Although, seeing as how the overwhelming majority of viewers watch the films online (there will be a 2D version online in September), it’s difficult to see how the added 3D novelty will be of much benefit to the casual online viewer. Someone ought to be looking at how to translate 3D entertainment to the web experience. Oh well, here’s to great filmmaking!

Philips Press Release:

The new 3D film continues the ‘Parallel Lines’ campaign and will promote Philips’ cinematic range of 3D LED TVs, including the world’s first Full HD 3D cinema proportion LED TV, Cinema 21:9 Platinum Series, which launches later this summer. Philips’ creative agency DDB UK is collaborating with award-winning Vision3@ Compendium to manage the creative and technical aspects of the shoot and post-production. The ‘Parallel Lines’ campaign won the 2010 inaugural Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Film Craft.

The 3D film will be revealed in September and will be supported by an in-store retail experience. A 2D version of the film will also be presented on Philips.com and  YouTube. Exclusive footage of how the film was made, including interviews with the director and crew, will be released on Philips Cinema’s Facebook page during the build up to the premiere in September.

The ‘Parallel Lines’ campaign, which launched in April, challenged directors from RSA to respond to a single dialogue to demonstrate that whatever content is watched, only Philips TVs’ Ambilight technology, award-winning picture quality and superior sound, can recreate the best cinematic viewing experience at home. Since April, the 5 ‘Parallel Lines’ films have been watched over 5 million times. For this 6th film, RSA’s Barney Cokeliss was challenged to submit a treatment for a short 3D film based upon the same single dialogue.

The dialog, in case you were wondering, is a short six lines:

“What is that? It’s a unicorn. I’ve never seen one up close before. Beautiful. Get away, Get away. I’m sorry.”

In fact, if you think you can make something compelling from these lines, why not submit a film to the Tell It Your Way competition (ends August 8th). Wealth and riches await the winning film.

Latest work from Tomas Mankovsky who previously directed Sorry I’m Late.

Tomas Mankovsky’s new video “Ritalin” for Dancing Pigeons as part of Diesel:U:Music, is a foreboding yet strangely humorous depiction of a seemingly pointless modern day sword fight.

“Duels fascinate me. It used to be a popular thing, but in modern days it has died out. So I thought that probably somewhere in the States, some hillbillies are still doing it, their way.”

Press Release:

The Vimeo Festival and Awards will be a celebration of the best original and creative video that has premiered online. Our goal is to reward the individual creators behind online video and acknowledge the internet as a quality medium of expression and distribution. And of course, we’re going to do it in style.

The awards will be open to anyone who has premiered their work on any online platform. This isn’t just a Vimeo thing, it’s a video thing, and we’re opening it up to everyone. The festival will then highlight the best of online video in an exciting offline environment for all to attend. We’re cooking up some pretty cool stuff for these events, folks, and we can’t wait to tell you more about our plans.

Blu is back with another monumental graffiti animation. They seem to grow larger in scale each time (duration too, Big Bang Big Boom is nearly 15 minutes of hand-painted stop motion!). Before I jump in, there’s another topic I’d like to illuminate here: the short filmmaker’s overly-grandiose sophomoric slump.

Blu is reaching that point where an artist, boxed in by initial success around a signature style, wishes to tell a larger, more important story that transcends their early explorations—an opus, a Lawrence of Arabia. Some succeed, others don’t. And I think I know what separates the two. I remember seeing Don Hertzfeldt’s The Meaning of Life for the first time and feeling disappointingly underwhelmed by an otherwise very talented animator. Don’s work is great. He has an impeccable filmography under his belt—except for The Meaning of Life. Why? Because Don’s best work is about the subtleties in life that go unnoticed. For filmmakers like Don and Blu, these big, grand stories are much too generic. We’re drawn to these filmmakers because of their ability to reveal and extrapolate on the nuances of life not ponder its ultimate existence.

