Act3animation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation, CGI |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Mike Hollands |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Key people | Mike Hollands (Creative Director) |
| Products | Television commercials, full-motion videos, short films, video game cinematics, web series |
Act3animation, commonly known as Act3, is a Melbourne-based Australian studio specializing in CGI character animation. Established in 1992 by the current creative director Mike Hollands, the company has created a wide array of television commercials, full-motion videos, and short films.
History
Following its inception in 1992, Act3 primarily concentrated on producing promotional shorts and TV commercials. In 1999, the studio expanded into the video game sector by crafting an E3 promotional cinematic for Blue Tongue Entertainment's Starship Troopers (2000), which earned the AEAF Award for Best Game Animation. Additional significant game cinematics developed by Act3 include titles such as Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (2003), RoadKill (2003), N.A.R.C., Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (2005), Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006), and Fury (2007).
In 2005, Act3 ventured into short film production with Anaka, designed to promote the gaming franchise from fellow Melbourne-based studio Tantalus Media. The company also produced the critically acclaimed tragicomedy Piñata, which was showcased at various international festivals including Annecy.
December 2006 marked a collaboration between Act3 and Deakin University's Motion.Lab, a motion capture facility equipped with 24 cameras and funded with $800,000, located at Deakin’s Burwood campus. Act3 took responsibility for managing and conducting commercial motion capture sessions within this studio.
In 2014, Act3 created the web series Bup & Endo, which was conceived, written, and directed by Mike Hollands. Episodes were published weekly on YouTube.