Christopher Johnson IV
Writer/Producer/Director

Last of the Mohicans

The following year, the first-assistant director from Drop Dead Fred, Michael Waxman, called me to tell me about this huge film the creator of Miami Vice was shooting in North Carolina.

Of course, he was talking about Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans." I did the usual and sent my portfolio shots down to the production office in Asheville and again, much to my amazement; the folks at Forward Pass Inc. hired me.

Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. My amazement at being hired isn't to do with my confidence level or ability, but due to the sheer volume of talented individuals out there vying for these positions.

No doubt Michael Waxman put in a good word. If Drop Dead Fred was the little movie that could, Mohicans was titanic in comparison. What an education. Once again, I was hired to create special make-up effects for the film as well as set up an effects lab in Asheville to handle the workload.

On this production I was working with a number of other talented make-up artists and we were constantly expected to turn out voluminous numbers in terms of wounded extras, blood "gags" and other prosthetic make-ups.

It was on this production that I had the opportunity to learn about directing by observing Michael Mann, and acting by observing Daniel Day-Lewis as well as a myriad of other aspects of production from cinematography to accounting.

As Jodi May (Alice) says in the movie: "What an adventure."

My thanks to: Michael Waxman, Michael Mann, John Bayless, Gusmano Cesaretti, Carl Goldstein, Hunt Lowry, Ned Dowd, Ellen Rauch, Dan Stillman, Mark Levenstein, Caroline Korney, Jerry Callaway, the entire make-up effects, straight make-up and hair team and all those I may have forgotten as the years pass by.

- Christopher Johnson (2005)

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