Archive republication: This article was originally published on 4 November 2020. It has been translated into English and lightly updated for clarity while preserving the original reporting and context.
DP spoke to Holger Weiss, M.A.R.K.13 Managing Director/Headof Animation and Head of Production for “Ritter Rost”, about working on this major project, the Baden-Württemberg film funding programme and other activities at the Stuttgart-based animation studio. This article originally appeared in Digital Production 02 : 2013.
DP: “Ritter Rost” was released in cinemas on 10 January – were you able to celebrate this event extensively?
Holger Weiss: When we had finished our work and delivered the last
when we finished our work and delivered the last pictures, we popped a few champagne corks and celebrated quite extensively. At the premiere last weekend, we were naturally very proud of the result and all the positive feedback, the look of the end product and of course the animation. We toasted to this once again.
DP: How did the collaboration with thevarious studiosgo?
Holger Weiss: Caligari in Munich managed the production, provided the direction and took care of the pre-production and design. IBT Studios in Bonn were responsible for the compositing and M.A.R.K.13 for the entire 3D part.
DP: Was this the first production on this scale for your studio?
production on this scale?
Holger Weiss: Yes, and that’s why one of the requirements for the funding was to have an experienced feature film team on board. A-Film took on this role. They tested the feasibility of the project on an internal trailer, took over the supervision at the beginning and helped us with the set modelling.
DP: A-Film also provided the basis for the pipeline?
Holger Weiss: That’s right. This mainly concerned the file handling in Maya and some tools. However, these were all still under development, as A-Film itself was in the process of rebuilding its own pipeline.
DP: That doesn’t sound very straightforward…
Holger Weiss: Well, it was indeed a challenge to be a beta tester in Stuttgart for a development team in Copenhagen. Furthermore, the requirements of the previous A-film projects didn’t quite match ours, so we soon switched to in-house development. This was taken over by Martin Freitag, who customised the pipeline for us and developed many tools for production.
DP: You worked on this project for a total of three years – what is your conclusion?
Holger Weiss: For us, it was effectively “only” two years working directly on the film. As it was the first project of this size for us, we learnt a lot. Overall, it was probably exhausting for everyone involved, as we worked to a tight schedule with a relatively small team for an animated feature film. We also had active support from A-Film, especially on the production side. In future, I would definitely employ more people in production. Thanks to this experience, we are now starting the pipeline for the next project much earlier. We will also plan far more team meetings for the artistic realisation, which were a little too short at the end of the production time for “Ritter Rost”.
DP: Does MFG – Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg play a special role in the animation sector?
Holger Weiss: The MFG is an important partner for us, providing us and the companies here in the region with a great deal of support. MFG has also supported our next project “Maya the Bee”. Especially for VFX/animation projects, the MFG is a competent partner that also provides sustainable support with the AMCRS cluster (Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart), an association of VFX/animation companies here in Baden-Württemberg, and also strongly promotes the location internationally in the VFX/animation sector. Ms Röthemeyer and her team at MFG attach great importance to VFX/animation projects and provide them with special support, creating a very good environment for the studios here.
DP: Do German animated films have a chance on the international market?
Holger Weiss: I think animated film is a powerful means of conveying stories that can be successful internationally, as new worlds are created that are not normally accessible to viewers. It should be promoted far more in Germany. We have good stories and talented artists who are otherwise poached by the big production houses from America. We now also have very good production expertise to realise these stories. Charming films are being produced in Germany, considering the comparatively low budgets that were available to the productions. I hope that films like “Conference of the Animals” and “Ritter Rost” will attract attention far beyond Germany.
DP: What do new M.A.R.K.13 employees need to bring with them?
Holger Weiss: When putting together the team, we rely on the recommendations of artists who have already worked for us and on the universities here in Stuttgart. On the other hand, we search via recruitment, including at FMX. For us, it is important that the people in the team fit together, support each other and that there is a transfer of knowledge between them. You should definitely have talent, team spirit and discipline. We also like a pleasant working atmosphere and therefore try to create this for ourselves and our artists as best we can. We believe that this usually works, but unfortunately not always.
DP: You worked on this project for a total of three years – what is your conclusion?
Holger Weiss: For us, it was effectively “only” two years working directly on the film. As it was the first project of this size for us, we learnt a lot. Overall, it was probably exhausting for everyone involved, as we worked to a tight schedule with a relatively small team for an animated feature film. We also had active support from A-Film, especially on the production side. In future, I would definitely employ more people in production. Thanks to this experience, we are now starting the pipeline for the next project much earlier. We will also plan far more team meetings for the artistic realisation, which were a little too short at the end of the production time for “Ritter Rost”.
