By Alton Jerome McFarland
AtomFilms (located at www.atomfilms.com),
is a fantastic site that features high-quality web films. Presented
through Macromedia Flash, these films run the gamut from short comedic
animations to half-hour, live-action dramas. To get unrestricted access
to all the films on the site, one must first fill out a registration
form to obtain a username and a password. The registration is free
and only takes a moment. Also, unlike many other sites that arbitrarily
require registration, AtomFilms actually makes use of its knowledge
of individual users. Once registered, a user has the ability to create
a selection of films that he/she likes. That way others are able to
view the selections of someone whose taste they trust. This idea is
very similar to Amazon.com's ability to make musical recommendations
based on other users' input.
The content found on AtomFilms covers a wide range of topics. In
the same sitting I watched an animated short concerning a dispute
between two aliens and a half-hour, live-action piece about a Japanese
official who helped 6,000 people escape from the Nazi's in World War
II. Though the site, in accordance with the young age of the average
internet user, has a youthful feel, there is something on AtomFilms
for websurfers of all ages.
The layout of the site is simple, yet effective. The films are categorized
in several ways allowing for access based on popularity, rating, style,
etc. This makes it very easy to find something good to watch. The
most amazing thing about the site, though, is its content. I watched
several films and every one of them was extremely entertaining. Without
sites like this, such short films can only be viewed at independent
film events or on the rare television shows like MTV's canceled Liquid
Television. By using the web, filmmakers now have the ability to showcase
their work in its intended form. A single idea can now be turned into
a three-minute short film. There is no longer a need to pad the film
with extras to achieve a length worthy of television or full-length
movies. I believe that such freedom has translated into a high quality
of entertainment. Now that sketch you saw on Saturday Night Live that
went on way too long…doesn't.