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

This month:
Firehouse (1998), 5.5 min., directed by Bärbel Neubauer, Germany. Info: Bärbel Neubauer Productions, Lindwurmstrasse 207, 90337 Munich, Germany. Tel/fax: 49 89 74 70 701. E-mail: baerbelneubauer@csi.com.
The Albatross (1998), 14.5 min., directed by Paul Bush, England. Info: Ancient Mariner Productions Ltd., 93 Lausanne Road, London, England. Tel: 44 171 635 7533.
My Father's Story (1998), 10.5 min., directed by Mary Kocol, USA. Info: Mary Kocol, PO Box 441467, Sommerville MA 02144, USA. URL: www.ne-arts.net/mkocol.
The End of the Earth (1998), 7 min., directed by Konstantin Bronzit, France. Info: Folimage Valence Production, 6 rue Jean Bertin, 26000 Valence, France. Tel: 33 04 75 78 48 68. E-mail: folimage@wanadoo.fr.
The Indescribable Nth (1999), 9 min., directed by Oscar Moore, USA. Info: Character Builders, 1476 Manning Parkway, Powell, OH 43065, USA. Tel: 614-885-2211. E-mail: cbuilders@cbuilders.com. URL: www.cbuilders.com.

If you have the QuickTime plug-in, you can view a clip from each film by simply clicking the image.

Firehouse. © Bärbel Neubauer.

Firehouse
In May 1999, Animation World Magazine asked me, "If you were stranded on a desert island, which ten films would you take with you?" One of my choices was Roots (1996), a direct-on-film animation by sound and image composer Bärbel Neubauer. It is not much of a surprise, then, that I also enjoyed one of Neubauer's other works, Firehouse (Feuerhaus); in fact, I might sneak it onto that island along with Roots. To my mind, Firehouse is one of Neubauer's most fully-realized films, in part because of the lively, intriguing score she has composed for it and the way in which this soundtrack works with her images.

Like all of Neubauer's direct-on-film animations, images in Firehouse are primarily abstract in nature, though recognizable forms appear from time to time. In this case, she has exposed 35 mm film stock with a flashlight, using bits of natural matter (such as grasses) to create forms on the film stock. Neubauer has been consistently productive, creating eleven short direct-on-film animations since 1993, most of which have been screened in festivals and some of which have been commissioned for advertising purposes. Worldwide, she is the most productive and innovative artist specializing in the direct-on-film technique (though she also has directed live-action films). Firehouse has no dialogue, only an electronic score.