What types of files do you offer?

Cartoon Brew Films sells M4V/MP4 files, 320×240 resolution. These files are designed for viewing on iPods and personal computers.

I don’t have an iPod. Can I still watch the clips on my computer?

Absolutely. These video files will play great on any modern personal computer with QuickTime installed. The films are viewable in any current version of iTunes or QuickTime (Mac and Windows), as well as numerous other applications.

How big are the files?

Each minute of programming is roughly equal to 9MB of file space on your computer. So a 5-minute short would be approximately 45MB and a 10-minute short would be 90MB.

Can I watch these films on TV?

Though our films aren’t designed for TVs, we’ve hooked our iPods to our TVs using the standard iPod AV cable ($19) and the picture looks quite decent.

Do these videos have Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions or other limitations?

HECK NO! Our video files are completely DRM-free. They can be viewed as many times as you like, in the Quicktime-compatible program of your choice, and easily copied from your computer to any other playback unit, including portable players, other computers, and CD-Rs or DVD-Rs owned by the original purchaser. We do require that you do not share these files via video sharing sites or filesharing networks, but we firmly believe that customers should be allowed to enjoy the films they purchase in any manner they wish.

How do I purchase a film?

Click on the “Buy” button on the film page. You can add as many films as you like to your shopping cart. When you’re finished, click “Proceed to Checkout.” You will be transferred to a Secure Paypal site to complete your transaction. After completing your purchase, you will be sent a confirmation email containing a download link. Click the link to download your copy of the film. You will have 48 hours to download your files before the link expires. If you encounter any problems with this process, please contact us and we’ll do our best to quickly resolve your situation.

I don’t have a Paypal acount. Can I purchase films any other way?

Yes, you can use a credit card on Paypal’s website. Paypal accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover and American Express.

How do I download the film to my desktop?

The instructions on how to save the film to your desktop are at the top of your download page. Make sure to right-click (PC users) or Option + Click (Mac users) to properly download the film to your computer.

I paid via PayPal and then received a message that my payment had not cleared. How do I get the item when the payment clears?

When your payment clears, a special download link will be emailed to you.

How do I put a video on my iPod?

In iTunes, select “File” > “Add to Library” and then select the folder you’ve saved your video to (or Add Folder To Library for multiple videos within one folder).

Your downloaded video will then show up in “Videos.â€? Transfer this file to a playlist or to your iPod as you would with a song. For more in-depth information on using iTunes, please follow this link to Apple’s website.

Why don’t you offer films for cell phones or PSPs?

We will be expanding our offerings over the coming months. If you’d like to see a film in a particular format, please write us and let us know how you’d like to see these shorts.

Why do I have to pay for these films?

We have this crazy theory that isn’t shared by many others in short film distribution—it’s that filmmakers are important. In traditional distribution set-ups, filmmakers are always at the bottom of the financial food chain, and frankly, we don’t think that’s fair. When we like an animated short, we personally wouldn’t mind supporting the filmmaker’s effort with a couple bucks. We know that thousands of other animation fans around the world feel the same way, and together we hope to create a viable way for filmmakers to make money from their animated shorts.

How can I find out when you’ve posted a new film?

We post new films weekly and we’ve made it easy to find out about new additions to our library. You can subscribe to a CartoonBrewFilms feed and receive details via your newsreader about every new short that we make available.

There was a film I really wanted on the site but it’s no longer there? Where’d it go?

We license films for exclusive online distribution, but only for a limited period of time. After it’s gone from our site, we won’t be offering it again so make sure to purchase the film while it’s available. Every film page will have a countdown ticker when it’s availability period reaches thirty days or less.

Can I return a film after I purchase it?

No. Because of the nature of film downloads, they are not returnable once purchased so please make sure your computer is current enough to play MP4 files. If you experience technical problems watching a film, we are happy to help you troubleshoot the problem. Most questions should be answered on this page, but if you have a specific problem, please contact us.

How come you don’t offer more films?

New films are being added to the Cartoon Brew Films library every week so check back often. Our philosophy, however, is quality over quantity. We want to help you build a personal library of only the most awesome animated shorts, and we pick carefully the films that we make available on this site.

I haven’t purchased the film, but I’ve seen the film and want to ask the filmmaker a question. Can I do that via the “Ask A Question” form?

Definitely, feel free to ask questions. One of our favorite parts of going to animation festivals is being able to interact with filmmakers after we’ve seen their films. While the festival experience is impossible to replicate online, we think it’s still possible to create a dialogue between filmmaker and audience. On every film page, we have an “Ask a Question” form and we invite everybody to use it. The sheer volume of questions for some filmmakers makes it impossible for them to respond to every query, but filmmakers will try to respond to as many questions as possible.

How can I keep up to date with all that’s going on at CartoonBrewFilms?

You can sign up to receive our email newsletter. We’ll keep you posted on exclusive contests, free goodies available only to list members, live-events that we’re planning, and all the exciting BrewFilms developments. We promise to never share your email address with any third-party and only to email you when we have something important to say.

I don’t want to receive your newsletter anymore? How can I stop getting it?

If you want to stop receiving it, you can unsubscribe by clicking “unsubsribe” in the newsletter section on the front page.

Can I submit my film to your site?

We welcome all submissions. Please visit our Submissions page for more information.

My question wasn’t answered here?

Ask us your question via our Contact page and we’ll do our best to respond as soon as possible.