The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl

Directed By Michael Roush

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Michael: My film is an Animated Nature Documentary that seen through the eyes of the endangered Burrowing Owl.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

Michael: I love the idea for seeing a world that you are familiar with through a different pair of eyes, and thus seeing it totally differently.  Owls have beautiful eyes.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

Michael: This film was made at Titmouse Animation Studio and I basically constantly begged and stole people from other projects to help me out.

IE: How did you find your cast?

Michael: I actually found my Narrator on the Palm Spring Ariel Tramway. It is a gondola that takes tourists up a mountain near Palm Springs. They have a nature narration that plays during the trip and I fell in love with the voice. A couple months later I had tracked Ed Kibbey down; the rest is history.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

Michael: The film took about 14 month from idea to final edit.

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

 Michael: My process is really bases heavily on a detailed animatic. Since Animation can be really costly to scrap a shot I basically edited first, then got the shots I needed. I find animation works well this way.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

Michael: The Backgrounds. I tried a couple different approaches to get the look I wanted. I ended up using a combination of Photoshop drawing and photo matte paintings to get the realistic feel I wanted.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?

Michael: The moment that always stands out for me in almost any animated project I do is the completion of the first shot. Most shots start out in theory and it isn’t until you see it move that you know if it will even work. I love that part.

IE: Tell us about the film’s festival experience so far?

Michael: Well, I’ve had a really good run so far. My film premiered at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and had a really good reception. This is my first film so I was totally overwhelmed and jazzed by the experience.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the AFI festival?

Michael: I am definitely looking forward to seeing and meeting some great filmmakers.

IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

Michael: The most interesting Q&A so far was definitely the Director’s Breakfast at Annecy. The interview was great because the interviewer (Serge Bromberg) didn’t hold back at all and asked me really thorough questions. I think one was “Why didn’t you animated this in 3d?” I had never been so directly asked to explain myself. It was great because the audience was really informed about animation techniques so I didn’t have to put my answer in linemen’s terms.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

Michael: All kinds, I’m a big fan of such a wide range of stuff. Just recently I have rediscovered Little Miss Sunshine, a great movie and really well crafted.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

Michael: A lot of reasons made me want to be a filmmaker. One reason I guess is the frustration of not seeing what I wanted to see in the world of animation and short films. I think there is still something that I haven’t seen yet.

 IE: What is next for you?

Michael: Getting back in that directing chair. By day I’m and Animator for Titmouse Animation, but by night I love to get my own projects off the ground.

IE: What is next for the film?

Michael: Right now we are doing the Festival circuit.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

Michael: Make someone, anyone give you deadlines. I find with my busy schedule it is so easy to put of writing something or doing my pre-film leg work that if I don’t have someone waiting to see what I’ve done it is too easy to put it off. This is the pit fall of personal films.

IE: What are your favorite short films currently on the festival circuit? (Like your short film playlist)

Michael: Oktapodi is great, Cairn by Hanne Larsen is brilliant, Crossbow by David Michod was really good, Procrastination by Johnny Kelly is perfect,  My Rabbit Hoppy is hilarious, there are a lot I’ve liked this year.