35 years of mdh - Inspiring thesis no. 2 (February 2023)

2023 - our anniversary year! We are celebrating 35 years of mdh. In the course of this, we take a look into the past, show locations and faces as well as extraordinary final theses. In February, we present the final project of our alumna Corinna Lippold. She studied Digital Film Design at mdh and successfully graduated in 2022 in Düsseldorf. In her bachelor thesis she investigates the influence of light on the perception of films. As part of her research project, she developed the film "Ready, Set, Dead" together with Fabian Gah and Hendrik Weiler.

Corinna Lippold's bachelor thesis in Digital Film Design shows how the targeted use of light can create certain moods that contribute to the realism and credibility of a film. Light as a design element in film Light has a much greater significance in film than simply making things visible. In painting, for example, it took centuries before light and shadow were finally used as design elements. In the beginning, artists only used sunlight, but then artificial light was also used, culminating in the targeted use of light and shadow. In her work, Lippold illustrates how important lighting is in film, as this design tool is not obvious and many viewers are not aware of it. Lighting in film requires a lot of work, which is not apparent at first glance. However, by using light in a targeted way, certain moods can be created and thus an atmosphere can be created in the film, which can support and significantly strengthen the message of the film. Comparison of lighting in classic film and in 3D In her work, Corinna Lippold compares the similarities and differences between lighting in classic film and in 3D and explores the technical limitations in 3D. Not all effects that occur in the real world can be realistically represented in 3D with lighting. The research on lighting in history and art makes it clear that light has had a considerable influence on artists and filmmakers in the past. In her thesis, Lippold identifies lighting methods and explores which methods are particularly suitable for achieving certain effects. The focus is on using lighting in 3D to achieve a realistic and believable experience. Technical progress and virtual production By 2022, technology had advanced to the point where Lighting in 3D could be used to create authentic images. In many cases, it can be less costly to create something in 3D than to film and light it in reality, because in 3D, subsequent adjustments can be made more easily and quickly. In the coming years, Corinna Lippold anticipates that even more efficient ways of working can be developed, especially through real-time workflow and the increased use of virtual production, thereby merging the realms of virtual and traditional film more closely.

Corinna Lippold is a highly skilled 3D generalist with a passion for lighting, shading, rendering, texturing and special effects. She has extensive experience working with Maya, Houdini, Blender and Redshift and recently graduated in VFX & 3D Animation at the "Mediadesign Hochschule" in Düsseldorf. Previously, she trained as a media designer from 2015 to 2018, where she focused on digital image editing in Photoshop. Corinna currently works as a Junior 3D Generalist at Parasol Island GmbH in Düsseldorf, where she is able to use her skills and creativity in a variety of exciting projects.