Maureen Furniss reviews five more short films straight from the festival circuit. This month we learn about:The Shadow of Doubtby Cynthia Wells, Patrick Smith's Drink, Graceby Lorelei Pepei, Chicken Kievby Thomas Stellmach and We Are Immortal (Nous sommes immortels)by Daniel Guyonnet. Includes four QuickTime movie clips!

Jon Hofferman joins us to review short films: The Dance of the Saracen Asparagus by Christophe Le Borgne, Maria Vasilkovsky's Fur & Feathers, Run of the Mill by Borge Ring, Andreas Hykade's Ring of Fire and Paul Fierlinger's long-awaited Still Life with Animated Dogs. Includes QuickTime movie clips!

Maureen Furniss reviews short films: Daddy and I, a collective Korean student film, Hein?! by Mauricio Vidal, Renan de Moraes and Sergio Yamasaki, Au Premier Dimanche d'Août (A Summer Night Rendez-Vous), directed by Florence Miailhe, Film S Djevojcicom (Film with a Girl), directed by Daniel Suljic and Bob Godfrey's Millenium - The Musical. Includes QuickTime movie clips!

Getting to the people…

From the local bowling alley to elaborate theme parks like Disneyland to virtual reality pods, location-based entertainment has come a long way and, as Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman explains the possibilities are endless.

Fred Patten takes us inside the latest super-cool anime release coming to Japanese and (hopefully) U.S. theatres soon. Vampire Hunter D is back...and this time it's being done right. Includes a QuickTime clip!

Claire Armstrong, Tim Harrington, Victoria Livingstone.

Getting to the people…

Chris Robinson delves into the bizarre story of Ryan Larkin, once an Oscar nominated National Film Board of Canada wunderkind, now a homeless man living in Montreal. How did incredible talent, guilt, drugs, alcohol and the quest for freedom bring him to the last exit on St. Laurent Street?

The first in a provocative series (or is it just wild ranting?), Chris Robinson proposes that whether one is a festival director, working animator or studio executive, we are all simply prostitutes.

A new, healthy beginning…

Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman tries to guess what the hot animation related toys will be this gift giving season. Its a hard job year with lot of television cancellations un-merchandisable features and racy Internet content.

You never know...

A success and a failure?

Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman analyzes the summers animated releases and relays what we can all learn from their successes failures.

Part of the trick of getting hired is knowing where to be seen by the recruiters. We asked several studios about the top resources they turn to first.

Go Web Young (Wo)Man, Go Web

A live-action cover?

Time to hit the theaters…

A demo reel is a vital marketing tool for animators. The purpose of the demo reel is to get you an interview with someone who can hire you. Prepare your demo reel with care and have someone else look at it and get feedback on it before you send it out. As a recruiter, I have seen many demo reels. Here's how to make sure yours does the job--to get you that job.