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Though I may be a little late to appreciate the trend, I have become really fascinated with the whole explosion of movie content on the web these days. There's a new company headed up by Oscar winner Rob Fried that allows you to watch, and send to someone else, a variety of short films.

Instead of sending someone an electronic greeting card , Spirit Clips are short films-- usually 2-4 minutes in length--that you can send to a friend with a personalized greeting. But these short films, which cover a wide range of inspirational topics, have other possible uses as well. There are also Bible study guides for purchase to go with some of the films in case church groups want to use the movies for small group talks as sermon starters.

I previewed several of the short films on the site and was surprised by the quality. Spirit Clips seems to have found a niche by providing an option that falls somewhere in between an unfiltered site like YouTube and a more religious, sometimes more cheesy, site like GodTube. The films on Spirit Clips are clean and embrace traditional values, but aren't preachy.

Watch "The Little Frog," one of the kid-friendly shorts from SpiritClips.

On Yahoo! Kids this week, we're featuring a charming animated short film, "The Little Frog," provided by SpiritClips, a creative alternative to traditional ecard sites. Instead of sending static or animated ecards, SpiritClips lets you send theatrical-quality short films as personalized "FilmCards." Each FilmCard is ad-free and recipients can watch them full-screen.

Sending a FilmCard costs $2.99 per recipient--but the real value comes with premium membership. For $20 a year, members can send unlimited FilmCards and view all SpiritClip films in its big-screen theater. Other membership benefits include an address book, the ability to upload images to personalize cards and community features.

The brainchild of Academy Award-winning producer Rob Fried (whose films include the touching classic "Rudy"), SpiritClips' mission is to create "high-quality, inspirational content that can be watched, felt, and shared worldwide."

I viewed several previews of SpiritClip films. They're definitely head-and-shoulders above most Web-based shorts--heartwarming, with meaningful messages and just the ticket for this Valentine season.

I have sat through my share of movies over the years – some good, some not so good. But one thing that they all have in common is the ability to suck you into the story, right from the very beginning – at least if it‘s a well done film anyway. But it really doesn't take 2+ hours to tell a story or to tug at your heartstrings. Sometimes it just takes 3 minutes. And sometimes those three minutes stick with you longer than the 2 hours you spent in the theater last week or last year.

Film can be a powerful medium, not only to simply tell a story – but to inspire or uplift people as well. Which is the purpose behind SpiritClips.com.

What it is:

SpiritClips was created by a Hollywood producer, Rob Fried (who also produced “Only You” with Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei, and “Rudy” with Sean Astin). The website offers an online gallery of really high-quality short, (3 to 5 minute) films, all focused on universal human principles: honesty, integrity, compassion and so forth.

Rob and his wife, actress Nancy Travis, view this as a sort of a “legacy” project – something that they can share with their own two young sons and say, "Yes – we’re proud of this." In fact, not only does Nancy star in one of the films herself ("Sally"), but both of their sons appear in films as well. It’s truly a "family-friendly" project...

The site not only allows you to view the films – but also to send them to family or friends (or anyone else) as 'FilmCards' (like an e-card, only with video). You also can leave comments on the films themselves or share your thoughts with others in the SpiritClips community – even with the cast and crew members of the actual films.

Several of the storylines produced into films were based on stories shared by members on the site – you read those and can share your own uplifting stories as well.

Here’s my take on it:

I sat down at the computer, intending to check out a few of the available films, just to get an idea of what they were like.

An hour later, I had watched every single one – some twice.

These movies aren't just uplifting and inspirational – they are incredibly well done too (we're talking Academy Award quality). And they get a message or a point across in such funny, touching or beautiful ways – everything from standing up for others, to making miracles happen in your life, or in others' lives. They really make you stop and think – and think some more.

I can't embed a clip here (the films aren't set up that way), but there is always a free movie available on the site (right now it's “The Price of Miracles” – a beautifully animated story of a young girl, her love for her family, and a holiday miracle) if you go to www.spiritclips.com. I love the music in this film too – it’s playing in the background as I type this, because this is one of the movies that I can’t stop watching. And I really want to kick the pharmacist in it for telling that sweet little girl that he can’t help her.

It’s hard to say which are my favorite films – but I think that the ones I truly enjoy watching the most are "The Price of Miracles," "The Fork" (based on a true story, an amazingly wonderful case of irony – or fate), “The Cracked Pot” (such a surprising and uplifting ending), “Commencement” (the first documentary on the site – and oh what a gorgeous voice this young man has), and "The Hospital Window" (this one will absolutely make you cry, I promise). But really, there wasn’t a film on the site that I didn’t enjoy watching or that didn’t move me in some way.

