animago AWARD & CONFERENCE enters the next phase and prepares to cooperate for the first time with the Making Games Conference in 2018

The animago AWARD & CONFERENCE is an international event that focuses on 3D Animation & Stills, Game Design and Visualization and will take place for the third straight year in Munich. In 2018, the two-day animago will cooperate for the first time with the game developers’ gathering known as the Making Games Conference. Both events will take place at the same time on 25 and 26 October 2018 at the Gasteig Cultural Centre in Munich. Several of the presentations being accessible by participants of both events. The goal of this unique combination is to offer new horizons and added value to participants of both events.

“Bavaria is setting its sights on visual effects and animation. Both sectors continue to generate exciting entertainment and are becoming increasingly important for Bavaria’s status as a leading media location as well as for other sectors tangentially inspired by the creativity of the media industry. Film and cinema aren’t the only realms profiting from the abilities of these experts; indeed, the boundaries with virtual reality applications and games are also becoming increasingly fluid nowadays. For this reason, the “animago” and “Making Games” decided to showcase their diversity jointly for the first time this year, and hopefully will attract even more creative minds”. Georg Eisenreich, Bavarian State Minister for Digital Agenda, Media and Europe

animago AWARD & CONFERENCE is an awards ceremony, trade conference and exhibition all in one. It boasts a unique festival character, with one special highlight being the awarding of the renowned international animago AWARDs in twelve categories on 25 October. The animago EXHIBITION, which takes place simultaneously and is open to the public, sees some of the industry’s most important companies present their new products, technologies and services.

“New ideas arise when we open our minds and learn from each other across traditional boundaries. For the first time ever, pioneers drawn from the animation industry will meet innovators from the game developer’s scene. And Munich is the perfect city to host this encounter, especially considering its fast-growing creative sector, its leading status as a film city and its overall innovative and international flair. This is where creatives can find that fertile ground they need to generate innovation and new forms of presentation and narration”. – Dr. Hans-Georg Küppers, Cultural Officer of the City of Munich

The Making Games Conference, which is organised by the Computec Media Group, focuses on the creative areas of games development and will take place in 2018 for the second year in a row. The cooperation between the two conferences will provide new and added value to both events. Also new is the animago Advisory Council, which consists of representatives drawn from industry, business and politics. Among the members working on the further development of the animago AWARD & CONFERENCE as part of this council are representatives of NEC, Porsche AG, Trixter München GmbH, Red Arrow Studios, ScanlineVFX GmbH, Maxon and Esri alongside the Bavarian State Chancellery and the City of Munich.

“The animago is already one of the global animation industry’s most important events. This year, however, we are taking things to a brand new level. The combination of top-class speakers, improved award concept and new categories – “Best Feature Film Production” and “Best VR/AR/360 Degree” – marks a unique improvement in the overall concept. Plus we’re enhancing our offer thanks to our cooperation with the Making Games Conference.” – Tobias Hager, project manager, animago AWARD & CONFERENCE

Prominent international key speakers already confirmed

The key speakers who have already confirmed their participation in the animago AWARD & CONFERENCE are pioneers in the global animation community and will no doubt make the event one of the highlights of 2018. For example, the following industry leaders will give presentations:

Mickael Coedel: As senior/lead animator from Industrial Light and Magic, Mickael worked most recently on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Kong: Skull Island and Bumblebee, among other films. This year, he will give a presentation titled “Define your own path by creating your own luck – navigate successfully in the Animation & VFX industry” at the animago 2018.

Mike Hermes: As a successful YouTuber & 3D artist, Mike produces some of the most watched tutorials in the industry and regularly reaches a half million people each month. He will present on the theme “Story is King – How to tell a story as a 3D artist without saying a word.”

Jama Jurabaev: As a senior concept artist at Lucasfilm, Jama is definitively among the best concept artists in the world and will present on the subject of “VR for Artists”. Most recently, he worked on the films Ready Player One and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

“The animago has been around for more than 20 years and is deeply rooted in the global animation community. Here in Munich, we are fortunate to have a wider array of possibilities, and we intend to work together with other partners to develop the animago further towards becoming a festival for the animation, gaming and VR industry”. – Karin Lang, Management, Detail Business Information GmbH

Funding partners are the Bavarian State Chancellery as well as the City of Munich’s Culture and Creative Industries Team.

The animago is organised by the German-language trade magazine DIGITAL PRODUCTION, www.digitalproduction.com. The publisher of DIGITAL PRODUCTION is DETAIL Business Information GmbH, www.detail-business-information.de.

Sponsor partners of the 2018 animago AWARD & CONFERENCE:

Avid: Avid offers the most open, innovative and comprehensive media platform in the industry. The company connects the creation of high-end media content to a networked way of working and also links content protection, distribution and consumption, www.avid.com.

Chaos Group: Chaos Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of innovative computer graphics software. Day after day, all around the world, their physically-based rendering and simulation software is used by top design studios, architectural offices and visual effects companies. Chaos Group’s technical developments in the areas of cloud rendering, material scanning and virtual reality continue to have a decisive influence on the future of digital storytelling and media design, www.chaosgroup.com.

Esri: Esri is the world’s leading software manufacturer of geo information systems (GIS). This technology uses in large part 3D, graphic data processing, visualization, animation and other multimedia resources, www.esri.com.

Maxon Computer: Maxon is a manufacturer of high-end 3D modelling, animation and rendering software. Their Cinema 4D and BodyPaint 3D programmes have received multiple awards, www.maxon.net.

Wacom: Wacom is a leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface solutions, www.wacom.com.