In Big Bang Big Boom, Blu takes his first foray into stringing his signature anamorphic animation style into something of a cohesive story. Wisely, he doesn’t over-complicate the narrative, but rather uses a simple theme of evolution in which to craft his street characters. Though it might initially come off as a bit grandiose, try not to take it too seriously. Glance over the larger story and spend your time with his fascinating images like the shark eaten by a group of smaller fish in the shape of a shark or the evolution of mankind told through weaponry.

Blu’s real story is in his technique which he uses to great effect. It’s nothing new. This film with these techniques could have been made 50 years ago—even 100. And yet it’s completely new. No one has so freely moved across urban wastelands from painted walls to duct work to trash and other objects. Never before has such a desolate setting breathed such life. It’s that innocently antiquated yet boldly fresh quality that makes it so mesmerizing. Enjoy the next 15 minutes of your day.

The Un-Gone his based around a strong idea ripe with moral dilemmas. Where did your inspiration for the film come from?

Well I’d been trying to come up with an idea for a science fiction short for a UK Film Council scheme for a few weeks. Something different but achievable within the form. I wasn’t getting anything that really pleased me. I’d planned a few days away in Venice with my girlfriend and we were waiting for a flight. It had been delayed a couple of hours, thick fog at Venice apparently. I suggested to her that it was a shame science hadnít yet delivered a means of transport as quick as the Transporter in Star Trek, no problem with fog there! So I think I filed that away subconsciously. I went looking for a cup of tea and all my fellow travellers were also aimlessly wondering around the concourse and shops, glazed, bored, looking for diversion. I said we were the un-gone. At an airport to travel, on the other side of security, but unable to go anywhere. And bang. The two thoughts collided. Had the script outlined by the time we got to Marco Polo airport.

I think those are the best ideas, the ones that just come. Sometimes you can sweat over an idea for ages trying to flog it into shape, shoehorn some moral or thematic core into it and the thing is like a landed fish. Dead on the dock. Easy to say I know, hard to do. The script for The Un-Gone still took thirteen drafts to bring all those moral dilemmas out though.

Do you have any favorite moments in making the film? What part of the process do you enjoy most?

Making a film is in itself the best fun you can have with your clothes on. So moments tend to blur into the process. I was lucky to work with a terrific bunch of people making it. The production designer, Bridget Dowty, and I had a huge challenge turning a disused Victorian hospital into a cutting edge transportation hub. That was hairy, hard work and also very satisfying. I’d like to say we saw a ghost but we didn’t. The police used to train in there so we kept finding rubber bullets which was pretty cool. Iíve still got some if you want one.

The bit I enjoy the most is the moment you say “action”. The blood is pumping, adrenalin has sharpened your decision-making faculties to a fine point. All the hard work is done, all the prep. As they say in magic, the work is done, all that is needed now is to perform the trick. I like to work fast then, don’t do too many takes, try different things, give myself options for the edit.

Your film has toured many festivals, what are your thoughts around posting it online now? Would are your thoughts around digital distribution? Can it work?

We didn’t post The Un-Gone online until recently basically because we wanted to explore all other distribution options first. We were lucky and it touched a nerve with audiences and festival programmers and it played in almost 70 festivals, literally all over the world. On the way it garnered eight awards and I don’t know what that says about me or the film but it has to say something. We also had DVD distribution in the States (via Dark Matter). That wouldn’t have happened if it was free to view on the internet from the outset.

But I think digital distribution is going to become more and more important. I’m not sure anyone knows what the future model is right now. The Un-Gone was shot on HD. I’d stake my life on a bet that the overwhelming proportion of film is now shot that way, a total digital work flow. There are digital formats that replicate, if not surpass, the image quality of film. It’s cheaper, faster and easier to produce. I’m sure it’s cheaper and easier to send a film as a computer file to a cinema than it is an unwieldy film print.

