I had the good fortune to attend Aspen Shortsfest as a journalist for Filmmaker magazine last year, when I was blown away by the quality and diversity of the program. But traditional "short films" have had a tricky time transitioning into the online video space. Content produced for a theatrical run don't necessarily play well on your laptop, no matter how amazing it is -- online video a different medium altogether. So, returning for the festival's sixteenth year with my Daily Reel hat on, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of shorts with real online potential. My personal favorite was Shelley Matluck's "Our Brilliant Second Life," a documentary about a couple in Australia who've created a parallel universe together in the Second Life community. The Web 2.0 feel of this snappy doc was intrinsic given the subject matter, but Matluck herself also stood out as a filmmaker with considerable internet savvy -- check out the vlog on her personal page.

Another Aussie-made crowd pleaser was Rob Carlton and Alex Weinress's "CARMICHAEL & shane," a mockumentary about a single dad with a hilariously cruel approach to parenting. The breezy humor could easily translate into a web series a la "God Inc." See for yourself...

Live-action is all well and good, but for me, the crown jewel of Aspen Shortsfest has always been its superb selection of animation. My hands-down favorite was Gitanjali Rao's "Printed Rainbow," about an elderly woman who escapes from a gray urban existence into the dazzlingly colorful world she imagines with the help of her matchbox collection. But clocking in at sixteen minutes, the short would never make it into the bookmarks folder of even the most patient web surfer.

One animation that might fit into your schedule is "The Aroma of Tea," a soothing musical journey through Rorschach-esque drawings.