The bottom line:

SpiritClips is more than simply a site to visit and watch movies – it is an online community for people who love sharing life-affirming and inspirational stories and “Being part of a community that values quality filmmaking and spreading positive messages”. So many of the messages in today’s theatrical movies are not what we as parents want our kids exposed to – SpiritClips' films are ones that you can not only watch with your kids, but which will provide a backdrop for discussions about compassion, faith, integrity and other ‘positive’ messages.

Where can you find it?:

The site is located at www.spiritclips.com. You can sign up for a free membership on the site – which will get you a free FilmCard, and the ability to view any of the films for only 99 cents each. Premium memberships are also available, which allow unlimited viewing of the films, and the ability to send UNLIMITED FilmCards, for the time period you choose (at $11.99/6 months or $19.99/1 year). Any of the memberships allow you to participate in the community and to view and share stories on the site.

You can even give a gift membership - a great option for upcoming holidays!

LOS ANGELES, CA—SpiritClips premiered 12 films from its heartwarming collection last month, drawing a crowd of over 350 attendees.

Among those present were actors Nancy Travis and David Shackelford (Sally); Grant Pastula, Kyle Archer, and Brendan Aguiar (Red); Alan Rachins (The Hospital Window); Peggy Lord Chilton, Harv Popick, and William Longstaff (The Fork); Jack Merrill, Sean Blodgett, and Jacquey Rosati (The Price of Miracles); James Tumminia and Bunok Kravitz (The Sign); Ben Cornish, Adam LeClair, and Joseph Tran (Indivisible); Eric Nenninger and Deborah Ann Woll (La Cachette).

Directors Sam Yousefian and Ramiro Cazaux (The Price of Miracles, The Little Frog, The Cracked Pot); Daric Loo (La Cachette); Tracy Britton (the upcoming SpiritClips film, Miss Connie’s Last Day); and Matthew Kohnen (Indivisible, Montgomery) also attended.

Daniel Curran, subject of the documentary, Commencement, flew out from Julliard for the event and was moved by the number of people who responded to his story. Jesse Reich, who stars in SpiritClips’ upcoming December release, The Gift of the Magi, also shared in the festivities.

SpiritClips tissue packets were given to guests as they entered the theatre, and during moving moments from the films, you could hear the crinkle of the packets being opened. The evening continued with a reception at the restaurant Palomino, where true to the vision of our company, audience members and filmmakers connected.

To view our newsletter in PDF format with photos from the event, click here.

As part of its coverage of the SpiritClips website launch, the Los Angeles Times is featuring SALLY on its website. SALLY, a film about the power of kindness, compassion, and generosity, stars Nancy Travis (The Bill Engvall Show, Becker, Almost Perfect) as a harried coffee shop waitress. You can watch SALLY for free on our Homepage Player. Or, for the full-screen viewing experience, visit our Films page and watch SALLY in our Theater.

For more information about the making of SALLY, visit the SpiritClips blog.

As part of its coverage of the SpiritClips website launch, Newsweek is featuring INDIVISIBLE on its website. INDIVISIBLE, a true story based on Senator John McCain’s POW experience, shows that we are capable of courage and hope, even in times of crisis. For the full-screen viewing experience, please visit our Films page and watch INDIVISIBLE in our Theater.

For more information about the making of INDIVISIBLE, visit the SpiritClips blog.

SpiritClips successfully completed its first on-location shoot in Montgomery, Alabama for the script MONTGOMERY. MONTGOMERY is a film about Rosa Parks’ historic act of civil disobedience in 1955. Told from the perspective of a fictitious African-American bus rider, MONTGOMERY captures the courageous spirit that ignited the modern civil rights movement. To maintain historical authenticity, local extras, period costumes, and a refurbished city bus were used for the shoot.

SpiritClips.com has launched! Led by Academy Award-winning producer Rob Fried, SpiritClips is a new media company that strives to create moving short films that embody the power of the human spirit. Now you can watch these professionally made, three- to five-minute films on our website’s high-quality viewer. Join the SpiritClips community and share the warmth and feeling of these films with friends and loved ones by sending personalized FilmCards. Then submit your own stories online for the chance to have them made into SpiritClips films!