CONTROVERSIAL ANIMATION TAKES ON BUSH AND CORRUPT CEO'S

"Sharks in the Water," a film by Dave Puls, is a hard hitting and disconcerting look at the corporate corruption and political collaboration that plague the United States. It is currently available for download as a Slamdance Anarchy short at http://www.slamdance.com/anarchy/film_detail.asp?film_id=554, and will be screened at the Boston Underground Film Festival in May.

Distressed by ongoing reports of corporate corruption, Dave felt compelled to put a face to both the perpetrators and to the individuals whose lives they have disrupted. 

"Such behaviors are becoming more and more an accepted part of doing business in America," says Dave. "I see a very strong similarity between these CEOs and those businessmen who worked with the Nazis. They each showed little interest in how their behaviors were affecting others and were more concerned with their own excesses."

"Sharks" began as a song, which Dave wrote and produced himself.  The animation was accomplished with Adobe After Effects with a blend of hand-drawn imagery and photo collage.  Dave chose to go with stock images, rather than caricatures, of public figures such as President Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and high profile CEO's.  "I wanted them to be quickly recognizable to anyone who has seen these faces in the news," explains Dave.

Dave's own personal confrontation with the corporate world fueled his filmmaking.  "After writing the song and working on the film for about four months it was revealed that my neighborhood was affected by a 'release' from a nearby oil storage facility.  Everything was eventually resolved, but the whole experience inspired some of the imagery in 'Sharks.'"

Dave is from Rochester, New York and has been the Creative Director at Animatus Studio, since 1992. He has worked on many commercials and directed the "Derf the Viking" cartoon trilogy. His independent animated shorts have been exhibited around the world from Vancouver to Monte Carlo.

Dave's first career as a counselor at the Rochester Psychiatric Hospital prepared him well for the crazy world of animation. Since 1993, he has been teaching animation at The Animation Workshop at Animatus Studio and in local schools through Young Audiences of Rochester. "I love empowering the next generation with the knowledge that they can speak out through their animation."

Dave has put together a DVD of eight of his animations, which he refers to as Fresh Toones. For more information about Dave and his Fresh Toones go to http://www.freshtoones.com or  http://www.animatusstudio.com/freshtoones.