Short but action-packed films?

November 3, 2009 12:51 PM

Please help me find short films (animated or live action) that I can watch online. Difficulty: only looking for action/adventure-themed shorts.

I'm trying to find short films online (10 minutes and under) that involve fight scenes, heists, explosions, car chases, etc-- all the tropes of action/adventure movies. If it happens to be set in a sci-fi world = extra awesome. I know this is rare since short films usually have low budgets.

I'm NOT interested in excerpts from feature length films.

I've already watched the Aeon Flux shorts from Liquid Television, and the BMW short films. What else can you recommend that I'd be able to watch online? Thanks in advance!

posted by np312 to media & arts (9 answers total)

G.I. Joe: Resolute might still be online, I'm not sure...

The Gotham Girls shorts might qualify, although they're maybe not quite as action packed as you're looking for.

Oh, and there's also the Erin Esurance ads.
posted by fearthehat at 1:05 PM on November 3, 2009

I really like the Russian Climbing parkour video
posted by mearls at 1:17 PM on November 3, 2009

alive in joburg
posted by phil at 1:20 PM on November 3, 2009

Drop the gun!: Short with a one-on-one gun faceoff on Vimeo

Underground: Car park fight scene, well done on a very low budget. Decent choreography.

Also check out stuff by Stu Maschwitz (the writer of DV Rebel and brains behind Magic Bullet color correction software) as he has shot a bunch of short action movies that by no means are great but are a good example of low budget shorts. Here's one he shot with a consumer level DSLR...some great choreography and some very interesting shot composition (particularly like the one where the hero gets thrown to the ground, almost right at the camera at ground level, then spins on his back and fends off his attacker! Great shot!)
posted by Khazk at 1:33 PM on November 3, 2009

BMW Films might fit the bill.
posted by chairface at 1:43 PM on November 3, 2009

Some of Nash Edgerton & Co's short films?

(Really short? ;-)
posted by Pinback at 3:55 PM on November 3, 2009

Venture Brothers on Adult Swim?
posted by JJ86 at 4:32 PM on November 3, 2009

I like the student film Pyrats (and it's only a minute of your time).
posted by Upton O'Good at 9:28 PM on November 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

Neil Blomkamp, who directed the very gritty and action-packed District 9, was also hired to create a few Halo-themed short films back when it looked like he might be picked to helm the feature film version. It depicts a team of soldiers dispatched to a besieged military installation in Pakistan to deploy a laser tracking device critical to the game's plot.

You can watch it in HD on YouTube: Halo: Landfall

In the same vein, there's the short film produced for one of the follow-up games, Halo 3: ODST. It's a bit more artful than the Blomkamp piece and not as flinchy with the fast cuts -- it shows the development and training of one of the game's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, a special forces type that drops into combat from space in a reinforced capsule. It's only 2:31 long, but packs in a surprisingly high level of production value.

Here it is in HD: We Are ODST
posted by Rhaomi at 2:59 AM on November 4, 2009 [1 favorite]