Objects in the real world have length, breadth,
height, light, and shadow. On the molecular level
that suddenly does not apply any more.

Joerg Hartmann,
Art Director 3D Animation

After studying multimedia technology with a special focus on design, computer graphics, and computer animation, I began my career at CAST PHARMA in 2011, starting out as a trainee. During that time, my passion for 3D graphics grew and three months later I was employed as a junior graphic artist.
I became a senior graphic artist the following year and I have been working as art director since 2014. In my present position, I support a team of 3D artists in their projects.

Why CAST PHARMA, of all possible places? Well, advertising, film, and television are things that everyone can do and does. Also, I wasn’t interested in hurling spaceships and futuristic robots through the cosmos. However, organic structures inside the human body provide a wealth of challenges for any graphic artist, allowing the limits of technology to be tested. I’m still pushing these boundaries – every day.

My Typical Assignments

  • Storyboard briefings for new projects

  • Discussing scenes and their sequence with our 3D graphic artists

  • Creating 3D medical animations

  • Approving still images and 3D animations prepared by our graphic artists

  • Rough cut meeting and quality control

  • Researching and analyzing new technologies in 3D animation

My Day

“This is too busy. There are simply too many elements in the scene. We’ll never be able to render it within a reasonable time frame” – these are typical thoughts of mine at the beginning of a working day. I have to solve the problem of how to minimize the number of polygons without the quality of the image suffering, because the day after tomorrow, that very scene has to be ready for editing. In organic animation sequences, optimization is key – so I use the first few hours at work today to devise a strategy for the best possible implementation of the scene.

At 10 a.m., I attend a project briefing to receive basic information about a new animation film: what are the messages that this film should convey, what style is being planned, where are potential snags and pitfalls, and what’s the timeline like? Equipped with this information, I head back to my team to discuss the next steps. Together with the head of production, I check what resources are available and put together a team to implement the project.

Just before lunch, one of our 3D artists sends me an animation preview. Well, it’s not quite where I want it to be yet: the proportions are off, the lighting looks a bit strange, and the camera movements are uneven. These are all problems I also used to have as a beginner at CAST PHARMA. Medical animations are in a different league from architecture, commercials, or game design. After lunch, I’ll get together with the artist and show him a few tricks of the trade …

Now and again I also get to create scenes myself, if there’s time. But mostly I’m busy developing and trying out technologies, helping 3D artists prepare projects and making sure the final film is consistent from beginning to end, especially when several artists have been working on it.

Before the working day is over, there is one more rough cut meeting to attend – and things look really good. Everything fits, it’s medically correct, and the animations are great. The client will be very pleased with this. This was successful team work and it confirms that our search for individual solutions has paid off.

Think you’ve got something to add to the CAST PHARMA mix?

jobs@cast-pharma.com