writer / director / vfx
John J. Budion is an award winning writer, director, and visual effects artist, with over 15 years of experience in the film and television world. He started out his career at the tender age of 17, while concurrently working towards his degree at New York University.
John recently completed visual effects work for director Cary Fukunaga's new film "Beasts of No Nation." Starring Idris Elba, Beasts is a drama following the experiences of child soldier fighting in a civil war in Africa. The film will be released on Netflix, and expects to create some Oscar Buzz!
John brought out his new tux to mix it up with Alejandro González Iñárritu, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, and all of the other nominated directors at this year's Director's Guild Awards.
Hosted by Jane Lynch, the show featured some surprise guests including Bradley Cooper, who shut down his Broadway show in NYC for the night in order to present Clint Eastwood with an award for American Sniper. Additionally, Steven Spielberg announced the addition of the First Time Feature award. This award will be given in the future to director's who complete their first feature, if their film is nominated.
Iñárritu took home the top prize for his film Birdman.
Principal photography has concluded on all 6 spots for McDonalds. With a successful 3 day shoot coming to an end this week in LA, John had his director swag going, managing dozens of kids, video game characters, and dragons! He'd like to thank his amazing production crew, and all involved, for pulling off an unbelievable few days of filming. A special thanks to our DP Alex Disenhof for his Willis Reed performance in making this happen through injury. We couldn't have done it without you!
With 3 spots deep into visual effects finishing, and 3 more on deck, John will have his hands full through 2014 creating the magic and collaborating with all of the tie in partners. Look for these slick visual storytelling pieces to hit the national air come the new year!
Check out John's commercial for the Dorito's Crash the Superbowl contest. Co-written with Jake Taylor, directed by John, and starring Jake, this is the story of Dave. Dave likes to take selfie's and do other things with his smartphone. It finally has gotten him into a predicament. Check out the spot in the work section, and vote/rate it HERE.
John's been busy penning his first feature script. The film is called: Life Now, Life Then. What's it about, you ask?
Logline: Two brothers escape the harsh realities of their lives with imagination, friendship, and each other. Before the #hashtag.
Remember when you'd clean up before supper? Or laugh, cry, and play with the best friends a person could ask for, before the existence of social media? That's this. Friendships that last a lifetime.
It's Stand By Me meets The Sandlot and Social Media. A coming of age story of 6 friends and the summer of '94. Bonds that break the boundaries of social media. Stay tuned for updates on how the project is coming along.