DP: Does MFG – Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg play a special role in the animation sector?
Holger Weiss: The MFG is an important partner for us, providing us and the companies here in the region with a great deal of support. MFG has also supported our next project “Maya the Bee”. Especially for VFX/animation projects, the MFG is a competent partner that also provides sustainable support with the AMCRS cluster (Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart), an association of VFX/animation companies here in Baden-Württemberg, and also strongly promotes the location internationally in the VFX/animation sector. Ms Röthemeyer and her team at MFG attach great importance to VFX/animation projects and provide them with special support, creating a very good environment for the studios here.
DP: Do German animated films have a chance on the international market?
Holger Weiss: I think animated film is a powerful means of conveying stories that can be successful internationally, as new worlds are created that are not normally accessible to viewers. It should be promoted far more in Germany. We have good stories and talented artists who are otherwise poached by the big production houses from America. We now also have very good production expertise to realise these stories. Charming films are being produced in Germany, considering the comparatively low budgets that were available to the productions. I hope that films like “Conference of the Animals” and “Ritter Rost” will attract attention far beyond Germany.
DP: What do new M.A.R.K.13 employees need to bring with them?
Holger Weiss: When putting together the team, we rely on the recommendations of artists who have already worked for us and on the universities here in Stuttgart. On the other hand, we search via recruitment, including at FMX. For us, it is important that the people in the team fit together, support each other and that there is a transfer of knowledge between them. You should definitely have talent, team spirit and discipline. We also like a pleasant working atmosphere and therefore try to create this for ourselves and our artists as best we can. We believe that this usually works, but unfortunately not always.
DP: Did you benefit from your proximity to the film academy during production?
Holger Weiss: As alumni of the Filmakademie, we were supported by Prof Hägele and the Animationsinstitut/Filmakademie. Of course, we also benefited from the graduates, who were able to really get into the “material” with their excellent training. We also got some really good artists from the HdM (Hochschule der Medien) here in Stuttgart.
DP: How do you rate the job opportunities for animators at the moment?
Holger Weiss: Unfortunately, there are very few animation projects here in Germany and the ones that do exist can hardly compete with projects from the USA, as they usually have much higher budgets. It is therefore understandable that graduates from animation schools and artists with feature film experience go to the big animation studios to work on one or more films. When I was still a student myself, I would certainly have preferred to go to Pixar. But you also have to realise that many people come back with their experience and then bring it back here. All in all, you can say that M.A.R.K.13 has always got the right artists, so we’re actually relatively happy with the offer.
DP: How is your studio organised?
Holger Weiss: M.A.R.K.13 was co-founded by me in 1999. In 2004, Armin Gauß (Head of Postproduction) and Dominique Schuchmann (Managing Director) joined us. We were initially primarily focussed on advertising. In this area, we also cover the entire production range for advertising films: pre-production, film production, post-production, animation, VFX, motion graphics. But the “crisis year” 2009 had the effect that we suddenly had time to concentrate on where we came from – animation and film. I think we managed this turnaround well with “Ritter Rost”. The fact that there is already a follow-up project confirms this impression. In Stuttgart, we are divided into two studios. There is the headquarters in Hohenzollernstraße, where most of the “short” productions take place, i.e. mostly advertising jobs, film productions and motion graphics for advertising and industrial clients, but also traditional VFX for feature films. Eight people work here on a permanent basis, and in busy periods – for example, always before an IAA (International Motor Show) – there are up to 30 people. The “long” CGI feature film projects are realised in the new studio on Theodor-Heuss-Strasse. This is where “Ritter Rost” was produced and “Maya the Bee” is currently being worked on. At the moment, eight people work in this studio on a permanent basis, but up to 25 people can be hired if necessary, as was the case with “Ritter Rost”. For 2013: Maya the Bee is flying. And there are more feature films (full CGI and VFX) in the pipeline, but we can’t name them yet.
DP: Do you share the experience that advertising agencies are increasingly handling 3D in-house?
Holger Weiss: We are aware of this development. It was/is the same with normal film production. But it doesn’t really scare us for several reasons: Firstly, an advertising agency can’t set up a 3D studio without neglecting its original expertise. They usually realise this very quickly and don’t bother. That’s what happened with film production and that’s what will happen with animation/motion graphics. If there are one or two people in an advertising agency who can handle smaller projects – okay, great. But when it comes to a “real” 3D job, they are quick to call in the specialists. That also has advantages: Whereas before you had to deal with people in the agencies who had no idea about 3D animation workflows, now you have contacts who speak our language, or at least understand it. There are fewer misunderstandings and also an understanding on the agency side as to why some things cannot be changed so quickly and cheaply. At least that’s our experience.
