Animated Com Award Winners Announced

Press release from ITFS:

Stuttgart, Germany – The ceremony for the Animated Com Awards at the 19th Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film was held this week at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Jury members included Jürgen Haas, Kathi Käppel, Thomas Meyer-Hermann, Armin Pohl, Michael Preiswerk, Thomas Hundt and Uli Weber. Awards were presented in the Advertising and Technology categories, as well as the newly added “Communication in Space” category and the newly created “Mercedes-Benz Classic: 60 years of the Mercedes-Benz SL” prize, developed in co-operation with Daimler AG.

The winner of the "Mercedes-Benz Classic: 60 years of the Mercedes-Benz SL" special award was won by Owen Trevor from Passion Raw for his spot "Mercedes-SL Black." The short video plays with the sporty form of this cult car, the white animated lines emphasizing the dynamism of the car. The appeal of the short clip also lies in its experimental montage and innovative sound design. The avant-garde of the automobile industry meets the avant-garde of filmic creativity. Daimler AG acknowledged this achievement with a cash prize of 2,500 Euros.

In the Advertising category, it was the film, Clover Way Better, by South Africa's Shy the Sun, Strange Beast that made the running. The film convinced the jury such that it did not only win the prize for the best advertising spot and the accompanying 2,500 Euros donated by Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, but was also able to take home the main prize which also included a cash prize of 5,000 Euro donated by Fraunhofer IPA.

Jury member Thomas Meyer-Hermann explained the reasoning behind the decision: "Here, the strength of animation; its ability to create opulent, fantastic images is used to perfection. We learn how milk is made in the Milky Way and by no means in half-measures. Advertising must not just inform, it may also cheat a little – if it is in such a poetic, imaginative, charming and heart-warming way as in this spot by the South African studio, Shy the Sun."

The winner in the Technology category is the Red Bull Music Academy World Tour by Pete Candeland from Passion Pictures. The cash prize of 2,500 Euros was donated by KSPG AG. "Technically, the animation of "Red Bull Music Academy World Tour" excels thanks to the perfect interplay of 2D, 3D, stop-motion and CG technologies. The musical spectrum of the "Red Bull Music Academy World Tour" is reflected in a variety of animation techniques and styles," said juror Kathi Käppel.

Furthermore, the Animated Com Award was complemented by the "Communication in Space" category. The prize for the new Communication in Space category was presented to Prof. Uwe Brückner, Atelier Brückner GmbH for "Magic Box - State Grid Pavillon." The cash prize of 2,500 Euros was donated by the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart.

Jürgen Haas explains the jury’s decision: "The State Grid Pavilion at the Expo Shanghai breathes. Like a huge living creature, it presents itself as a commanding power in keeping with the rhythms of the universe. The Magic Box in which visitors can experience a breath-taking, three dimensional immersive, spatial experience is the heart of this media-architectural organism. Atelier Brückner together with director, Marc Tamschick, leads us into new worlds, the almost limitless diversity of which reminds us of an inside out Rubrik's Cube for which, however, there seems to be not just one, but a never-ending number of solutions."

The prizes were presented by representatives from the partners of the Animated Com Award, the Fraunhofer Institut IPA, Mackevision, KSPG AG, the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart and Daimler AG. The evening was hosted by Markus Brock (SWR).

This year, the partners of the Animated Com Award are the Fraunhofer Institut, Daimler AG, the Art Directors Club Germany, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, KSPG AG, ILG Außenwerbung GmbH+Co. KG, SSB, Atelier Brückner, the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart, Meckatzer Löwenbräu, Silkroad, bilekjaeger, Tamschick Media+space, Festo and ICT AG.

Further information on this competition and photos of the award ceremony can be found here [1].