John Whitney Sr. Founds Motion Graphics Incorporated

John Whitney Sr., pioneer in the field of computer-generated art and animation, founded Motion Graphics Incorporated. It became one of the first companies to use computers for creating graphics and animation. Whitney’s work and innovations would normalize the use of computers in the creative arts and had a profound impact on the development of computer generated images. The work at Motion Graphics was largely completed by a mechanical analog computer built by Whitney himself that controlled cameras above the artwork, a technique he used for the film Vertigo in 1958. He used this invention to create other film and television title sequences and commercials. While mechanical, Whitney’s machines anticipated future computer software.