Bothered Bot from Jennifer Harlow on Vimeo.
Bothered Bot, a film by Jennifer Harlow (Film/Video BFA 10), is one of 24 student films to make the program for the School of Film/Video’s Character Animation Producers’ Show tonight in North Hollywood. It’s the first time one of her films has been selected by the faculty for the highly anticipated show, and understandably, she’s a little nervous.
“I’m more nervous about how the film’s going to look on the big screen,” said Harlow. (That and the fact that the theater will not only be filled with her CalArts peers, but also industry personnel from studios like Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks.) “I’ve been to the show for the past three years, and it’s amazing to see all these professional artists you admire.”
Bothered Bot tells the story of a robot struggling against the odds and elements while trying to get his ship’s battery back. “It’s a simple story that let me focus on the animation,” she said. “I knew I wanted to have a character that would be a lot of fun to work on and wouldn’t get boring.”
Harlow cites Looney Toons and Chuck Jones‘ animation as sources of inspiration for her work, although the film’s central character was developed a little closer to home. The robot, with its spider-like legs and movements, has taken on characteristics of several of her pets, including her parrot and cat.
“He started out as a little doodle. With his pointy feet, he couldn’t get traction on a slippery surface,” Harlow said. There lies the conflict of the film, which leads often to humorous results.
The list of films for the Character Animation Producers’ Show follows (in alphabetical order):
Eric Anderson (Film/Video BFA 11): The Hardest Jigsaw
Kris Anka (Film/Video BFA 11): A Bear Film
Sabrina Cotugno (Film/Video BFA 12): Night Parade
Mallory Dyer (Film/Video BFA 13): Hughbert
Jennifer Harlow (Film/Video BFA 10): Bothered Bot
Manny Hernandez (Film/Video BFA 13): Blew Dandelion
Ben Holm (Film/Video BFA 13): In A Nut Shell
Eliza Ivanova (Film/Video BFA 10): The Real McCoy
Trevor Jones (Film/Video BFA 12): The Sasquatch and the Girl
Zesung Kang (Film/Video BFA 11): Dad?
Jeff Liu (Film/Video BFA 11): Eat!
Jeff Liu (Film/Video BFA 11): sl9
Amelia Lorenz (Film/Video BFA 12): Change In The Weather
Eddie Moreno (Film/Video BFA 10): Dusk
Michael Rianda (Film/Video BFA 11): Work
Jeffrey Rowe (Film/Video BFA 11): 1995
Ryan Shaw (Film/Video BFA 10): D is for Danger
Hyunjoo Song (Film/Video BFA 11): Red
Vitaliy Strokous (Film/Video BFA 13): StarSwept
Shion Takeuchi (Film/Video BFA 11): When The Time Is Ripe
Jenessa Warren (Film/Video BFA 11) For A Long Time
Glenn Williamson (Film/Video BFA 11): The H.C
David Wolter (Film/Video BFA 13): Russ’s Funk
Michelle Xin (Film/Video BFA 11): SunGuy