1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I'm a director/animator/editor who grew up in the Arizona desert before moving to Portland, Oregon. I've always loved the escapism of film, and when I discovered animation I realized that I could tell stories that wouldn't be limited by my resources.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

The inspiration for my short came from Charles O'Rear's photograph Bliss, which was used as the default desktop background for the massively popular Windows XP. The image itself was likely chosen for its neutrality, acting like a palate cleanser for the computer user. Yet during the 2000s Windows XP dominated the worldwide computer market, allowing O'Rear's photograph to be seen by millions of people everywhere. I was fascinated by this tension: a simple (some may say boring) image entering the global consciousness by sheer force of marketing power.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

The biggest challenge in making this film was maintaining focus during the chaos of 2020. I and many people I know questioned the importance of creative careers when the world was facing overwhelming crises. Yet working on "Bliss" was a wonderful distraction for me, and I zeroed in on the notion that all things - whether a photograph's cultural significance or a pandemic - will end eventually.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I watched Studio Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty for the first time recently and was blown away. I love Ghibli's commitment to complex characters and rich worlds, while not being afraid of melancholy.

5) What’s next for you?

For my next project I want to focus on queerness, which is something I avoided exploring back when I was in the closet myself. Yet I don't want to tell a story about repression or prejudice... my goal is to depict the wonders of queer euphoria.

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zacharylorenjones.com | IG: @zalojo