Saint Cloud Film Festival!
I am VERY excited to announce that This is a Ball has been accepted into the 2016 Saint Cloud Film Fest!
The #1 question people ask me…
Utah Arts Festival
This is a Ball will be screening as part of the children’s film program at the Utah Arts festival.
The festival runs June 23rd-26th. Screenings will be every half hour in the Art Yard, Noon–8PM. This program is designed for children 3 and under.
The others films playing will be:
- This Time It’s Shopping, 4 min, Maine
- Elephant and Friends, 2 min, Utah
- Movies in Clay, 3 min, Canada
- The Midnight Tourist, 5 min, Washington
- Farewell, My Short, But Brilliant Life, 3 min, New York
- This is a Ball, 4 min, New York
If your in Utah, check it out!
Blue Plum Animation Festival
This is a Ball will be screening at the Blue Plum Animation Festival this August (2016)!
You can find more information on their website once the exact dates have been finalized: http://www.blueplumanimation.com
Interviewed by Animation Mentor!
I was interviewed by Animation Mentor to discuss This is a Ball and my passion behind creating the film. It was a real honor to be included on their blog. Read it on their site or below.
Short films are known for their meaningful stories bound with compelling themes. Read along as Jeff takes us through a personal experience where he sheds light on a powerful topic that’s relevant in today’s society all over the world. Allow his story to inspire you in more meaningful ways in both life and when you animate 
– The Animation Mentor Crew
Cube vs Square
One of the questions I get asked from time to time is, “If the ball is called a ball and not a circle, why isn’t the square referred to as a cube and the triangle a pyramid?”
The idea is that the Ball is the only character with depth to his personality. The bullies are just one dimensional, hence the flat geometric terms. The only hint of the bullies having any “depth” to their soul is in the shot after the credits when the square tries to literally move forward in it’s life. In many way’s that could be the start to the next film.
Plus, I just liked the idea of calling the bully a “square” because of the slang aspect. That way when the Ball tells them off at the end and say’s, “I’d like to see you bounce, you square” it has a secondary meaning.
The Soundtrack
One element I have been most proud of is the soundtrack to the movie. I was inspired by a song I wrote with my great friend Ryan Fitzsimmons. I took the framework we had created and ran with it.
It also holds special meaning for me. Ryan had just left NYC to move to LA, so this gave me a great way to honor that friendship. Best of all, it fit the movie perfectly – even the title I Really Like Your Style – was a serendipitous element, especially once you know the message behind the movie. Because I knew that Ryan would be listening to the final audio with extra insight, I had to ensure that the final composition would meet the high standard he deserved. That kept me on my toes and made sure I asked myself tough questions along the way.
…Plus, I was able to work in a few tiny musical jokes that only he will get. I hope that those “inside jokes” give it an extra spark of life that others will feel, even without knowing the reference.
I am making my final pass to adjust the movie’s sound effects and I plan to release the completed film in Jan 2016. The abstract images in this video relate to the final movie.
Behind the Scenes: Rendering
A short time-lapse video of me working to resolve some rendering issues in Maya.
Four shots in the movie had a problem where random dark spots would appear on the geometry. I worked for a long time to try and figure out the cause. Eventually I had to resort to manually retouching over 100 frames in Photoshop.