animago AWARD 2008 – the winners have been announced

On the 12th of November at the digital creation days, the winners of the most important competition for digital content creation (DCC) were recognised

The animago AWARD 2008 – the most important competition for digital content creation in the German-speaking area – was held during an entertaining awards evening in the Konzerthaus Karlsruhe on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. The animago trophies were given to the winners in the categories film, still and interactive. The animago AWARD is the most important competition within the German-speaking computer graphics industry, representing a benchmark for the sector. This year’s prize ceremony was part of digital creation days – the platform for the decision makers, developers and upcoming talent within the industry. The two-day networking event (12-13 November 2008), with an accompanying exhibition, is devoted above all to the developments within digital media production in the German-speaking area.

This year, the animago AWARD was hosted for the 12th time by the magazine DIGITAL PRODUCTION – ably supported by the main sponsors Autodesk and Mackevision. National and international participants from 42 different countries submitted a total of 1,026 entries. A jury of experts from the DCC industry selected the winning entries in each category.

Winner of the AUDIENCE AWARD for ‘Best International Cinema Film’ was “Wall-E”. Voting was carried out via the website www.animago.com and also at digital creation days until 18:00 on the day of the awards.

For the first time at the animago AWARD event, the DETAIL Creative Award – including €5,000 – was given to the best viral spot for architects.

This year again saw the legendary animago-party after the award ceremony, where the winners were really celebrated and participants took the opportunity to do some industry networking; the animago EVENT is an important place for the creative brains from the computer graphics industry to exchange ideas and information. Once again, it proved itself an excellent meeting place for members of the German DCC sector.

animago AWARD 2008 – main prize winners

animago AWARD – Best Production

Production: „Marin“

Category: Short Film

Artists: Alexandre Bernard, Pierre Pages, Damien Laurent

Primary 3D-Software: 3ds Max

“Marin” is the story of a sailor who goes in search of water with his fish in a dried out sea of sand. Having endured a sandstorm and almost dying of thirst, the two finally find water in the nick of time. The detailed 3-D world is perfectly supported by graphical elements and thrives on both the depth of the story as well as the strong appeal of the character design.

animago AWARD – Best Secondary School Production

Production: „Our Wonderful Nature“

Category: Short Film

Artists: Tomer Eshed

Primary 3D-Software: Maya

Fantastic animation with satirically used techniques taken from Hollywood film: there’s action like the “Matrix”, fast scene cuts and dramatic music. In just five minutes, “Our Wonderful Nature” tells the story of two water shrews and their battle for the attention of a lady – incorporating both love and reproduction into the tale.

animago AWARD – Best Advertising Production

Production: Saturn „Ostern“ und „Experten“

Category: Film/Advertising

Artists: The Soulcage Department

Client: Saturn

Primary 3D-Software: Softimage XSI, 3ds Max, Maya

Both recent Saturn adverts are based on the same principle: original sound bites are taken and placed in completely new situations for a totally original comedy effect.

“Chicken Animation” is nothing new from The Soulcage department – “I am Walking” won an award at animago 2004 – and again the chickens are on entertaining form. The same goes for grandma and granddad plug socket, who offer their expert electrical opinions on the topic of discount politics.

animago AWARD – Best Character

Production: „Descendants“

Category: Short Film

Artists: Heiko von der Scherm

Primary 3D-Software: Softimage|XSI

“Descendants” is a 14-minute animation film. Two flowers live at the edge of a light – one is old and bitter, while the other is young and full of life. A visitor to their lighting turns their lives upside down. “Descendants” is about the desire to achieve something impossible and how something good can come from something bad.

animago AWARD – Best Idea

Production: „What a Channel“ (episode 5)

Category: Film/TV-Series

Artists: Platige Image SP. ZO.O

Primary 3D-Software: 3ds Max

Originally designed as informative adverts for a Polish TV channel, the short films from the Plusiak family have now reached cult status.

animago AWARD – Best Technical Production

Production: „Frequenz Morphogenese“

Category: Short Film

Artists: Onni Pohl

Primary 3D-Software: Maya

In the formless area of pure thought, a golden embryo of sound first appeared. It was a loud noise that reverberated out through the nothingness and then came back on itself. As the sound waves crossed, water and wind were created, which began to weave the misty soul of the world. A musical visualisation of the creative power of frequencies.

animago AWARD – Best Visualisation

Production: „They will come to town“

Category: Very Short Film

Artists: Thilo Ewers

Primary 3D-Software: Maya

This spot portrays a not too distant, but possible future. In this future, the polar ice caps and glaciers of the world have melted, flooding coastal areas. We are in New York City, once the symbol of the Western world, but now buried under millions of tonnes of water. The film is meant as a warning to people, to show them a possible reality that may occur if nothing is done against global warming.

animago AWARD – Best Interactive Production

Production: „microsia – der Klang einer Zelle“

Category: Interactive/Games

Artists: Andreas Illiger

Primary Software: Photoshop

„microsia“ is a journey into the microcosm’s world of sound. It is a computer game without destination that turns the player into a researcher who dives into the imaginary world of plant cells to discover the audiovisual behaviour of individual cell particles. If the player figures out how the individual particles work, he can experiment with the particles and discover and experience new audiovisual compositions again and again.

animago AWARD – Best Still

Production: „Ups! He did it again!

Category: Still/Creatures

Artists: Miguel Angelo Carvalho Bernardo Teixeira

Primary 3D-Software: 3ds Max

In the category „Best Still“ the Portuguese Miguel Angelo takes an inti-mate snapshot of Ernie from Sesame Street. The colourful 70s’ puppet from Jim Henderson has been remodelled with the help of 3ds Max and thrown into some digital bathwater. What would Bert say?

animago AWARD – Jury’s Prize

Production: „Bolides“

Category: Short film

Artists: Francois-Xavier Bologna, Theophile Bondoux, Lyonel Charmette, Vincent Le Ster

Primary 3D-Software: 3ds Max

In „Bolides“, a seemingly quiet retirement home sets the scene for a contest between two old men, which quickly turns into a race that takes on an ever crazier and faster form. A high-speed film with lots of irony and brilliant animation.

Journalists can find picture material and further information on the animago AWARD 2008 under www.animago.com/presse

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