Hothouse 2. Amy Lockhart, Howie Shia, Marielle Guyot, Kevin Langdale, Thea Pratt & Megann Reid. (Directors). Janeyt Perlman (Mentoring Director). Michael Fukushima (Producer). David Verral (Executive Producer). Montreal, PQ: National Film Board of Canada, 2006. 12 min., 32 sec., VHS or DVD, $99.95. Order Number: 153C 0106 389. Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 and up. Review by Frank Loreto. *** /4
	Hothouse 3. Rachel Peters, Elizabeth Belliveau, Kelly Sommerfeld, Damien Hess, Anne Koizumi & Patrick Doyon (Directors). Michael Fukushima (Producer). David Verrall (Executive Producer). Montreal, PQ: National Film Board of Canada, 2006. 13 min., 26 sec., VHS or DVD, $99.95. Order Number: 153C 0106 209. Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 and up. Review by Frank Loreto. *** /4

Creativity under pressure can lead to some interesting developments. In Hothouse 2 and Hothouse 3, artists are placed under an intense, three month time limit to see what they can produce. The results are as varied as the media each employs. All products are animated works that are well under two minutes. At first glance, the results are odd, but interesting animated shorts. Some make sense; others do not.

     Hothouse 2 presents the final animations, and, afterwards, the individual artists are given the chance to explain their work and what they intended to convey.

     Hothouse 3 also shows the final productions, but the discussion afterwards is more in-depth. Other players in the process are also featured, and the difficulty of attaching sound and music is presented.

     In both films, the challenges and the demands of animation are clear. What some of the artists intended at the outset required rewriting or revising. The final product is not necessarily what the artist expected at the beginning. As each of the artists is pleased by her/his end result, viewers can see not only the organic nature of film making, but the work that goes into making a very short film.

     These films are short and could be used to analyze technique, theme and medium. Then, it would be interesting to compare the students' analysis with the artists' intents.

     Each of the animations is very different and would serve as the beginning of many discussions on technique. However, these films would be for a very limited audience.

     Only recommended for those classes dealing with animation or film production.

Recommended with reservations.

Frank Loreto is a teacher-librarian at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton, ON.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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