FSU College of Motion Picture Arts 2014-2015 Publication 2014-2015 | Page 16

THE

MAZE

RUNNER
and a

Story of Triumph

Two years ago, an animated short titled “Ruin” became a viral sensation,
garnering over five million hits on YouTube. Created by Wes Ball (BFA Production
‘02) along with screenwriter T.S. Nowlin (BFA Production ‘03), the project was
released through Ball’s production company Oddball Animation. The short
captured the attention of producers at 20th Century Fox Studios, and as a result
Ball and Nowlin were brought on to adapt the feature film version of the dystopian
novel The Maze Runner, written by bestselling author James Dashner.
Though Ball and Nowlin are now working in the industry doing what they love,
their beginnings were humble. Both filmmakers grew up in small Florida towns,
but they had big dreams of success in the entertainment industry. As graduates of
the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts, the team’s path to their current success,
like the feature film, is a great story.

by Nick McKaig

16 - FSU College of Motion Picture Arts

film.fsu.edu - CMPA News - 17
Image provided by 20th Century Fox