I think digital exhibition is done now in China and South America and let’s face it schools, film societies and some art house cinemas in the UK are showing digitally now. It just makes sense for the major distributors to follow suit. Logistics will be cheaper and in the long run enable a greater number of films, with perhaps a smaller audience potential, to gain distribution as the costs of getting them to market will be in keeping with their anticipated revenue. It seems we’re at the cusp of a change similar to one the music industry has already gone through. And I for one welcome it with open arms. The Un-Gone is after all about the ultimate digital distribution.

What’s next for you?

The Un-Gone was a while ago now so I have already moved on. Finished another short last year, Studs, which despite its title isn’t about anything sexual. It’s a thriller set during a Rugby Union match—that’s football without helmets for the Americans in the audience. And I’m also developing two feature films with independent producers in the UK, one a science fiction thriller and the other a horror. And of course I’m developing the feature version of The Un-Gone. Reactions, feedback and encouragement are very very positive. Can’t say more but it’s going well.

Do you have any favorite films that our readers should immediately go see online?

Ah that’s a question. Films online, ah. Well I always watch the ones you guys publicise and I browse Vimeo. There are some incredible short films, mood pieces and experiments on there.

I think everyone is attracted to their own thing and I’d hate to suggest something that someone checks out then doesn’t enjoy. But alright there are a couple that stick in my mind which are on YouTube I think. 10 minutes by Ahmed Imamovic which when it starts you think is a light hearted tourist comedy but that soon changes to something much darker and visceral. Ten minutes in one person’s life means nothing, but for someone else those same minutes can be life changing. Itís brave, bold and a stunning example of a director handling shot logistics.

Scene from the film White Red Panic

Similarly White Red Panic, written, directed, and edited by Ayz Waraich pithily and succinctly explores the fatal consequences of a moral choice in a neat little thriller. Starts with a bang, ends with….well check it out.

The Un-Gone played in a festival with a film called Tarot by John Condon, it’s only 17 seconds but I thought it was hilarious. I’m sure that must be online. Oh and yeah I saw a New Zealand short called The French Doors ages ago, chilled me to the bone, still remember it. Wonder if that’s online?

Thanks go out to Simon for taking the time to chat. You can check out his website for further news and updates on his projects.

MARS! from Joe Bichard and Jack Cunningham on Vimeo.

This stylized, short animation by Joe Bichard and Jack Cunningham tells the painfully familiar tale of one species colonizing another and sucking its resources dry. The environmental message can’t help but conjure up connections to the ongoing oil leakage that’s devastating the southern US coastlines. The animation style itself is very minimal, almost pictographic, in it’s approach. There is no dialogue and none is needed. I can image this format working well as a universal form of communication—the airport signage of story-telling.

Kseniya was in a tough spot just 2 years ago. She was a 23 year old Ukraine artist who had to let her business go during the worst of the financial meltdown. It was time for her to take a risk—and that risk was an unusual one—sand animation. Now sand isn’t an entirely new medium for animation. Caroline Leaf pioneered the technique back in 1968 with Sand or Peter and the Wolf by manipulating scenes of sand backlit on a light box and shooting each step frame by frame in what must have been agonizing work—and certainly not a captivating performance.

But Kseniya has changed all that. Over the course of a few years, she developed a new technique of illustrating her scenes in realtime before a live audience—swiping sand this way and dragging her fingers that way to craft scenes that slowly emerge from one another. The beauty of the technique is in it’s simplicity. It follows what most historians will tell you is one of the oldest forms of visual storytelling. Many early cultures used sticks, stones, and even their hands—carving scenes and characters into the sand around them—bringing life to their spoken stories. And yet, the sheer popularity of this film (it’s hit 14 million views on YouTube!) could only come about in an age where modern technology makes it possible to broadcast that story to millions of people around the world.

The story in Kseniya’s untitled 8-minute masterpiece tells of the German conquest of Ukraine in the second world war. Kseniya builds peaceful scenes of parks and baby cribs only to bombard them with a flurry of sand in which she crafts faces of agony and despair. The message is clear even if the details aren’t, and the weight of war on the women and children who survive is felt by the audience.

