The fourth edition of 3D Wire consolidates itself as a must-see event for the video game, animation and new media industries

The production company Balieri Studio wins two 3D Wire awards for best short film and video game project, while Conflictivos Productions wins the Battle of Animators.

3D Wire Market ended on Sunday, October 14, with four intense days of activities, confirming its position as one of the most established markets in Europe within the video game, animation and New Media sector.

More than 550 accredited attendees, including professionals and students of various nationalities, were able to enjoy fifteen conferences and more than fifty speakers in Segovia (Spain) during the three days of the Market, including Enrique Gato and Nicolás Matji (The Adventures of Tadeo Jones, Lightbox Entertainment), Manuel Cristóbal (Wrinkles, Perro Verde), Beto Nahmad (VCCP) or Víctor Cerezo (Mercury Steam).

In the short film market area, around 55% of the short films selected for the Market have been purchased by television networks or have found international distribution. On the other hand, the new alliance generated between Gamevelop, the meeting platform for video game developers, and 3D Wire, has enhanced the presence of video games in this edition, with a greater presence of talks, companies and young creators, in addition to an intensive video game design workshop that took up the entire day on Sunday, October 14.

The keys to Tadeo Jones' success

The day of Saturday, October 13, had several especially intense moments, such as the first joint conference that the creators of the feature film Las Aventuras de Tadeo Jones offered after it had become the highest-grossing Spanish feature film of the year. The conference lasted more than three hours and was attended by Nicolás Matji, producer of the film, Enrique Gato, director of the film, Juan Jesús García Galocha, artistic director of the film, and Guillermo García Carsí, responsible for the credits, who revealed many keys to the secret of the film's success. Manuel Cristóbal moderated the conference, which was a unique opportunity to see the two most successful animated feature film producers currently in Spain together at the same table.

New forms of production and financing

One of the most interesting aspects of this year has been the clear commitment that the market has made to a greater presence of innovative projects in all aspects, not only in the field of content, but especially on the financing and production side. In this sense, the afternoon conferences made it possible to show new formulas for seeking financing or producing projects together with new forms of advertising. In this way, the afternoon session on Saturday, October 13 served to publicize the crowdfunding strategies of Jossie Malis (Zumbakamera) and his animated series project Bendito Machine and Miguel Montesinos (Evil Mind Entertainment) and his video game project ColdWar, in addition to the innovative concept of workfunding, with Iván Mena Tinoco and Óscar Mena Aparicio, who presented the production of the short film through the looking glass. Shortly before these presentations, Maria Boix and Jaime Cid from La Ballena de Hojalata explained the new advertising strategies involved in the creation of branded content and the benefits that animation production can have for brands of all types. In line with these proposals at the industrial and technological forefront, a large part of the projects that were presented in the Market decidedly opted for new models of financing and doing business.
Premios 3D Wire.

The 3D Wire Awards ceremony came to put a final culmination in this way to the four intense days of activities. Renato Roldán, director of Balieri Studios and Osom Video Games, managed to win both the RTVE Interactive Award for Best Video Game Project for Fude Samurai, as with the Elypse International Distribution Award for Best Short Film Project for Under the Bridge.

The 3D Wire Award for Best Short Film from the Battle of Animators for Mortal Combat, a tribute to equal parts stop motion animation classics and the well-known video game, was recreated in the spectacular fight to the death in the Plaza del Azoguejo in Segovia between the well-known Valencian animation director Sam and Bárbaro Joel Ortiz, the Cuban animation director who authored the short film 20 Years. A total of five teams of animators from Madrid, Valencia, Andalusia, Castilla y León and even Argentina participated in the Battle of the Animators.

Young animation and video game talents

The event on October 12 served mainly to put the animation and video game industry in contact with young talents from all over the Iberian Peninsula, including a large participation from Portugal, through information sessions in which the best work and job search practices were sought. The first of the morning presentations of the day, sponsored by the Junta de Castilla y León, began with an interesting talk by Eduardo Millán, from Gamevelop, and Lucas González from Tequila Works, about the keys necessary to develop a good video game.

After exposing the different types of existing players, González highlighted the need for a good designer to be able to adapt to the users for whom their project is intended. Next, a round table with four experienced professionals from the world of animation provided all the keys to preparing a good animation reel. José Antonio Cerro, Manuel Galiana, Ángel Molinero and Juan Ramón Pou insisted on the importance of having a good list of jobs to be able to find work in the sector.

The afternoon of the second day was dedicated to the presentation of projects, without a doubt the most anticipated moment of the day. Coke Rioboó and Lourdes Villagómez first presented a large amount of unpublished material from “The Noise of the World”, one of the most surprising animated short film projects in recent years. Emotional and shocking in equal parts was the presentation of the feature film project Another Day of Life, presented by Amaia Remírez. This co-production between different production companies from Spain, Poland, Germany and Belgium is a literary adaptation with a theme never seen before in a Spanish animated feature film. Next, Diana Rodríguez from the Valencian studio Hampa Studio presented the 3D animation series project Laika, Space Adventures, a production aimed at children, of which the pilot was presented and which surprised by its careful quality and great technical finish. Alexandre F. Gavela from BRB International, for his part, presented the animated series Canimals and the fun augmented reality video game Zoobabú. Both projects are completed and are seeking financing. The last third of presentations were allocated to the presentation of video games, a sector that increasingly has a greater presence of projects and creators in Spain.

On the other hand, during the day it became common to observe improvised meetings and presentations of work among the large audience attending the event. This unique opportunity for exchange between professionals, producers and students makes the 3D Wire Market a reference space for those who wish to establish working relationships in the animation and video game sector.