Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 3, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
DP: Why is MACKEVISION sponsoring the animago AWARD for the first time this year?
Armin Pohl: In recent years, the animago AWARD has developed into the most important 2D/3D competition in the German-speaking market. More than 10,000 animations for film, television and commercials, as well as short films and industrial productions, have been submitted and compared to date. As one of the market leaders in 3D visualization, animation, visual effects and post-production, MACKEVISION wants to support this distinction over the long term and further promote the event’s community spirit.
DP: MACKEVISION has itself won animago AWARDs for its work. What did the prize mean to you?
Armin Pohl: We have participated in the animago AWARD for many years and are delighted by the large number of honors our work has received. Receiving an animago AWARD is always a great honor and motivates us to achieve even more.
DP: Does winning an animago AWARD give an applicant an advantage at MACKEVISION? What qualifications are needed to work there?
Armin Pohl: Because we continue to grow and our innovation engine is running at full speed, we are constantly looking for highly qualified professionals. An honor such as an animago certainly makes it easier to enter MACKEVISION. We seek 3ds Max professionals of every kind, including specialists in modeling, shading and animation, as well as people with a more technical background who know 3ds Max and appreciate a clear working structure. CAD experience is also welcome. We need scripters and programmers for development and specialists in tracking and matchmoving. In compositing, we look for people who enjoy the challenge of combining the 3D world perfectly with live action. That means Photoshop artists for catalog retouching and Nuke artists for moving images. We also train people in Nuke or retrain users of other programs.
DP: 3D products used to be something for nerds. Where do you see their applications today, and who should use 3D software?
Armin Pohl: The applications for 3D products have long since reached every industry and sector. Today’s immense demand for images, the steadily growing need for customizable visual content, and the presentation of complex technical subjects cannot be handled without 3D visualization. Our customers increasingly value the flexibility, speed and cost savings it brings.
The current surge in industrial 3D product visualization is driven by several factors. Modern computing capacity makes it possible to render countless images simultaneously at exceptional quality, where virtual material is barely distinguishable from reality. Visualization pipelines developed in-house also enable a highly systematic approach to large quantities of imagery that many companies can no longer manage internally. The variety of possible presentations also opens up entirely new creative concepts.
MACKEVISION’s unique selling point lies in combining material produced in the real world with virtual elements at a visual quality that clearly differentiates us from competitors. And that covers only visualization and simulation; the world of 3D is much larger. 3D is not merely photorealistic. It can be hyperreal, absurd, unobtrusive—or anything else. Almost no story in cinema, television or commercials is produced without digital effects, and 3D is virtually always involved.
With possibilities now limited almost entirely by budget, creatives in this industry have finally been freed from every restraint. Nothing is unthinkable anymore. That has influenced and shaped our entire culture. One must also consider the extraordinary development of video games, which through 3D have reached continually new dimensions over the previous ten years, with no end in sight. Across visualization, simulation, animation and gaming, 3D will shape how people work, develop, experience and interact even more strongly than it already does.
Further Links:
- MACKEVISION Medien Design GmbH
digital creation days
animago AWARD
