5. Xenogenesis - James Cameron
James Cameronis a filmmaker who has always dreamt big. That is no more apparent then in his short film Xenogenesis. In 1977 Cameron had just seen Star Wars and was annoyed that he hadn't made it, so during his stint as a truck driver, he spent time studying special effects and went about making his own movie. A year later he had Xenogenesis. While clearly Cameron's vision was bigger than what he was able to achieve, there is great skill and imagination used in the short. Making use of robotics and stop motion, Cameron was able to make a slow but still colossal fight between giant robots. Showing a real knowledge of special effects, the low-fi footage actually comes off pretty darn well when juxtaposed against the vast looking sets he was able to create. Also in perfect Cameron fashion, it shows a woman saving the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpZRJ4HE4Q