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We are very proud to announce
that last night at the 11th
Big Chip Awards AHD Mi and
Ian
Hogg picked up two awards. The first in
The Best Use of Animation category, and the
second The Anthony Wilson Original Modern Award.
Many thanks to Pushon and SKV for
getting
AHD168 out
there, and most importantly thanks to all the
lads in production at AHD Mi who worked well
into the cold dark December evenings to get
this project out. Anyway, enough of blowing
our trumpet. We'll let Big Chip judge Susan
Woodward OBE do it for us:
“Last December, Christmas was almost
cancelled. Britian was poised on the edge of
bankrupcy, banks and bankers were going or
being thrown to the dogs. In that environment,
no one was commissioing any creative work from
any type of creative company. It was truly
a bleak midwinter. This company had been working
on a promotional campaign for a major retailer.
When the budget was slashed because of the
credit crunch, they lost out.
But instead of just giving in, the took the
commission and turned it into a You Tube must
see. They didnt give in, they weren’t
defeated. In the face of adversity they turned
a loss into a winner. With humour, and talent.
And that’s why I chose them as this years
winner of this special award.
I think Tony would have approved.”
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It hasn't been the cheeriest of years eh? The papers full of doom and gloom; projects cancelled, work slowing down, and people generally being a tad mopey. No matter how the last twelve months have been for you, we hope that your festive season is a really happy one - well at least happier than ahd168's is going to be. Ahd168 is a robot friend of ours, and to be honest, he has got himself into a bit of a state. We're trying our best to help him, but all he really wants is somewhere to belong. Watch his heart-wrenching story here,
and let's hope his luck turns soon. |
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Crowd control, a matter for the police surely? Well, not with CGI. We recently designed and wrote a piece of custom software, enabling us to create and manipulate a 17,000 strong crowd, to bring an animation of the new Old Trafford cricket ground to life. Conveying the scale and atmosphere of such a development required a full box of animation tricks; low camera angles, pulls in depth of field (no pun intended), warm sunlight and even a few grass simulations.
All this was done while the stadium design was still evolving, ahd worked closely with the architects to ensure we incorporated new adjustments as soon as they were released. We think the new ground is pretty impressive, and the crowd seem to agree too - they even perform a CGI Mexican wave. See the finished film here.
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Unless you have been living under a stone age wheel, you will have noticed a transport revolution is probably about to happen in Manchester. Probably is the key word here. The proposals have their supporters and opponents - and the public voting is taking place at the moment. Against this highly political backdrop we were tasked with creating a film which would inform the public of the scale of potential change. Working closely with Marketing Manchester and GMPTE, we created a 60 second 'CGI documentary'. Six composited effects were edited into live footage. 3D typography, rendered in chrome like materials, moves through the city just as various modes of transport would. You can view the finished film here.
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For Ask development's Greengate project we wanted to deliver something special. Long gone are the days when CG animations were just walk-throughs - now we have the power to teleport. Our film follows someone on a very unique journey to the building. Richard explains the technicalities:
"The project was an exciting opportunity to use complex simulations to create a teleportation effect. These simulations had to be stable and able to produce results that could be composited reliably over a fast moving actor. This effect was combined with techniques that removed and reformed the actor against a backplate. The result was the ability to move the actor from live to artificial environments in shoot scenarios where green screening wasn't possible."
View the film here. |
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We have a great opportunity for someone with the desire and ability to learn. You will be responsible for front of house, some finance tasks, and the day-to-day smooth running of the office. The role is adaptable and the successful applicant will have the chance to progress further within the company. Must be conversant in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Outlook. Excellent phone manner is also a must.
Please send C.V here |
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Crain's Business publications are the bible for business information in the cities which they are published in worldwide. They are perhaps most famous for their 40 under 40 lists - selecting the 40 most outstanding young professionals in each city. Past winners, in the United States, include Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey - two people who are not doing too badly eh?
Now Manchester has it's very own Crain's Business, and with it our first very own 40 under 40 list. We are very proud to announce that ahd's director Tony is included. A great achievement if we say so ourselves. All 40 received their well deserved accolades at a Gala dinner at the Midland Hotel. Photos of the event are here. And a full list of winners is here. |
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"Designed by world-renowned experts, Minthis Hills blends barefoot luxury with cutting-edge design to create a world class mountain retreat." Pafilia development's new resort in Cyprus certainly sets the bar very high. This is no high rise monstrosity - 700 luxury villas have been carefully designed to integrate into their beautiful natural surroundings.
We were tasked with creating the marketing imagery and film. Obviously the highest quality CGI visualisation was needed to reflect development's aspirations. The project also meant a trip to Paphos for Tony and Gareth, which apparently was far less glamourous than it sounds. They spent two days climbing hills with a heavy camera, searing heat and in Gareth's case, inappropriate footwear. Nice. Our imagery can be seen here. |
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Our client Ask, working with the Castlfield junction partnership have a new project in the pipeline. They have commissoned Ian Simpson Architects to design three residential towers near Beetham Tower in Manchester. The architectural style of the towers is reminiscent their bigger relative, and will provide another spectactular addition to the Manchester skyline. ahd was asked to produce some CGI planning images for the project. Our images can be seen here. |
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| Obviously much of our business is movement, but this month some of it has been off screen for once. We are happy to say that Richard Jones, who joined ahd from his own London firm, has become an associate. Gareth Thatcher also moves to become an associate director, completing our management board. And Phil Greaves climbs into a much deserved role as project manager, putting his technical and organisational skills to great use. |
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Work has just been completed on ahd Works Volume One. An 80 page case bound book showcasing our work over our first few years. The book contains over 70 exceptional CGI images, many of which have received Worldwide recognition in the Exposé Awards. The book is self published and only printed in a limited number.
Thanks go to Ian Hogg, for design and art-direction
Copies are being sent out to clients currently, but if you would like a copy please get in touch.
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| This January ahd decided to escape the cold and wet of Manchester to go somewhere just cold. We all found it a well-balanced experience with museums and bars being frequented in equal measure. It was thoroughly enjoyable. So much so we are going to do it all again later this year with the whole office jetting of to Europe for the white slopes and powder. |
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