J. Allen Williams
Jeffery Allen Williams
is an American animator, writer, producer, actor, musician, and director. Williams founded Parallax Studio in Nixa, Missouri, and presently continues in the capacity of its CEO. Williams is best known for creating the independent science fiction interactive computer game Darkstar: The Interactive Movie. He has also directed and produced two feature films: the fantasy thriller Everything, completed in 2017, and the science fiction film To Meet the Faces You Meet, currently in pre-production.
Early life
Williams was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the military hospital on Keesler Air Force Base. He was raised in the Springfield, Missouri, area, but later moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he studied illustration, animation, and filmmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute.He began using the stage name "Carmen Wilder" and formed the progressive rock band Wilder in 1986 with the musicians Bill Bruce, Jimmy Pitts, Brent Frazier, and James Lee Dillard – all of whom would later participate in creating the Darkstar soundtrack.
Career
''Darkstar: The Interactive Movie''
Williams is most known for having written, animated, and directed the independent computer game Darkstar: The Interactive Movie. In an interview with Tom Chick at Fidget.com, Williams described his role in the production:Darkstar featured numerous live actors, including Clive Robertson and the original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The project also featured original animations by the artist Richard Corben and was one of the final projects featuring the actor Peter Graves, who narrated the game. 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 and Bill Bruce.