Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 29, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The animago trophy has long since become a coveted icon of the DCC scene. A good ten years ago, the design retained to this day, with its juggling hands, appeared on the show stage for the first time. And in autumn 2009, another eleven digital artists will proudly raise the prestigious award in the spotlight of the fx.Center Babelsberg. But what vision actually lies behind the symbolism of this prize?
animago was awarded for the first time in 1997, back then somewhat shyly at the Kintex company’s stand at CeBIT. At that time, it was not only an award—or, more accurately, a bow to the productions of the newly flourishing 3D culture—but also the spark that launched a brand-new magazine called DIGITAL PRODUCTION. Thirteen years later, DP is firmly established in the market and animago is also regarded as one of the most important prizes in the European DCC industry. There is probably no post-production company that would not gladly reserve a worthy place in its display cabinet for this prize.
In 1999, an imposing animago trophy was then created. Its core symbol, the two juggling hands, has endured to this day. Initially, this emblem was realised as a statue, whereas today the shape is laser-engraved into an acrylic block that can be illuminated.
The creator of the design is DCC professional Peter Spans. His Hamburg creative studio, “Spans und Partner,” stands for high-quality 3D animation, VFX productions, films and commercials. His company demonstrates how to stage emotional 3D animation and create characters that audiences can empathise with. These were therefore ideal prerequisites for giving the animago trophy a distinctive and timeless image that has now endured for around ten years.
DIGITAL PRODUCTION spoke with Peter Spans about emotional design and the formal language of the animago trophy.
DP: Mr Spans, what was the vision behind the animago design introduced in 1999? On which basic idea is the classic animago sculpture based?
Peter Spans: At the centre, the sphere symbolises the primal graphic element; it represents the world, wholeness and harmony. Something round, such as a sphere, is always perceived as balanced and aesthetically mature, in contrast to a cube. One of the fundamental ideas behind the statue was, of course, that one hand passes this sphere to the other.
Interestingly, I find the statue more relevant today than ever because many aspects come together. On the one hand, technology is becoming increasingly complex; on the other, today you have the feeling that you can reach into the screen, for example through all the developments in stereoscopic 3D. Software is also becoming simpler on one hand, while on the other there is no longer anyone who—like in the early days of 3D software—masters these programs completely. Teamwork is therefore required. Ten years ago, there were still artists who knew every corner of Softimage. Since XSI and Maya, those days have passed. A wave of specialisation was set in motion without which the industry would not be as advanced as it is today, and without which we would not see many of today’s wonderful films.
And all these underlying aspects are still required today: smooth processes within production, global aspects, networking and working “hand to hand.” There is a great deal in the whole concept that came more from my gut ten years ago.
DP: So the present-day statue is not intended to symbolise several spheres, but a movement in particular?
Peter Spans: Exactly. Our idea was to incorporate—or, more accurately, freeze—the process of a movement, an animation, within the trophy: a kind of bullet time as an award.
DP: The aspect of movement is especially interesting.
Peter Spans: I did not want to create a static award, but to project a kind of animation sequence through the throwing motion: a snapshot of an action. At the heart of post-production, we are also always waiting half an hour to an hour for a CG image to finish rendering. That is why animation is movement on the one hand and, because of the elaborate way it is made, always a snapshot at the same time.
DP: So there were no specific instructions at the time along the lines of saying that the animago prize should look like the Oscar statuette?
Peter Spans: No. My motto is: if you want to follow in someone’s footsteps, you do not have what it takes to overtake them; you can only ever do worse. Of course, you can learn from role models, but you should not orient your creation around them. Intuition is therefore an important gift for an artist …
DP: … so that designs, productions and ideas endure over a longer period. Which aspect was most important for the animago icon?
Peter Spans: Naturally, there were initially many ideas on paper. But the highest priority was not to forget humanity. Our creative ideas, today as tomorrow, still arise from within ourselves and not automatically from the computer—hence the hands, hence the idea of teamwork.
At the end of the 1990s, it almost seemed as though we had a trophy that was too sophisticated for the animago event. The event has now grown year by year and become increasingly important, while the prize’s timeless design is so apt that it has kept pace with the growing ambitions.
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