J. Allen Williams | |
|---|---|
 J. Allen Williams at his studio in 2020. | |
| Born | Jeffery Allen Williams (1960-09-27)September 27, 1960 (age 65) Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Other names | Jeff Williams Carmen Wilder |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, writer, director |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Website | www |
Jeffery Allen Williams (born September 27, 1960) is anAmerican animator, writer, producer, actor, musician, and director. Williams founded Parallax Studio inNixa, Missouri, and presently continues in the capacity of itsCEO.[1] Williams is best known for creating the independent science fictioninteractive computer gameDarkstar: The Interactive Movie (2010). He has also directed and produced two feature films: the fantasy thrillerEverything, completed in 2017, and the science fiction filmTo Meet the Faces You Meet, currently in pre-production.
Williams was born inBiloxi, Mississippi, at the military hospital onKeesler Air Force Base. He was raised in theSpringfield, Missouri, area, but later moved toKansas City, Missouri, where he studied illustration, animation, and filmmaking at theKansas City Art Institute.
He began using the stage name "Carmen Wilder" and formed theprogressive rock bandWilder in 1986 with the musiciansBill Bruce, Jimmy Pitts, Brent Frazier, and James Lee Dillard – all of whom would later participate in creating theDarkstar soundtrack.[2]
Williams is most known for having written, animated, and directed the independent computer gameDarkstar: The Interactive Movie. In an interview withTom Chick at Fidget.com, Williams described his role in the production:
... right at 2000, I decided I was going to do something and I began production. And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger to the point that it kind of did itself. It kind of went out of control. I just wrote the thing and because I'm just one guy doing most of this – I mean, I've probably involved a hundred people to help me, doing sound and camera and all different things, but I bring them in as contract type stuff. But I'm kind of hands-on with every single thing, so that's the bottleneck. One guy being OCD and having to keep control over the whole thing.[3]
Darkstar featured numerous live actors, includingClive Robertson and the original cast ofMystery Science Theater 3000.[4] The project also featured original animations by the artistRichard Corben and was one of the final projects featuring the actorPeter Graves, who narrated the game.[5] Williams also designed various costumes and props for the live action sequences and is one of the three credited composers of the soundtrack, alongside Jimmy Pitts andBill Bruce.[6]
In 2013, Williams and Parallax Studio began production on the independent filmEverything, written and directed by Williams. The film was completed in 2022.[7][8][9]
In 2020, Williams and Parallax Studio announced production on the independent filmMEAD (originally titledTo Meet the Faces You Meet), based on the underground comicFever Dreams written byJan Strnad and illustrated byRichard Corben, featuring the voice ofPatton Oswalt.[10][11] On July 20, 2020, it was announced that the actorsPatrick Warburton andSamuel Hunt had joined the cast.[12][13] In September 2020, it was announced thatRobert Picardo had also joined the cast.[14] Principal photography began in late September and ended in early October 2021.[15][16]MEAD was premiered at the2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2022, and was released forstreaming in North America on August 9, 2022.[17]
Williams lives inNixa, Missouri. He has a son, Chance, and a daughter, Maggie. Maggie Williams provided voice talent inDarkstar for the quirky robot MAGS (Motorized Automated Girl for Simon), a character that she also created.
| Year | Film | CreditedDirector | CreditedProducer | CreditedWriter | CreditedActor | Credited Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Darkstar: The Interactive Movie | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dean Wilder | video game |
| 2022 | MEAD | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2023 | Everything | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dahl Isaac Everheardt | completed |