10 Quick with Jeff Fowler

Alright let's just face facts here, folks...

I run a blog.

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but there happens to be more than a couple of blogs on the internet. So I am but a small spec on the ass of the internet. Frankly I wouldn't give myself the time of day on most days.

So it's been an amazing experience for a dork like me to get to talk with all of the wonderful artists that we've had as a part of the "10 Quick" interview series.

Today's interview is no exception.

Jeff Fowler is a clown. Don't believe me? Well what if I told you that he had a degree from Ringling? As in the circus. Sure he doesn't have a degree in the science of clown on paper, but one look at his Monkey Pit short or his work on Blur Studio's "Gopher Broke" short, and it's obvious that, though he did major in computer animation, he at least minored in clown science.

All kidding aside (apparently you're not supposed to make clown jokes as Jeff mentions right off the bat), I'm honored to get to interview Jeff. I've said enough about Gopher Broke on this site by now that you already know what a brilliant creation I think it is, and according to Jason Taylor from his "10 Quick":

"Jeff Fowler deserves all the praise for Gopher. He wrote and directed it... t'was his vision."

This means that I got to ask some questions of the guy who had the vision to create what I consider to be one of the best animated pieces of the past 10 years. Heck... the dang thing was nominated for an Academy Award. They don't do that for a walk cycle, folks.

I could babble on and on, but you get the idea. Jeff is an amazing talent, and a "10 Quick" that I had looked forward to posting for some time. So enough from me...

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you break into the business?

I graduated from the Ringling School of Art and Design n the spring of 2002. (yes... the same Ringling as the circus, but Jeebus help you if you make a clown joke) I did a short film called "Monkey Pit" as part o my senior thesis program at Ringling, which I sent out to prospective employers in hopes of getting my foot in the door. Tim Miller, the creative director and co-founder of Blur Studio, eventually saw the piece, which spoke to his passion for bare monkey ass. Consequently, he got in touch with me in regards to coming to work for Blur. I readily accepted, and have been trying to get out ever since. (Haha... I'm joking, I love it)



2. Which of your work are you most proud of?

Without a doubt, the joy of my professional life comes from the five months I spent with that buck-toothed, vegetable-grubbing thief from "Gopher Broke." It was the most amazing experience to be given a crew of professional artists to help make one of my ideas. To this day, I still have trouble believing someone trusted me with that much money! I doubt I'll ever get to have as much personal involvement with a project as I did with GB, where I wrote, storyboarded, and animate d throughout the film. For that reason, the project was very personal, and something I'm tremendously proud of.



3. What are the main tools and/or programs you use to create your work?

I use Discreet's 3D Studio Max for most of my animation work in the studio, although Blur has begun using Softimage XSI as well, so we'll see how that goes. For editing, I use Adobe's Premiere Pro.

4. What's a typical day in your life like?

I usually try and get to the studio around 9am while things are still fairly "quiet." (most people roll in between 10 and 11, which is a nice option to have ;) I swear, you learn more about the shots you're working on with that first set of fresh eyes you lay on it in the morning than you will all day. I do my lunchin' around 12:30, sampling some of Venice's finest cafes and sandwich shops (hardly any food chains here, it's soooo nice!) Afternoons are a mix of animation reviews, occasional meetings, and the explosive bombardment of profanity that comes with a Quake game every afternoon. After the dust settles, I buckle down and try to squeeze a few final hours of work in, which usually ends around 6:30pm.



5. Who or what are some of your artistic influences?

Influences are everywhere. I think my most immediate influences come from my peers. In college, it was looking over the shoulders of my fellow students and seeing the amazing work they were doing which pushed me to work harder. In a studio like Blur, the level of work that my co-workers produce inspires me on a whole new level. The beauty of the internet has been to allow the spread of work on a worldwide stage. I'm always finding inspirational animations, images, or sketches all across the web. In a broader sense, I certainly feel influenced by historical figures like Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, and more recently, John Lasseter and his crew at Pixar. But the list is endless, and there are certainly live-action films, paintings, and sculptures which do as much to inspire me as works of animation.

