motor System, the other for development of a data capture system. Paul also worked in production on over a hundred films, including Titanic, Panic Room, Fight Club, Face Off, and Broken Arrow. A Memorial service will be held on Sat., Sept. 6 at Prince of Peace in Woodland Hills. All are welcome. Call (818) 346-6968 for info.