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Animations reveal shocking violence at Dude Corp.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
Tom Krazit

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The managers at Dude Corp. should expect a visit from their OSHA representative in due time--assuming the government tracks animated fiction.

The killer fans, ejector-seat Aeron chairs and unsecured ice-skating rinks depicted on these four short videos by Rubberductions in London show a typical day at the apocryphal Dude Corp. in all its gory glory. They're also an excellent example of the type of video that's expected to appeal to mobile-phone users.

Phone carriers and moviemakers are getting ready for the advent of mobile video, which is already common in some parts of the world. Participants in a recent panel discussion at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, Calif., argued that mobile phones could be a way for filmmakers to distribute short films made for festivals to a wider audience.

Their advice? Keep the characters and story line simple, direct and short. No one will watch "The Lord of the Rings" on a mobile phone, but short "video snacks" could appeal to people looking to kill a few minutes of time.