All questions
What services does Tricklabor offer?
Who benefits from Tricklabor’s services?
What services does Tricklabor offer?
Tricklabor is a full service animation studio specializing on scientific and technological subjects. We can take your project from the first idea right through to the final animation or illustration. But, of course, we can also assist you specifically at a any single stage of your project.
Computer animation and 3D illustration
This is Tricklabor’s core business. Look around the portfolio to get an idea of the wide range of formats and styles.
Concept/script development
Work with Tricklabor right from the start of your project to benefit from a decade of experience in production planning and a wealth of good ideas. We ask the right questions, know the pitfalls and can develop concepts or scripts that play nice with the desired budget.
Video editing and special effects
Your project requires editing of existing video material? The script calls for integration of animation and live-action footage? Do not worry—Tricklabor does all this and we also know how to wield a camera, just in case.
Full-dome expertise
Are you planning movie for a planetarium? Tricklabor’s founder, Marc Hermann, acted as 3D supervisor in the award-winning full-dome film production Adamas - Realm of Light. Why not draw on this experience for your own 360° project?
Who benefits from Tricklabor’s services?
If you have anything to do with science, medicine, technology or engineering and want to communicate your ideas visually you have come to the right place. While many of Tricklabr's clients belong to one of the following groups, we really cater for everyone's animation needs as long as the subject matter fits into our profile.
Research facilities
like ESRF in Grenoble use Tricklabor's animations or illustrations for their outreach and public relations efforts whereas individual scientists may want to use them for lectures or poster presentations.
Technology firms
like Checkpoint Systems who present new products on trade fairs or attract potential investors with stunning animations. Prototype visualization or explanatory illustrations are other useful applications.
Production companies and agencies
like Scholz & Friends Identify in Berlin who add visual effects or animations to their science or tech related productions.
How much does an animation cost?
There is no fixed price per minute. Several factors influence the cost, and the accuracy of a quote depends on how well these variables are known beforehand.
Content
Clearly the biggest influence on the price. Is it a complex animation or just a simple camera motion? Do you need intricate objects or is a schematic presentation more desirable? Do many 3D objects have to be modelled? Do the computer generated images have to be integrated with live-action footage?
Optical style and quality
The more realistic the images are supposed to look, the bigger the effort to create them. Furthermore, the final output size of the animation determines the amount of details that have to be taken care of: HD video has higher demands than an animation created solely for web streaming.
Reference material
Are there technical drawings or blueprints that could help build the 3D objects? Maybe even proper 3D models from your CAD department? Do you have photos of the different surfaces? The more usable the reference material the quicker production can move on.
Technical effort
Tackling particular technical hurdles can lead to higher cost, eg. filming from a helicopter, complex simulations or when pre-existing video footage turns out to be difficult to process.
Sound and music
Every animation benefits from a proper sound track and Tricklabor can to take care of it if you wish. The popularity of the narrator, the selection of the music and the quality of the sound effects influence the cost among other factors.
What do “CG” or “CGI” mean?
These are abbreviations for “computer graphics” or “computer generated imagery”. Computer animation is a special case of CGI.
What does “Tricklabor” mean?
It is a made-up German compound noun and could be translated as ‘animation lab’. Trick comes from Trickfilm, meaning animation, and Labor is the German short form of Laboratorium, the laboratory.
