Speaking of ... PingRay's Issue 1

LESS IS MORE, MORE OR LESS

Two of the works in our inaugural issue abundantly demonstrate what is arguably the Net’s biggest contribution to linear (that is, non-interactive) storytelling...at least, the biggest so far.

It’s not only that “The 30-Second Bunnies Theatre” and “No Ordinary Hi” are perfectly designed and realized creations—clever, visually entertaining, send-ups of classic movies on the one hand, and of e-cards/recording sessions/tempermental actors on the other. Both make fun of filmmaking largely outside of the Net.

And it’s not only that both of these have obtained their own Net-driven community of fans, awaiting the next installment of bunny classics (e.g., see FilmStew.com ) or Hoops & Yoyo cards (see Ask Hoops & Yoyo ) … although such fandom would be hard to develop and maintain without a mass self-organizing mechanism like the Net.

It's that these two films represent the rebirth of “shorts”--short films or, in this case, short animation--made possible by the Net. In fact, even more so than the time when “shorts” ran before every movie theatre’s feature movie, we are now in the golden age of shorts...thanks to the Net.

Sure, there has been the occasional theatrical touring program or even TV series of shorts…often animation. Now and again, cable features shorts to fill up an uneven time slot. (Some of the Bunnies Theatre shorts have been shown on TV, although most were born and made available to the general public through the Net…which is why they qualify as a PingRay pick.) And theaters specializing in independent film have been showing shorts for years, but their reach is relatively small. As for music video and TV commercials (essentially, two sides of the same coin), they can on occasion rise to the level of a good short story...but the ones that do so are relatively few, and their primary distribution-- television --bubbles them up briefly before they vanish.

The fate of shorts up to now can be indicated by the answer to a single question: how many Academy Award-nominated or -winning shorts has anyone actually seen?

Now, however, with the widespread use of broadband connections, the Net  has provided the motive, means and opportunity for those interested in making short, moving image stories. It has been to short movies/animation what the New Yorker Magazine has been to short stories, writ very large--a place where the end result can be showcased. Unlike the New Yorker, however, any one can be assured of world-wide distribution very inexpensively via the Net, and, unlike theaters or TV, anyone can develop stories entirely on a personal computer without needing to transfer to video or film.

As a result of the Net, this boom in short movies/animation has led to the kind of refinement in short, moving image storytelling that the best short stories, or the best jokes, have: the quickly observed, fine details; the unique styles that might be wearing if in long-form; a fine attention to pacing; and, often, a wit and intelligence that seems as sharp as it is brief.

A golden age, like being young or having a good night’s sleep, is rarely appreciated when you’re in it. Both the bunny "classics" and the Hoops & Yoyo mini-stories, like so many other works now made for or distributed primarily through the Web, are defining a way of storytelling different from what we normally see on TV, in theaters, on DVD.

Here's to enjoying this new Golden Age as long as it lasts.

Comments

[James]

Shorts are the best, actually. How many times have you sat thruogh a long film wondering when it would end? I have no patience when online and only can watch short things. The Alien one is great.

[QueenBee]

I really like Rocky Horror its a riot. What would she do (the animator ) if she would do a real movie? a long movie that is. Could she?

[Cindy]

My fave is the It's a Wonderful Life. I watch that movie every Christmas, but won't see it the same again. Can't imagine how the creators came up with this idea - blows me away. But, being the great "bandwagoner" that I am, I'm sure I will try to imagine bunny re-enactments of other movies. Will definitely watch to see if they release more. How about Crash or Chicago?