Mondlicht Studios

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior producer for a production agency that’s part of a larger advertising production agency. We have lots of different clients, most of them in the pharmaceutical industry. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?

There was a new product that came up from one of our clients, and the challenge was they couldn’t afford a full photoshoot. There were people in this image that we needed to capture, so the art directors and creative team felt that a CGI approach would allow us a little bit more flexibility. Using stock photos wasn’t going to work because it wouldn’t give us enough control over the image.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mondlicht Studios created the image for an advertisement. It was a simple image with a simple animation aspect and illustration elements. This image was to be used for a digital ad, and potentially for a print ad. I’m not really sure if they’ve launched it to the public already, so I don’t want to say too much about it.

A good way to describe this image is it’s supposed to look real with a natural and space environment created in CGI. It looks so real that it had to look like a photograph, but there’s also a graphic element that had to be put on top.

What is the team composition?

There were like four people that were always on the emails. Initially, we talked to the owner, one of the other artists, and then we dealt exclusively with their production person. However, we only had one person from the whole team to go back and forth with.

How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?

The creative team had heard of Mondlicht and put them in the mix for bidding. We had to triple bid on the project because there was another big project coming through. For this specific pharmaceutical client, we always do triple bids, and Mondlicht was part of that process.

They came in and bid just over $25,000, which was higher than the other competitors. Mondlicht Studios was just at the right price range and went above and beyond the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September–October 2020. They finished it really quickly and everything looked pretty good. Even the client didn’t have much to say other than it looked really good.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They were just really good partners and they did excellent work. Everyone was really happy, despite the very few changes that we needed to make. They were really accommodating and were able to show us different options. Overall, we would rate the partnership as a success because they executed the work so well. It was on time, on budget, and there weren’t any snags at all.

They were also super responsive. They clicked with the creators and really understood what the vision was. They made us feel confident that they could do this, and with a high-level of expertise, make the image look very realistic.

How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at organizing files and were very responsible. We agreed early on that we would work a certain way, and established a linked folder where they would send us JPEG images to review — this is where we would also put our feedback. It was a simple process and it was really easy to keep track of things.

We would communicate through this linked folder and via email. We had a schedule that we followed and had a certain number of rounds to review the output, since the client also needed to see the project for them to give their feedback. I’d say, we were communicating pretty regularly, even though we were going on a schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their creative vision and efficiency.

During the bidding process, when we were explaining our idea to them, they were already ahead of the curve compared to some of the people we were bidding on. They really got the idea, and even started some of the work during the bidding process just to show us what they were capable of doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I’m hard-pressed to come up with something, but there was one time they sent me the files before I needed them. They work too fast sometimes, but I wouldn’t even say that because it didn’t cause any problems. I just had to make sure that anyone else who had access to that folder, didn’t access the file until it was 100% approved. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I could imagine that we were organized too, so we were a pretty good match. We had a very clear vision and we were responsive as well. I guess my advice would be to match their effort, energy, and efficiency they’re going to put into the project, so that it goes as smoothly as possible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Designory is a California-based agency. I’m an art director, and I work in the Tokyo office. We mainly work with car manufacturers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?

We couldn’t do location shooting because of the pandemic, so we decided to digitally create two hero shots for a car.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mondlicht has produced two main still visuals for two different models. The project is still ongoing, and they’re supposed to make six more within the next month.

The challenge was to create a fully 3D CGI environment for each model. From there, we would just change the car position and create still images.

What is the team composition?

I’m mostly chatting with David (CEO and Co-Founder), but also with Maksym (CEO) and Dmitriy (Art Director).

How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?

I did research on the top CGI companies in the world. One prerequisite was for them to have experience in the automotive industry. I looked at Mondlicht Studios’ portfolio and had several interviews with them, and they seemed to have the best skills.

How much have you invested with them?

The two main visuals they’ve created had a cost of $35,000. The six additional structures will cost another $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Mondlicht in mid-May 2020, and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The quality so far is outstanding. Mondlicht is by far the most skillful partner I've worked with in terms of technical aspects, but there’s also an impressive creative side. Unlike past partners, they'll come up with several solutions based a rough overall idea.

They deliver updates every day on where they are on the project, and they’re always trying to find the best solution to meet the client’s requirements.

Everyone on the client-side was amazed by the quality of the two visuals. Nobody could tell that they’d been created digitally. That’s how photorealistic they are. I was really surprised by the quality of the work.

How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They usually deliver 1–2 days before the deadline, which gives us more time on our side to review their work. If I ask them to give me two proposals on one visual layout, they always come up with more. That makes it easier for me to decide and to get it approved by the client. They’re doing everything they can to make this as smooth as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s the quality of their visuals. Mondlicht is specialized in the automotive industry, but they’ve done work for footwear and food companies. This has given them a broader perspective for whatever they’re working on. Their attention to detail is amazing.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

This was my first time going full CGI. Mondlicht is used to this process, and they’re giving us guidance on deadlines and all the necessary steps. I don’t know how they could do any better.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should trust Mondlicht’s guidance on the overall production process, and let them express themselves when it comes to visual creativity and communication. Give them a brief and overall feel for the visual, and let them think about it from there. That’s the best way to capture Mondlicht’s creativity.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former head of production at Staud Studios, an agency and company production house.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?

