Kicker & Let’s Get Married
The two that (re)started my journey into animation.
When I wanted to get back into 3D I decided the best way to learn was to make a short film, and so I made Kicker. After the initial idea I read up on film theory, cinematography, editing before actually learning a 3D software, and then started to build the models and animate them. The whole process from idea to finish (ie. festival applications) took about 18 months.
Kicker screened at numerous festivals across the globe, and on national television. It was my entry ticket to Berlinale Talentcampus (now Berlinale Talents), one of the most transformative weeks of my life. And I am particularly proud to own Kicker on a roll of 35mm film.
Half a year later I was approached by the German band Missouri. They had seen Kicker at a festival and wanted me to make a video for the song “Let’s get married” of their album In Voodorama. Having grown up watching MTV for hours on end - purely in appreciation the art form, of course - I jumped at the chance.
Best of TRICKLABOR
After many years as Creative Director, Producer, and Animator at TRICKLABOR I can look back a very diverse range of productions. These are my personal favourites:
Finding Tomorrow Today
Forschungszentrum Jülich is one of Europes largest research facilities. This corporate video is among our earliest, yet biggest productions. It’s where I cut my teeth as a producer of videos, director of film crews, and interviewer of scientists.
Nuremburg Opera House
Probably my prettiest 3D animation. I had to explain the complexities of running an opera house to make a case for an upgrade. I opted for the architectural cardboard model look to instead of “realistic” visualizations to convey the point that this is still in the planning stage.
Quantum Mechanic & Neutron Scattering
The most complex and difficult subject I ever had to turn into a film. Understanding it myself and then working on the script took almost a year. To combine visual material from different sources (video, photos, measurements and illustrations) I decided to make the video look a bit like lecture notes on paper.
Occupational Health and Safety
More recently I moved away from 3D animation and learned 2D vector puppet animation. I used these new skills on a series of PSA animations regarding health and safety in industrial production. My favourite one is the one above, and you can watch the whole series here.
Baltique
During our early student years my flat mate Hauke and I made electronic dance music, and we even got a record deal out of it. Still waiting for our big breakthrough, though. Embedded is the A side track, Joseph Otten, and you can listen to the B side tracks, Mux and Demux, on YouTube as well.
Airborne Landmine Detection
Im 1999, in my thesis for my physics Diplom (that old German MSc equivalent) I explored the possibility to detect individual landmines on aerial photographs using image analysis. I did not succeed and as I learned during a memorable field trip to actual mine fields in Mozambique this kind of research would not have made much of a difference because the danger of potential false negatives would be to high. I am still proud of my thesis, and you can find it here.