6. Would you say that you're a 3D artist who dabbles in 2D from time to time, or a 2D artist who happens to work in 3D?

I'd say I'm a 3D artist who wonders why he doesn't do more dabbling in 2D. I'm forsaking my roots! I've been doing a lot of writing, though... what do you call those guys? 1D artists?



7. What are 3 of the best things about your job, and what are 3 of the worst?

Best
1.) Opportunities to write and direct short films.
2.) Greatest atmosphere in the history of paid work.
3.) Proximity to the beach.

Worst
1.) Knowing said beach is there but not being able to go because you're WORKING!
2.) Sometimes clients can be wanky, but not too often.
3.) "TMB" - Too many Belgians. No, wait, that's not true. Actually, I love the Belgians. One of them was my animation supervisor on GB, and he did a "crepe-y" job. Hahaha... ahem.



8. As I did with Jason Taylor's 10 Quick, I'm going to now proceed to gush a bit. "Gopher Broke," is without a doubt my single favorite piece of animation to hit in the past 5 years, if not 10. The character designs, the facial expressions, the timing, the colors... it's simply a joy to watch from start to finish! Jason mentioned you were a huge reason for this. What was your role in "Gopher," and will you be as heavily involved in the full-length feature?

Please, gush away my good man! No... really... keep gushing. I said....(fist shaking) keep gushing!

Thanks for the kind words, though... it really was a joy to produce. Much of the credit goes to the uber-talented boys and girl at Blur. (sadly, that's not a typo) I wrote and directed the piece, and occassionally bought bagels for the noble crew. No hand/wrist massages, though... that would have been crossing the line.

As far as the feature goes, needless to say no one hands over $40+ million lightly, so we've been having our fair share of conversations and meetings to work out the details. Nothing is certain, but everyone here is remaining optimistic. With a little bit of luck, I'll be writing and directing the feature as well.

9. How long did it take you to create "Monkey Pit," and did you have any outside help, or was it just you?

No help, just me and ma monkey! (which is why the fur looked as crappy as it did ;) It was part of the Senior Thesis program at the Ringling School of Art and Design, which is the finest animation program in the country, IMO. Here's how the thesis project goes: You + One Year + Coffee = Short Film



10. How about some demo reel advice for everyone reading. What would be 3 "dos" and 3 "dont's" for a good demo reel, in your opinion?

The DO's!!!

1.) DO keep it short and sweet... only your best stuff! If you're on the fence about something, it's cut! Chopped! Dumped! Deleted! ! You get the idea...

2.) DO try and find someone to contact at the studio you're applying to... WHO you know is as important as WHAT you know! (sad, I know... but that's the dealio)

3.) DO put it on the internet! While physical reels are important, your chances of getting some good exposure from having it online are too great to be ignored!!!

The DON'T's!!!

1.) DON'T forget to update your website! We've received applicants that literally HAD THE JOB from a reel they sent in, but provided a link to their website, which displayed some pretty mediocre(and probably old) work, which blew the deal...

2.) DON'T listen to Jason Taylor. Haha... I kid, I kid. Jason is actually one of my amigos at the studio here, and a very talented animator to boot. I couldn't follow in his "10 Quick" footsteps without taking some opportunity to bust his chops. Seriously, though... you should send him emails with all your questions: www.captainkeyframe.com

3.) DON'T lose hope. (cheesy, but true!) Hiring comes in waves, often times it's either NO ONE'S hiring or EVERYONE'S hiring. Just keep sending out your stuff until the drought lifts.

Good luck! If we do a GB movie, you can all come work for us! ;)


A huge thank you to Jeff Fowler for taking the time to do this interview. He had better be careful what he says in regards to working on the Gopher Broke movie, or he might find me on his doorstep one of these days.

Make sure you swing on over to Jeff's website to check out his "Monkey Pit" short, as well as Blur Studio's Site to watch "Gopher Broke" if you haven't already.

Thanks again, Jeff!