Animating John Scott

Think of this workshop as a cooking class - but instead of baking a cake, this is an animation class and the recipe is for a short film. Just as a good cake has ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and love, the ingredients will be Scrabble pieces, Cray Pas, watercolors, Bananagrams, and John Scott’s own words.

The mixer is the camera. The oven is the iMac. The icing is the editing. That perfect first bite is seeing John Scott’s own words come to life. Participants will create and record animated closed captions and synch them to an interview with John Scott. By slowing down and stretching time, Scott’s ideas of Jazz Thinking will be explored.

In the truest sense of art, participants will become the pathway ideas travel down, and his words will guide the creation of meaningful art. John Scott is telling the story. Together, participants will transcribe the vibes.

About the Workshop Facilitator

Jonathan Brown is a musician, poet, and digital creator based out of New Orleans, LA. A former high school teacher at Warren Easton (Go Eagles!), Jonathan hit the road and played over 150 shows a year for four and a half years. His albums include Roses on a Good Day (2015); Aggressively Vulnerable (2018); and Shadows of Raindrops (2020). His latest multimedia music project, You Are The Truth. Let Your Eyes Adjust (2023), was released on a creamsicle swirl orange and yellow vinyl. It combines music, poetry, and animation to create a fully immersive experience.

Jonathan holds a BA from the College of Charleston; an MA from the New College of California; and an MFA from The University of New Orleans. His work has been published in The Worcester Review, The Nashville Review, and National Public Radio (NPR).

Host or Publisher The Helis Foundation John Scott Center