Story Background and Theory - Ideas for the Animated Short - page 20

The Ideas behind Gopher Broke : An Interview with
Jeff Fowler, Blur Studios

Jeff Fowler is a writer, director, layout supervisor, and animator at Blur Studios. Jeff
wrote and directed Blur's short fi lm, Gopher Broke , which was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. While at Blur Studios, Jeff has served as
a Lead Character Animator and Layout Artist for Walt Disney's Mickey's Twice Upon a
Christmas , Blur Studio's Rockfi sh , and directed animation for the theatrical teaser trailer
for Twentieth Century Fox's Simpsons Movie . He is currently working on the Warner
Bros.' fi lm adaption of Maurice Sendak's children's topic classic, Where the Wild Things
Are . Jeff graduated with honors from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota,
Florida, and has won several awards for his own independent animated short fi lms.

Small rodents performing broad physical comedy. Gopher Broke , directed by Jeff Fowler,
Blur Studios.

Q: What is the role of the short in industry?
Jeff: Shorts are tremendously useful in animation studios to promote internal growth,
both creatively and technically. A short fi lm project offers a vehicle for research and
development on a variety of tools and techniques necessary to fi ne-tune a studio's pro-
duction pipeline. More importantly, however, they offer artists a chance to stretch their
creative wings. Rarely do production artists have as much input on contract work as they
do on a short fi lm, providing a much-relished opportunity to infl uence artistic direction.
Every short fi lm we've created at Blur Studios has benefi ted tremendously from the enthu-
siasm of its artists devoting long hours in tight schedules to prove their creative mettle.
The shorts programs I've been involved with have always become a labor of love, an

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