• by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, October 11, 2010

Only watch the video embedded below if you are ready to have your heart broken . . . but also see how the Web video ecosystem gives space and formats for truly unique, compelling media experiences.

"Last Minutes with ODEN" was named best video at this weekend's Vimeo Festival + Awards from IAC's video sharing site Vimeo. It is a six-minute short documentary about a wholly unlikely subject -- the putting down of a terminally ill dog Oden by his owner Jason Wood. Documentarian Eliot Rausch has Wood tell the story of his own addiction and recovery and Oden's unfailing sensitivity to the struggle of his owner and ragtag army of damaged friends over many years.

Beyond the video being a knock-down, drag-out tear-jerker, it is also a wonderful example of narrative compression. A full personal history is told succinctly and as we see Oden depicted more on the periphery than the sentimentalized center. The life the dog seemed to help save holds the camera. And where else but in the digital video environment would this have a place?

The personal, blog-like style of the film is itself a part of online culture. The 6-minute format has no other place to go but here. And yet the personal voice and short-short format make possible the production and sharing of content that is at least as powerful as offline media. That it was shot with a Canon 7D SLR underscores how personal technology is making pro-grade production available to all and encouraging a new brand of highly intimate narrative. From production to distribution, technology is providing the means of accelerating new modes of expression.

The Vimeo awards ceremony was held at the SVA Theater in New York hosted by Web video celeb Ze Frank and judged by the likes of Roman Coppola, Morgan Spurlock, David Lynch, and M.I.A., among others. There were over 6,500 entries with major awards given in nine categories. The winners were.

Narrative: "Thrush" by Gabriel Bisset-Smith
Documentary: "Last Minutes with ODEN" by Phos Pictures
Music Video: "Liars 'Scissor'" by Andy Bruntel
Animation: "Between Bears" by Eran Hilleli
Original Series: "Break-ups The Series" by Ted Tremper
Experimental: "oops" by Chris Beckman
Motion Graphics: "TRIANGLE" by Onur Senturk
Captured: "Fluid Sculpture" by Charlie Bucket
Remix: "BREAKDOWN the video" by Kasumi

From the looks of the clips assembled at Vimeo, the combination of conference and awards came off considerably better than the dismal Streamies earlier this year.

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.