I didn’t go to art school, but I did attend a university that ran film classes and events. Despite being a History major, I would sign up to all of the movie classes and trundle along to check out what artsy French flick was showing that week; I’d like to tell you that these actions were rooted in intellectualism and the wish to expand my mind, but to totally honest it was mainly because all of the really pretty girls seemed to congregate there. Short film app Show Me The Animation delivers a Proustian rush of those cold, winter nights spent trying to convince an incandescently beautiful Parisian exchange student that my favourite film really was La Règle du Jeu and that I had a copy of the DVD back in my dorm. For that and much more, I thank the creator of the app.
With 28 short films on display, users can flick through amusing, thoughtful and frightening mini-movies and enjoy eclectic styles from around the world. They’re all free, although you’ll have to watch an ad before some of them and you also have the option to donate a small fee of which 85% goes to the director or share it on your social media channels. You can even contact the director, uh, directly, on their Facebook or Twitter. Interviews with several directors can also be viewed on the app and some of them are really worth a look.
FanAppic received this quote from the app’s developer Jake Hobbs, “Whilst running Show Me The Animation I have the pleasure of seeing hundreds of great animated short films, often these are produced on shoe-string budgets and from the pure love and dedication of their talented directors. The app is our attempt at creating mechanisms in which filmmakers can earn revenue from their creations and support the production of their future work.” The idea of helping creative people work on their art by funding them is refreshing in a world that seems hell-bent on giving everything away for free – new directors should rejoice at this attitude shift and get on board, asap!
The monthly competition in the Do It In Ten area encourages users to create a 10-second film on a particular theme, which will lead to exposure and a potential prize of top spot publicised to all of SMTA’s fans. Another interactive area, AniJam, creates a 48-hour challenge that gives contestants two days to create a 15-90 second film on a particular theme; Hannah Welch’s bonkers bridge crossing-themed short won last year – If you’re a filmmaker yourself, check it out and see if you can do better.
All in all, it’s a great little app and the scope for growth is huge; now, if it can only introduce a social area in which I can practice my bestFrench chat up lines, I’ll be a fan for life.
