Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 12, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The animago AWARD 2008, the most important competition for digital content creation in the German-speaking region, concluded on Wednesday evening, November 12, with a gala event. At the Karlsruhe Konzerthaus, the best productions in the Film, Still and Interactive categories received animago trophies. As the most important benchmark for achievement in these fields, the animago AWARD is the standard for the German-speaking computer graphics industry. This year’s awards ceremony took place as part of digital creation days, the platform for the industry’s decision-makers, developers and emerging talent. The two-day networking event (November 12–13, 2008), accompanied by a trade exhibition, focused primarily on developments in digital media production in the German-speaking region.
The animago AWARD was organized for the twelfth time this year by the trade magazine DIGITAL PRODUCTION, with the kind support of main sponsors Autodesk and Mackevision. Entries for the animago AWARD 2008 included both national and international submissions. A total of 1,026 entries were received from 42 countries. A jury of DCC industry specialists selected the winners from all submissions.
In the “Best International Theatrical Film” category, the AUDIENCE AWARD went to “WALL-E.” Voting was possible through the website (www.animago.com) and at digital creation days until 6:00 p.m. on the day of the ceremony.
The DETAIL Creative Award for the best viral spot for architects was also presented for the first time as part of the animago AWARD ceremony. The award carries prize money of €5,000.
This year once again, the legendary animago party followed the awards ceremony, giving the winners another proper celebration while keeping industry networking at the forefront. The animago EVENT is regarded as an important meeting place for creatives in computer graphics and serves as a platform for professional exchanges of experience. Once again, it proved itself a central gathering point for Germany’s digital content creation industry.
animago AWARD 2008 – Main Winners
animago AWARD – Best Production
Production: “Marin”
Category: Short Film
Artists: Alexandre Bernard, Pierre Pages, Damien Laurent
Primary 3D software: 3ds Max
“Marin” tells the intimate story of a sailor who navigates a dried-up world with his fish, searching for water across a sea of dunes. After a roaring sandstorm and shortly before dying of thirst, the protagonists finally manage to reach the cool water. The lovingly designed, quirky 3D world is perfectly supported by graphic elements and is driven by the depth of its story and the strong expressiveness of its character design.
animago AWARD – Best University Production
Production: “Our Wonderful Nature”
Category: Short Film
Artist: Tomer Eshed
Primary 3D software: Maya
Magnificent animation using Hollywood techniques satirically: action reminiscent of “The Matrix,” rapid cuts and bombastic music. In just five minutes, “Our Wonderful Nature” tells of two water shrews fighting over a flirtatious female—and thus over love and reproduction.
animago AWARD – Best Commercial Production
Production: Saturn “Easter” and “Experts”
Category: Film/Advertising
Artists: The Soulcage Department
Client: Saturn
Primary 3D software: Softimage XSI, 3ds Max, Maya
The two recent Saturn spots are conceptually based on the same principle: both use original sound taken directly from real life, which develops its own distinctive comedy in a new context. “Chicken animation” is nothing new for the Soulcage Department—“I’m Walking” won a trophy at animago 2004—and once again the chickens are great fun. The same applies to Grandma and Grandpa Socket, who grumpily offer their expert opinions on discount policies in the electrical retail business.
animago AWARD – Best Character
Production: “Descendants”
Category: Short Film
Artist: Heiko von der Scherm
Primary 3D software: Softimage|XSI
“Descendants” is a 14-minute animated film. Two flowers live at the edge of a clearing. One is old and bitter, the other young and full of life. A visitor to their clearing throws both their lives into turmoil. “Descendants” is a film about the desire to accomplish something impossible and about how something good can emerge from something evil.
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 conceived as an information campaign for a Polish television channel, the short films featuring the Plusiak family have since achieved cult status.
animago AWARD – Best Technical Achievement
Production: “Frequency Morphogenesis”
Category: Short Film
Artist: Onni Pohl
Primary 3D software: Maya
In the formless realm of pure thought, a golden embryo of sound appeared for the first time. It was a tone that swung out through nothingness and returned to itself. As the sound waves crossed, water and wind emerged and, playing together, began to weave the mist-like body of the world. A musical visualization of the creative power of frequencies.
animago AWARD – Best Visualization
Production: “They Will Come to Town”
Category: Super Short Film
Artist: Thilo Ewers
Primary 3D software: Maya
The spot depicts a possible future that is not too far away—a kind of nightmare that nevertheless threatens to become reality. In this future, Earth’s polar ice caps and glaciers have melted, flooding the world’s coastal regions. We are in New York City. The city that once symbolized the Western world now lies buried beneath millions of tons of water. The film is intended as a warning, showing people a possible reality that will occur if nothing is done to combat global warming.
animago AWARD – Best Interactive Production
Production: “microsia – the Sound of a Cell”
Category: Interactive/Games
Artist: Andreas Illiger
Primary software: Photoshop
“microsia” is a journey into the sound world of the microcosm. It is a computer game without a goal, turning the player into a researcher who dives into an imaginary plant cell to explore the audiovisual behavior of its individual particles. Once the player has discovered how the individual particles work, they can experiment with them and continually discover and experience new audiovisual compositions through their interaction.
animago AWARD – Best Still
Production: “Oops! He Did It Again!”
Category: Still/Creatures
Artist: Miguel Angelo Carvalho Bernardo Teixeira
Primary 3D software: 3ds Max
In the “Best Still” category, Portugal’s Miguel Angelo created an intimate snapshot of Ernie from Sesame Street. He recreated the colorful Jim Henson puppet from the 1970s using 3ds Max, among other tools, and placed him in digital bathwater. What will Bert say?
animago AWARD – Jury Prize
Production: “Bolides”
Category: Short Film
Artists: Francois-Xavier Bologna, Theophile Bondoux, Lyonel Charmette, Vincent Le Ster
Primary 3D software: 3ds Max
“Bolides” concerns a seemingly quiet retirement home where a rivalry between two elderly gentlemen escalates into a race in the literal sense, taking increasingly wild and fast-paced forms. A film with high speed, plenty of irony and brilliant animation.
Further Links:
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The winner of the DETAIL CREATIVE AWARD:
