The AudioLabs at Fraunhofer IIS in Erlangen research digital audio technology. The MP3 format was invented here. Anyone working in the field knows the place.
For the next generation, that isn't enough. Researchers looking for a PhD or postdoc position don't decide based on an institute's past. They want to know what daily life there looks like. What kind of people work there. Whether they can picture spending a few years in that building.
The film had to start exactly there. Not with research successes, not with specialist fields. With the climate inside the lab.
The climate, not the substance.
Research institutions usually communicate through competence. Topics, awards, publications. Here the decision went the other way. The film doesn't explain what the AudioLabs research. It shows how the people there treat each other, how they talk, how much they enjoy the work.
Live action and 2D motion graphics. The animation doesn't do the explaining. It makes audible processes visible, gives the film pace and keeps the tone light.
The film isn't academic. It's fun.
Producer on behalf of blubb.media. Running the production, coordinating with the AudioLabs, contributing to tone and edit.
In a film that works with humor, execution decides everything. A gag held a beat too long turns awkward. A cut that lands a second late loses the punchline. A mix that is a shade too polished takes the lightness out of it. Humor is more fragile in production than almost any other tone.
Production: blubb.media
Client: Fraunhofer IIS / AudioLabs
Brand films from research institutions tend to look alike. Drone shot, soaring soundtrack, quotes about the importance of science. The AudioLabs film goes the other way. It doesn't take itself too seriously.
What sounds like breaking the genre is a statement. A place that invented MP3 doesn't have to raise its voice about its significance. It can afford humor. That very confidence, having substance and not needing to prove it, is the real message to the next generation.