The studio

How Nordlicht happened

Nordlicht Filmwerk started in 2017 as two freelancers sharing a sublet in Ottensen and arguing about whether the studio name should be in German (it should, said Marek, and he was right, as usual). The first paying job was a 45-second 3D animation of a fish finger for a supermarket chain. We've come a long way; the fish finger is still in the showreel as a matter of principle.

Today we're a compact studio of three specialists who deliberately stayed small. No account managers, no juniors learning on your budget — when you hire us, you get the people whose names are on the work. When a project needs more hands, we pull from a trusted circle of freelancers we've known for years, and we stay responsible for every frame either way.

What we actually do all day

Two things, really. We make films that happen to be built in 3D — product films, museum installations, animated explainers that don't look like animated explainers. And we build the immersive versions of those films for VR and AR: stereo 360°, real-time engines, headsets of every flavour.

The through-line is the camera. Whether it's a virtual one orbiting a watch movement or a physical one bolted to a gallery wall, our work starts with a question about the viewer: where do you want them to stand, and what should they feel standing there?

The way we like to work

• Small and senior. You talk to the people doing the work. Usually within the hour.
• Honest about cost. We quote in ranges early, refine fast, and warn you before a wish gets expensive.
• Prototypes over promises. By week two of any project there's something moving on screen. If you hate it, better to hate it early.