Check out some of the best work by the leading German design and animation agency.
This article is brought to you in association with Masters of CG, a new competition that offers the chance to work with one of 2000AD's most iconic characters. There are big prizes to be won, so enter today!
Located in the heart of Munich's vibrant creative district of Schwabing, Aixsponza has been producing animations for big and small budgets since 2006.
Skilled in motion graphics, 3D animation, visual effects and graphic design, the company (it's pronounced 'Eks-sponza', in case you were wondering) aims to tell stories, provide visual pleasure and turn complex processes into easy to follow animation. Or in their own words: "We create new worlds, build design guides, love typography and compose the music that fits your new visual way of life."
The studio has made a name for itself with its work in branding, character design, print design, VFX and more. Here, though, we focus in on some of Aixsponza's commercial work. These examples cover a variety of animation styles, from stop motion to 3D work, all equally impressive and instantly arresting...
01. BMW Ink
BMW wanted to promote its philosophy of Efficient Dynamics with the slogan "less consumption - more driving pleasure". Working with MAB Berlin, Aixsponza conveyed this idea beautifully with a mixed media spot in which a whole world comes out of one drop of ink. Everything from stop motion to 2D animation to full-blown 3D technology is used to bring this romantic concept to life.
02. Terra Mater - Tree of Light
Terra Mater is part of the Red Bull Media House and specialises in factual production and distribution for cinema, TV and multimedia platforms in the areas of nature, science and history. Aixsponza was tasked with creating a promo for the brand that would work on both cinema and television screens.
Working with production company Peter Clausen Film & TV, they created this breathtaking animated sequence involving light trails in a black and empty space. As more and more particles are spawned, as the camera draws back we see a tree - the iconic symbol of Terra Mater - being formed.
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03. BigFM Speaker
In this entertaining animation promoting a German radio station, everything is made out of tiny speakers. Created in collaboration with Jung von Matt/Neckar, it's a beautifully succint way to convey the idea that 'your life is full of music' when you listen to bigFM.
04. RedBull Formula 1
In collaboration with fellow Munich company Peter Clausen Film & TV, this commercial for Red Bull introduces Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel's new teammate Daniel Ricciardo and uses 3D animation to reveal the inner workings of the car.
As the storyboard called for closeup shots of Vettel and Ricciardo, Aixsponza created 3D photoscans of both drivers' racing helmets, plus three cameras were used to capture animated textures of their faces.
The stabilized footage was mapped onto retopo geometry of the scan which provided realtime animated faces in the 3D viewport. For various shots, fluid effects like smoke and fire were needed. These were simulated and rendered using TurbulenceFD for Cinema4D.
What was most difficult to handle was the huge amount of geometry involved. Approximately half of the car parts were delivered as CAD models, the other half was modelled by Aixsponza - with enormous polygon counts neccessitating a huge update in computer memory.
05. Viva Game One
The opener for VIVA MTV Networks' computer games show, Game One, this spectacular promo covers the entire history of computer games in a cleverly subtle fashion. Starting from Pong right through to First Person Shooters, this abstract animation is a ride through gaming's glory days that demands repeat viewings.
06. Red Bull Transparent Cooler
In its ongoing campaign to increase the coolness of its brand - both literally and figuratively - Red Bull is equipping their coolers with a see through black and white display. For this suitably stark, monochrome animation - again made in collaboration with Peter Clausen Film & TV - Aixsponza traces the journey of Red Bull cans through a long night of partying.
Masters of CG is an exciting new competition for EU residents that offers you the one-in-a-lifetime chance to work with one of 2000AD's most iconic characters: Rogue Trooper.
We invite you to form a team (of up to four participants) and tackle as many of our four categories as you wish - Title Sequence, Main Shots, Film Poster or Idents. For full details of how to enter and to get your Competition Information Pack, head to the Masters of CG website now.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
