It's easy to forget that even now-legendary directors had to start somewhere. Doodlebug is an early effort by Christopher Nolan, about a man trying to kill an annoying pest in his squalid home.

In addition to being in black and white, several of the shots are reminiscent of Memento's noirish vibe, especially the phone receiver in the water. There's also a clear connection to Eraserhead and other Lynchian horrors, with a touch of Rod Serling thrown in for good measure. And the effect looks as if it was made from hand-cut celluloid, a time-consuming effort that might make someone appreciate having the kinds of digital tools that enhanced Interstellar.

• Doodlebug (1997)- Christopher Nolan Short Film [HD] (YouTube / Pensare Films) Read the rest “Watch Christopher Nolan's 1997 short horror film "Doodlebug"”

Playground compiles 2,000 Google Earth images of American football fields, then plays them alphabetically at a speed where they become hypnotic. Read the rest “Trippy film flashes 2,000 aerial shots of football fields in three minutes”

Watch our longtime Boing Boing TV collaborator Eric Mittleman's short film, 'Legacy.'

It's free to screen online at YouTube and Vimeo, and has been running on-board Virgin America flights, where Eric and I produce the Boing Boing channel full of wonderful videos.

About 'Legacy,' Eric tells us, Read the rest “'Legacy,' a short film from Eric Mittleman”

If you’re looking for cool, female-centric art to support, look no further than Dead Girl, “a short film about an actress playing dead to keep her career alive.” Created by filmmaker Rachel Sweeney, the project is currently raising money on Kickstarter. As the fundraising page explains:

Between Law and Order: SVU, True Detective, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: LA, CSI: Las Vegas, CSI — okay, you get it — there are a lot of women getting the axe on TV. The entertainment industry is obsessed with dead women.

Too often, we go an entire episode or movie without even finding out the dead woman’s name. Or, even if we do, we follow the often male detective or amateur sleuth as he uncovers the truth behind the victim’s demise — and more importantly, uncovers something about himself. Cute.

Dead Girl is about the woman behind the “Dead Girl,” who is VERY much alive.

But what about the actress playing the dead girl? What about the woman who is actually naked in the very real ditch? Or the girl in the lingerie who spent hours having liquid latex poured on her chest or bruises painted on her face?

Who are the women who play the “Dead Girls”? How does playing dead affect Rachel’s life off set?

The video below gives more info on the project and shows off Sweeney’s cinematic voice. To learn more or to make a donation, visit the Dead Girl Kickstarter page. Read the rest “Support “Dead Girl,” a dark comedy about Hollywood’s obsession with murdered women”

"You have to be able to put yourself in a place to be able to see things." Alicia Keys' “The Gospel” juxtaposes gorgeous black and white footage of everyday New York with profound insights from those who live there. Read the rest “Pensive film blends wisdom and vignettes of New York with Alicia Keys' music”

"Luck is a four-letter word." Watch how this clever film by Atul Taishete unfolds entirely in reverse. Read the rest “Watch the terrific reverse thriller REWIND”

Editor Adam Stein posted this charming 2003 short from back when everyone involved was in a very different place in their career. Directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Miranda July, who also stars. Read the rest “Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?”

As part of her “I Didn’t Write This” series, filmmaker Yulin Kuang brings E. E. Cummings’ poem “maggie and milly and molly and may” to life. You can watch all of Kuang's "I Didn't Right This" literary adaptations right here. Read the rest “Dance and film bring an E. E. Cummings poem to life”

Russian animator Alexey Zakharov (aka seccovan) created this lovely short animation of dewdrops, plants and insects. Read the rest “Beautiful CGI animation of dewdrops”

This video from the sketch comedy show Studio C images a world in which a man’s face is the best possible volleyball block. Read the rest “Watch: 'Best Volleyball Blocks Ever' is weirdo dark comedy”

The Camera Collector tells the story of a vintage camera collector who fell in love with cameras in the 1960s, against the wishes of his father. After saving all summer for his first Leica, his father was waiting when he returned home. "When he saw it was a camera, he started punching me." Read the rest “Watch 'The Camera Collector', a lovely short film on passion (and high-end vintage camera superfans)”

Friends and loved ones told Adam Rosenberg he talked in his sleep. They were right. Read the rest “Hilarious film re-enacts one year of sleep-talking”

Hazel Hayes is an Irish YouTuber and filmmaker, and she recently uploaded this sitcom excerpt called “Hot Mess” on her YouTube channel. Read the rest “Lovely short film “Hot Mess” celebrates female friendships”

Jacob T. Swinney compares the short film "Whiplash" with the feature it became.

It's an interesting study in the shot-for-shot remake. With the exception of the location and the switch to Miles Teller as Andrew, nearly everything else is the same. Read the rest “Compare the short film 'Whiplash' to the feature 'Whiplash', shot by shot”

Florent Porta created Preposterous, an animated CGI confection of brightly-colored objects behaving impossibly, set to Vic Mizzy's upbeat music. Read the rest “Watch this cute short film about absurdity”

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, the dark British web series of shorts created by Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling, released its sixth and final episode. If you haven't seen the others that came out starting in 2011, start below first: Read the rest “Watch the 'Don't Hug Me I'm Scared' finale”

In 2005 Xeni wrote about this Ashleigh Nankivell's Helping Johnny Remember, a "fabulously creepy remix short, sliced and diced from an old public domain social guidance PSA and re-animated with AfterEffects." Read the rest “Helping Johnny Remember: creepy video remixed from '60s PSAs”