# ID a film short...very little to go on! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589 "2008-12-03T23:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/1 "2008-12-03T23:20:25Z")
Fifteen or more years ago MTV had show on every once in awhile that showed several short, animated films (not like Adult Swim or Aeon Flux or any type of anime.) This specific short was absolutely brilliant. Never caught the credits or the clip again. Whoever comes up with this is absolutely insane with mad skills of all sorts! Here goes…I am so thinking that this is just not gonna happen. Anyway, it is animated, very low-tech. There is a man, alone on a flat, rectangular plane. Somehow the plane or platform (thin as a sheet of paper, but sturdy) is perfectly balanced. There is nothing on the platform except this man and a box (can’t remember if the box starts out there or just appears.) In any case man and box keep the plane in perfect balance. It’s implied that there is something significant/saving in the box, but it remains closed. Anyway, the man tries to go toward the box, balance is upset, box begins to slide off, man slides towards box. He backs up so that the box slides toward him, causing the plane to tilt dangerously the other way. Man, does it suck to be this guy. He can see the box and needs to get to the box but is stymied by the whole balance thing. Oh, the whole thing is silent, by the, way. I don’t remember any musical accompaniment. I will be grateful and stunned if someone can come up with this. I wouldn’t even know where or how to start a search with such sketchy, vague, info, but I’ve seen you people pull off some amazing things! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/2 "2008-12-03T23:30:07Z")
I don’t know the name of the short. But the MTV program you’re thinking of is almost certainly Liquid Television. I’m sure Liquid Television has fansites and a complete guide somewhere on the web. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/3 "2008-12-03T23:36:47Z")
See, I was thinking this was too long ago to have been Liquid Television, but you may be right. It’s definitely a good place to start. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/4 "2008-12-03T23:40:54Z")
Some YouTube knucklehead has cut off the credits and added a techno soundtrack to make it look like his own work, but perhaps [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4_IEvV-6z4) is what you were looking for? The original work is silent except for music coming from within the box. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/5 "2008-12-03T23:45:46Z")
Maybe it was [Balance](http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2007/12/02/balance/)? There is a still shot, and it involves 7 men, but the plot is as you describe. Sadly it is now OOP, although you might be able to view it at the [Lauenstein Bros. site](http://www.lauenstein.tv/balance_beyond/index.html), if you contact them (they are the creators). ETA: Olentzero found a highly edited version. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/6 "2008-12-03T23:53:48Z")
Missed my edit box, so came back to tell you to watch quick. I flagged that video as a copyright violation. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/7 "2008-12-04T03:02:54Z")
OH…MY…GOD… 4 minutes and nine minutes? Your powers are beyond my comprehension. I wish that the word “awe” hadn’t been used so much, because it’s not nearly strong enough. My jaw physically dropped when I saw this again. Yup, it’s still down there. You two have made my day! If you pm me, I’d love to add you both to my Christmas card list. Oh, who am I kidding!? You’ll be the only two people I send cards to this year, but I’d do it for you. Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/8 "2008-12-04T15:46:16Z")
Aw, shucks, ma’am… ‘tweren’t nothin’. _props his baseball cap back, stares off at the horizon_ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-film-short-very-little-to-go-on/475589/9 "2008-12-04T18:19:47Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > OH…MY…GOD.. 4 minutes and nine minutes? Your powers are beyond my comprehension. I wish that the word “awe” hadn’t been used so much, because it’s not nearly strong enough. My jaw physically dropped when I saw this again. Yup, it’s still down there. In all fairness, the film _did_ win an \*\*[OSCAR\*\*](http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_Awards_USA/1990#Oscar_Best_Short_Film_Animated), so it’s not exactly the most obscure film (though it is indeed terrific). Oh, who am I kidding? I’m just jealous that I didn’t log on a couple hours ago, so I would’ve gotten a little fawning… 😉