3 Misses. © Channel 4 Television.

3 Misses
A recent production by Paul Driessen, 3 Misses is in many respects typical of the Dutch director's work. Anyone familiar with some of his other films, such as The End of the World in Four Seasons (1995), might expect a complex narrative filled with subtle humor. In this case, a series of would-be rescuers fall just a bit short of saving three damsels in distress. Among them are seven dwarfs running to get to the unfortunate Snow White, along the way crossing paths with an assortment of other fairy tale characters who inevitably impede their progress.

In 3 Misses, Driessen's narratives do not appear simultaneously on the screen (End of the World had up to nine panels appearing at one time), but rather are woven together in a linear way. However, in this film he continues to play with the edges of the frame, sometimes placing his characters within boxes on the screen. Also familiar in this drawn and painted on cel film is Driessen's characteristic tendency to flatten perspective and employ a thin wavy line in rendering his figures.

Driessen's animation stands out in part because of its self-referential quality (revealing its status as a series of created images), as well as the timing and complexity of the stories he tells; they can be watched and appreciated many times. 3 Misses was produced by Nico Crama and Cinété Filmproduktie in the Netherlands, in association with the British Channel Four Television and with funding from the Dutch Film Fund. It runs 10.5 minutes and contains no dialogue.

Fishing. © Pacific Data Images.

Fishing
From Pacific Data Images comes Fishing, a computer-animated "independent project" directed and animated by David Gainey and produced by John "JR" Robeck. Watercolor effects in the film were created by Cassidy Curtis, using PDI's image processing tool-set. PDI has supported the production of several independent projects that showcase the accomplishments of its artists and serve as a ground for research and development. This film employs PDI's Fluid Dynamics Simulation System, developed by Nick Foster, who received a Sci/Tech Certificate from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. The four-minute film was debuted at SIGGRAPH `99, where it was touted as the first use of the water simulation system since the "flood sequence" in the company's feature, Antz (1998).