FSU College of Motion Picture Arts 2014-2015 Publication 2014-2015 | Page 18

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efore entering the industry, Ball directed his thesis pet ideas over and over.”
film titled “A Work in Progress,” the first animat- After some time the story
ed film produced at the college. The short won changed for both Ball
a student Oscar and a lot of immediate exposure in the and Nowlin. They both
industry. “The buzz around a short film only lasts for a felt the need to refocus
little while,” says Ball. “So you have to make the most of their efforts on what they
your time in the spotlight in order to turn that buzz into really wanted to do. For
work.”
Ball, it was a project he
had been sitting on for a
Ball was able to long time and was ready
sell his first pitch to put everything else on
to Warner Brothers hold for. “I was ready to
Studios within the do something for myself, The film is based on the best-sellyear, and began work to do something fun,”
ing novel by James Dashner.
on special effects for says Ball. “So I halted all
commercials. Soon, of our other productions and just worked on this one
Ball created his own idea for a big epic fantasy adventure.”
production company
called Oddball Ani- For Nowlin, the change was in his work ethic. “I hit
mation and busied himself with special effects gigs in the a point when it just seemed time to either make a real
industry.
effort, or to give it up,” says Nowlin. “So I wrote six new
first drafts in one year, literally writing by the calendar. I
Nowlin also found himself in Hollywood after gradua- left myself as much time for writing as possible.”
tion, but struggled to find his place in the business. “If
someone had asked me about my goals when I first moved This change led to the teaming of Ball and Nowlin on
to Los Angeles, I would have said I wanted to be a screen- Ball’s “fantasy adventure,” which became “Ruin.” The
writer,” says Nowlin. “But at the same time, I wasn’t short led to another moment in the spotlight, and this
really making a systematic ef