James Ojala (born May 6, 1977) is an American
special effects
Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wo ...
and
makeup artist
A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...
,
screenwriter and
film director.
Career overview
;Early years
Ojala grew up in
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
, where he developed an early love of film through horror movies and the works of directors such as
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...
,
Stanley Kubrick,
George A. Romero and
Buddy Giovinazzo.
Following his graduation from
Duluth Central High School in 1995, Ojala began his career working in
public-access television
Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
. There, he and his friends created the series ''My Three Scums'', a
horror comedy
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...
sitcom about a dysfunctional family of mutants and monsters which he described as "sort of an obscene punk rock ''
Munsters'' on crack".
The series ran locally for three years, after which Ojala sent tapes of the show - in a large box filled with inflated helium balloons reading "I LOVE MY THREE SCUMS" - to
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...
co-founder
Lloyd Kaufman
Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featur ...
, who was impressed enough by both the series and its eye-catching promotion to offer Ojala an internship on the feature film ''
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV''. Upon receiving the news, Ojala immediately quit his job as a medical records filing clerk and moved to New York to work on the film.
;Early Hollywood career
During the production of ''Citizen Toxie'', Ojala stepped into an open spot in the film's makeup effects department, working alongside Tim Considine of special effects company Direct FX. At the film's completion, Considine offered Ojala a full-time assisting position within his company.
With Direct FX, Ojala worked on numerous features, commercials and theater, which included manufacturing an entire line of
bald caps whose clients included ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' and several
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions. Ojala also worked alongside B-movie auteur
Larry Fessenden
Laurence T. Fessenden (born March 23, 1963) is an American actor, producer, writer, director, film editor, and cinematographer. He is the founder of the New York based independent production outfit Glass Eye Pix. His writer/director credits inclu ...
on the 2001 horror film ''
Wendigo
Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the U ...
'' and was involved with the
Millennium Film Workshop, where he learned how to work with
16mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
under the supervision of underground filmmaker
Mike Kuchar.
After the events of
September 11
Events Pre-1600
* 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...
, Ojala found it difficult to obtain any type of work in New York, eventually forcing him to seek out career options in California. Only a few days into a week-long visit to Los Angeles, Ojala was hired on the spot as a lab and on-set technician for the visual effects studio Almost Human, Inc., providing various functions including moldmaking, makeup application and puppeteering for film, commercials and television series including ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
'' and ''
Firefly''.
Since leaving Almost Human in 2005, Ojala has worked with several special effects companies including Autonomous FX, Animal Makers, Spectral Motion and
Legacy Effects Legacy Effects, LLC is an American special effects studio specializing in creature design, prosthetic makeup, animatronics, and specialty suits.
History
Founding partners Lindsay Macgowan, Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, and Alan Scott supervised pr ...
, and has worked on mainstream productions including ''
Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', ''
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
'', ''
Where the Wild Things Are
''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...
'', ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
'', ''
X-Men: The Last Stand'' and ''
Pacific Rim''.
;Current career
In 2005, Ojala established his own independent special effects studio and film production compan
Ojala Productions specializing in makeup and creature effects for film and television as well as producing in-house projects written and directed by Ojala himself. Among others, Ojala Productions contributed special effects work for films like ''
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'' and the critically acclaimed ''
Deadgirl'', television shows including ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often sa ...
'' and the music videos for
Snoop Doggs ''
Malice n Wonderland
''Malice n Wonderland'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg; it was released on December 8, 2009, by Doggystyle Records, Capitol Records and Priority Records. Production for the album took place from January 2009 to Septembe ...
'' album.
During this time, Ojala wrote and directed the short films ''The Incredible Torture Trio'', which played at the
TromaDance Film Festival and was later distributed internationally on a ''Best of TromaDance'' DVD compilation, the
48 Hour Film Festival entry ''Truthus: A Family Holiday'' and ''
Marvel Zombies: The Movie'', a fake trailer based on the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
property of the same name.
''Marvel Zombies: The Movie'' drew high praise and recognition from online comics communities and eventually went
viral, later being featured on the
G4 pop culture news series ''
Attack of the Show!
''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013 ...
'' where hosts
Kevin Pereira
Kevin Elder Pereira (born December 28, 1982) is an American television personality and host.
Early life
While he was 14, Pereira hosted ''Pointless Audio'' under the pseudonym Captain Immy.Stephen A. Johnson (April 15, 2006)AOTS hosts Kevin Pere ...
and
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...
called it "one of the most amazing fan movies we've ever seen".
With Monty Broussard, Ojala wrote and directed the 2011 science fiction thriller short ''Harvest'', a proposed pilot for a television or web series. The following year, Ojala was featured in Craig Chenery's book ''Blood Spatter: A Guide to Cinematic Zombie Violence, Gore and Special Effects'' and in 2013, he directed the music video for comedy punk band
The Radioactive Chicken Heads
The Radioactive Chicken Heads are an American virtual band formed in Orange, California in 1993. Operating anonymously under the guise of mutant chickens and vegetables, the Chicken Heads' music is primarily a mix of punk rock, heavy metal and ...
"Deviled Egg", which was highlighted on horror channel
Fearnet
Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films.
Backgr ...
as their "Music Video of the Week". In 2016, Ojala provided make-up effects for popular
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band
Lucius
Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from '' Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames ('' praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from ...
music video "Gone Insane"; the video received notable mainstream recognition, with ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' describing the effects "strange
ndstriking" and the ''
Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'' calling them "exceptional".
Beginning in 2017, Ojala has served as co-producer for the
Shudder original
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
''The Core'', in which he also appears as a regular on-screen guest detailing the secrets and artistry behind practical special effects.
In October 2018, after four years in production, Ojala released his first feature film as a writer-director, ''
Strange Nature''.
Filmography
As director/screenwriter
As makeup artist/special effects technician
;Film
;Television
;Short films
References
External links
*
Ojala Productions, Inc. homepage''Strange Nature'' official websiteDuluth PACT TV interview with Strange Nature director, Jim Ojala
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ojala, Jim
1977 births
American make-up artists
Living people
People from Duluth, Minnesota
Special effects people
Film directors from Minnesota
Writers from Minnesota
Artists from Minnesota