Though Kseniya has proved she has talent (she took home first place on the show along with $125,000), it’s unclear as to where she will go next. As with other talent show winners, much of their performance is built on the uniqueness of the contestant’s talent and their ability to dodge our expectations (Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent). That sort of surprise makes for a great first viewing but is often difficult to sustain. Kseniya has a few other performances from the show on YouTube, however none seem to match the impact of the first. But who can say how her career will evolve. Perhaps in the face of another challenge, she will find a way to reinvent herself once again.

Animator Stephen Irwin, known for creating one of our favorite films of 2009, The Black Dog’s Progress, has just posted a newer piece titled Atomic Hubbub courtesy of Future Shorts.

Stephen takes an atomic-era instructional voiceover on how to survive a nuclear attack and acts out absurd scenes through his signature black and white style. It’s not a new idea, but often times old ideas have never been done right—and Atomic Hubbub has done it best… so far.

Framed as a bedtime story, Tarboy begins with a grandfather robot telling little Billy robot of a time when greedy men ruled the world and forced robots to work all day. When robots began being dumped into landfills, the souls of the robots melted into the tar pits and were reincarnated as Tarboy—a boy made of a million robot souls seeking revenge. We follow his journey to his inevitable demise.

The visual style is fairly minimal. More flat than I typically care for, but the simple silhouetted shots work well. The fight sequence in the dark is just beautiful to watch and beautifully choreographed with the music. The use of language is great. It’s fast and rhythmic, at times almost musical, but it’s the small whimsical touches to vary the pace that I particularly enjoy (”Grandpa, you swore.” “Shut up, Billy!”).

Created by James Lee, Tarboy is a unique voice. James has absorbed pop culture, chopped it up, and served it back to us. And with over a million views on Newgrounds and YouTube, audiences are enjoying Tarboy. We focus a lot on deep, cerebral stories and sometimes forget there is also a strong draw toward films with interesting attitude and character that focus more on emotion than reason. Though we sometimes look down on it, I’ve seen enough interesting yet boring films to admit there is a talent to making something entertaining.

So far, this one short is the only Tarboy film, but James appears to be developing future installments. Keep tabs on Tarboy and James’s other adventures in storytelling at Tarboy.com.

Best Animated Short

Logorama

by F. Alaux, H. de Crecy, L. Houplain

Best Live Action Short

The New Tenants

by Joachim Back

Best Documentary Short

Music by Prudence

by Roger Ross Williams

Let’s be honest. The story is good, but the visual art direction (or “aesthetic orchestration” as the film puts it) is outstanding—a perfect blend of new age and nostalgia. David puts the digital aesthetic on display in a very authentic way. His compositions reflect the three quarter view of old video games (not unlike A Volta), and at times even uses raw 3D wireframes to portray a characters inner thoughts. Please Say Something makes no attempt to hide it’s construction methods.

The animation is amazing. The pacing and movement of the characters is fast. Watching David play with perspective in referencing security cameras and time-lapse photography, I’m reminded of my first time seeing Aronofsky’s experimental camerawork in Requiem For a Dream. My only quip would be the sometimes overly-exaggerated camera movements when sweeping through rooms.

But it’s the full package that make this film special—the juxtaposition of many opposing things. It’s uniqueness comes from it’s disparity. Told any other way, the story would be ho-hum. The visuals, used for any other brand of story would be entertaining but shallow. It’s a film that has to be done the way it is and must never change—not unlike Cracker Jacks.

I must admit that I am infatuated with this short. I realize that my love is likely disproportionate and temporary, but that is little consolation. Please Say Something is a new favorite of mine.

Note*  — “This was one of the 10 excellent Sundance offerings this year. Check out the other 9 selections here“

The Machine, by Rob Shaw of Bent Image Lab, is an entertaining stop-motion fable about a man-made machine who knows no bounds to his power. I’ve had this in my queue for awhile but knew I couldn’t let it pass without sharing with you. I love Angela Poschet’s voiceover.

