Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs in short-format productions, whether they are high-budgeted commercials, low-budgeted independent shorts or something in-between. The growing number of short film festivals around the world attests to the vitality of these works, but there are few other venues for their exhibition, and are they rarely reviewed. As a result, distribution tends to be difficult and irregular. On a regular basis, Animation World Magazine will highlight some of the most interesting of these films.

This month:

Drux Flux (2008), 4:45, directed by Theodore Ushev (Canada). Contact: Johanne St-Arnauld, Director General, Distribution, National Film Board of Canada. [T] 514-283-2703 [F] 514-496-1895 [W] www.nfb.ca [E] customerservice@nfb.ca

The Old, Old, Very Old Man (2007), 6:38, directed by Elizabeth Hobbs (U.K.). Contact: Elizabeth Hobbs, Spellbound Animation. [W] www.spellboundanimation.co.uk [E] lizzy@spellboundanimation.co.uk

Sandbox (2006), 3:10, directed by Avi Ofer (Israel). Contact: [W] www.aviofer.com [E] aviofer@gmail.com

The Waif of Persephone (2006), 12:17, directed by Nick Cross (Canada). Contact: Nick Cross, Do It For Me Productions, 1618 Fisher Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C1X6, Canada [T] 613-228-7253 [W] www.pyatyletka.com, pyatyletka.blogspot.com [E] nick@pyatyletka.com

The editing and art direction shine in Drux Flux and Theodore Ushev captures exactly the mood and message that he set out to achieve. © 2008 National Film Board of Canada.

Drux Flux
Whether by accident or design, the short films that appear in any given month's "Fresh from the Festivals" column often follow patterns. This month, for example, everyone seems to have been given the prompt: "The world is doomed, but we've still got to live in it."

Theodore Ushev's Drux Flux presents a dystopian look at industrialism and its role in modern life. The short opens with a printing press, which Ushev uses to present the film's opening titles. That scene gives way, through a quick cut, to an elevated train, which gives way to a cityscape, which gives way to the interior of a building, then to the building's inner workings. The cuts are rapid, and the fast pace is maintained throughout the film.

The quick cuts follow the rise and fall of industry, accompanied by an increasingly cacophonous soundtrack, courtesy of composer Alexander Mossolov. Scenes from Soviet propaganda posters are juxtaposed with the clashing of gears and girders, culminating in a clip-art style human skeleton reinforced with building materials, yet still unable to support itself. The result is like a nightmare brought about by reading a stack of Architectural Digest while listening to an off-speed recording of Verdi's Anvil Chorus.

Ushev drew his inspiration for the film from a variety of sources. Philosopher Herbert Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man is cited as his starting point, with his exploration of the ideological and artistic excesses of the 20th century. Ushev's travels through abandoned industrial areas of Germany made a deep impression upon him. One building was an "enormous body of metal and rust. It smelled of rotting death. I suddenly thought: Where we are going? What will happen when the industrial world reaches its end?"

Despite the film's "documentary" appearance, it is animated through a series of digital stills, manipulated with After Effects, Adobe Flash and Adobe Photoshop. Additional drawings on paper were scanned and composited with the still images, and the camera shaking affects were created with DFT plug-ins. No actual video footage was used in production of the short.

The editing and art direction of Drux Flux are incredible, and Ushev's film captures exactly the mood and message that he set out to achieve. It's an outstanding effort, stylish and very technically accomplished.