We needed a vendor to partner with us on an automotive-related project which involved doing data prep and CGI data work.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve helped with graphic prep, preparational car data, and the retouching of the many pictures we produced together. Mondlicht Studios has mostly worked in Maya, but also in 3ds Max, Unreal, Photoshop, and add-ons like Painter and tracking tools.

To complete production videos, the team has gathered Maya files, created animations, and made renderings.

What is the team composition?

My primary point of contact was David (CEO, Mondlicht Studios).

How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?

They were referred to me by a colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in July 2016 and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They realize the KPIs and the creative and art directors have been highly satisfied.

How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

In addition to being very good with communication and scheduling, the team is always transparent and goes above and beyond in their drive for quality production.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have deep knowledge of their software and they scripted their own tools. The fact that they are able to convert high-polling data models to low-polling analytics shows how excellent their knowledge of the automotive field is.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In my experience, I can’t say they need to improve anything. At some point, they should consider growing the team in order to do larger productions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their professionalism and great skillsets makes collaborating with them a good experience.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a 100% subisidiary. Founded to deal with complex product data and digitalization . I myself am Head of Development. We are part of the virtual engineering department, and are mainly dealing with 3D Data preparation for the online car configurator.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mondlicht Studios?

We did hire them for the 3D modeling of the following passenger cars. We also hired them to aid in building a unity soft-configurator/demonstrator to showcase our cars. - and assist in tool-development along the way.

What were your goals for this project?

We tried to develop toolset and processes that enable us to remodel a fully configurable 3D model of a passenger car with reasonable effort. We were mainly using maya, python and webgl.

How did you select this vendor?

Our company has worked with them in several 2D visualization projects for marketing and sales.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We had to develop features and structure of a 3D car model, which we wanted to remodel. The main challenge was to reduce the amount of data, to make our CAD cars renderable on mobile/low end devices.

They are known for taking care of everything proactively, mainly hired for modelling the 3D model, they helped with testing and developing the tools needed to do so.

What was the team composition?

We had Maksym and David working on the projects, over the course of the project they brought in and coordinated several external partners to aid where needed.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our customers were very pleased with the models Mondlicht created. Our CEO made the creation of models in the manner of Monlicht a key strategy. We had several requests for the creation of more 3D models.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We did daily calls for status tracking scope adjustments in the rework, review phases. Other than that Mondlicht was working independantly to our complete satisfaction. We use Jira for all our development projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The point that they are taking care about everything around their projects. They come up with solutions. They almost make you feel bad for all the work/heart they put in to make you succeed.

Great partners! If you need a partner to rely on during complex projects with many constraints, you can not go wrong with them. Any task you give them you can consider done - without any second thought. They are every project managers dream.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They should advertise their consulting capabilities more. They are not your typical media-agency and they shouldn't try to. Honest consulting no upselling - always in your interest.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the creative director of The Wunderwaffe. We are an advertising agency, but we also specialize in events and cultural engagements.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?

We were looking for someone to provide animation and other digital media services for our company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Mondlicht Studios on two projects: one for a cheese manufacturer, and the other for an optician. They provided a range of interesting and engaging projects and digital artwork.

The team created visual effects using stills, as well as commercial video production. They’re responsible for all photography and post-production work as well, and provided one of our clients with postcards representing the artwork they did.

What is the team composition?

There were three or four people that worked on the projects.

How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?

Mondlicht Studios reached out to our organization on LinkedIn with their services, which is how we initially made contact. Their portfolio was great, so we went through a small test before deciding they would be a great fit for our needs.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent €53,000 Euros (approximately $57,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from November–December 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our clients and our organization both have been extremely satisfied with our engagement with Mondlicht Studios.

The commercial was designed to air only once, at a very specific time. The slot was placed ten minutes before the Chancellor’s national address, so we knew the entire country would be watching. Mondlicht Studios worked around the clock to create the commercial in time.

After it showed, people called and emailed us with positive feedback.

As for the images we created in our other project, our cllient has been out of stock of all 24 different postcards Mondlicht Studios created. All stakeholders agree the work is not only funny and pleasing but high-quality as well.

How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was always available to call both day and night and often worked long hours to complete our projects. Our teams relied on phone calls and WeTransfer to stay in touch.

Mondlicht Studios always delivered both on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mondlicht Studios loved our project. We had a fantastic time partnering with them because of how engaged they were in the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If anything, they’re more valuable than the rates they charge. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a really creative thing to do then go to Mondlicht Studios. If you bring them an exciting, challenging project, they’ll produce fantastic results.