Description via Vimeo:

“The Machine” is an animated fable following the path of an innocently forged mechanical creature. As his independence and knowledge of the world grows on his journey, as does his desire to conquer all that we encounters, from the pastures of a farmer to the realm of man’s entire world.

The story is in itself a mechanized apparition, the characters and scenery exisiting inside of an early 20th century nickel arcade and being driven forward by the gears of this machine.

The main character, the innocently created, human like mechanism whose power knows no bounds, thinks of himself as invincible, that no man or spirit could ever overpower him. Yet, the irony is that he himself is only a small part of a greater device, and in this case, a mechanized stage for passers by to waste a nickel in.

This film was shot over many hours at Bent Image Lab over the course of several months in 2008-2009. Animated using stop-motion puppets and sets, then composited together in After Effects, the film has a mixed media presence to it that is accentuated by the machine’s own collage like form.

Who deserves the win? Toss your hat into the mix and vote. Many of the films can be found online:

Watch Animated Shorts (via Ticklebooth)

Short Film (Live Action)
The Door—Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
Instead of Abracadabra—Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
Kavi—Gregg Helvey
Miracle Fish—Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
The New Tenants—Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

View the full list »

Animated cartoons that strike a chord with audiences young and old are the gold that the Hollywood studios dream. Too bad most end up smothered by pop culture references and watered-down stereotypical characters in bland stories. Adventure Time is a cartoon that gets it right. It features interesting, smart characters that actually say smart things.

Watch Adventure Time on YouTube or Frederator

It's been a great year for online films which has made it tough for us. Nevertheless, all of us here at Short of the Week have banded together to bring to you the official top 10 online films of 2009. Like a well-balanced meal, there's a little bit of everything: comedy, drama, animation, and plenty of stuff too difficult to categorize. One thing is for sure, you're certain to find a gem. So sit back, refill your eggnog, and enjoy the best films of 2009.

Duration: 103 min

1

Skhizein

Drama about  Decay in  3D Animation
July 31, 2010

A meteorite encounter causes a man to exist 91cm from himself in this beautifully haunting illustration of a self-destructive mind.

2

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

Sci-Fi about  Desperation in  Stop-Motion
July 31, 2010

Adventurous tale of a navigator's journey to save his ailing wife set in a beautiful world of Victorian science-ficiton.

3

Hirsute

Sci-Fi about  Growth in  Live-Action
July 31, 2010

A young time traveler is confronted by an arrogant and hairless future version of himself.

4

The Most Beautiful Man in the World

Drama about  Childhood in  Live-Action
July 31, 2010

At a major moment in her life, a young girl encounters an unknown man outside her house, in this ambiguous, poetic film.

5

That's Magic!

Musical about  Redemption in  Live-Action
July 31, 2010

A dispassionate master of the stage is brought to see the magic around us every day

6

Sorry I'm Late

Adventure about  Perseverence in  Stop-Motion
July 31, 2010

A fun, simple story of a man's adventure getting home all animated in life-size, stop-motion with real people and bizarre objects.

7

Spider

Dark Comedy about  Revenge in  Live-Action
July 31, 2010

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

8

The Black Dog's Progress

Experimental about  Abuse in  Animation
July 31, 2010

Tragic story of a dog's trail through abusive owners told through a series of cascading flip books

9

The Cat Piano

Fantasy about  Loss in  Animation
July 31, 2010

A dark, animated fantasy pulled off with style and panache. The Musicians of this cat-town have disappeared, sacrificed to the infernal Cat Piano. Our world-weary hero must fight to get them back.

10

Photograph of Jesus

Documentary about  Life & Society in  Stop-Motion
July 31, 2010

The humorous requests received at a photographic archive are the fodder for this splendid animation.

Anxious for your creepy holiday films, I know, so allow me to present Alma. This 3D animation by Pixar alum, Rodrigo Blaas, is beautiful to watch and very well-crafted as a story. Enjoy it for a limited time this holiday season.

This fast-paced, rambunctious musical centers on a parking attendant who dispenses free parking and free compliments—validation of a greater kind. It’s the kind of simple play on words that makes for a fun 5-min short, but here director, Kurt Kuenne, strings out into a broader story. We follow the attendant as his gift for sincerity grows to international proportions. At a visit to the DMV, he meets his true love—a beauty behind the camera with a curse of the frowns. His life mission now is to win her over with sincerity and bring a smile to her face. He fails at first, of course. But then he fails again. And again. Eventually falling so far that he loses his faith. Eventually though, a small favor he does wins over his true love, and he’s finally given his own validation. It’s predictable, but that doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s how the film MUST be. Validation is a film that itself validates the good nature of human beings.

Or so you might think. Validation is actually a film about action. It doesn’t ask us for faith in human nature but rather calls on us to create it by consciously looking for the good and dignity in everyday people.

Do I even need to point out that TJ Thyne does an amazing acting job in this role? You may know his work from the TV series Bones.

After winning recognition at a number of national festivals, Kurt posted Validation online last year. To further prove its broad appeal, it’s been screened for a number of spiritual organizations, leadership training programs, and corporate employees to boost morale.

Watch Kurt’s other shorts online: Slow

via FirstShowing.net

It’s the 1970’s and Major League Baseball is far from the drug-scrutinized organization it is today. Pitcher, Dock Ellis, tells a hilarious, meandering story that leads him to one of his greatest moments in the sport. The animation is graphic and simple—like a graphic novel set to spoken words. This is definitely worth 5 minutes of your time.

Play »

The Cat Piano—Eddie White and Ari Gibson

French Roast—Fabrice O. Joubert

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty—Nicky Phelan

The Kinematograph—Tomek Baginski

The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)—Javier Recio Gracia

Logorama—Nicolas Schmerkin

Play

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death—Nick Park (Aardman Animations)

Partly Cloudy—Peter Sohn (Pixar)

Runaway—Cordell Barker

Variete—Roelof van den Bergh

via The Wrap

El V replaces fellow writer Ian Lumsden who is stepping down to focus on new career opportunities. He will be missed. Catch Ian on his blog, The Animation Blog, or roaming the discussion boards here.

This is a great collage of moments. As the name suggests, many of these moments occur between places or events in time. Filmmaker, Tim Bollinger, and cinematographer, Daniel Meinl, do a great job of transitioning between these moments using continuous shots and careful compositing. And in a way, these in-between instants are the highlights themselves. How deep can you slice this? I may have gone too far already. Enjoy the pretty shots.

Play »

It’s a story so familiar that it almost demands the use of cryptic metaphors and symbolic imagery. A visual poem—what I consider Un Tour De Manége to be. And you know how I love poetry (The Spider, At the Quinte Hotel).

Stylistically, Un Tour De Manége is stunning. It’s rainbowed watercolor-like warmth reflects the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a child exploring color for the first time. Far it is from the cold, lifeless characters common to 3D animation. Applause please for Les Manéges— filmmakers Nicolas Athané, Brice Chevillard, Alexis Liddell, Francoise Losito, and Mai Nguyen. All students of the seemingly unstoppable, Gobelins in France. They are so good with their visual storytelling—you can faintly see dandelion seeds floating out to sea as the girl is first separated from her mother—a subtle summation of the events unfolding. The characters play the parts but the details tell the story.

In the end, our little heroine is rescued from the dark depths and reunited with her mother. And thus, the ride begins again…

The motion designer, Andy Martin, has put together an interesting music video for a long forgotten 1970’s British punk band. Though 30 years defunct, the Johnny 7 Combo has nevertheless managed a comeback via MySpace and other social networking sites.

In this video, Andy sticks to hand animation techniques using only newspaper and paint. The effect mostly works at capturing the lo-fi energy of the band’s music.

Watch it »

To see how Andy created it, check out his Making Of »