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We believe the most rewarding work stems from a strong sense of teamwork, collaboration with our clients, and a desire to make something fresh and compelling. Here at MAKE we have a true passion for this work and enjoy all aspects of the creative process from start to finish.

07/24/2025

The MAKE Thesis Grant in 2024 supported these senior animation students by giving back to what we love most: short stories, insane student talent, and rising new voices in the industry. Want to know the best news? We’re bringing it back.

There’s so much more excitement and information to come. So stay tuned, stay peeled, and get ready to show us your talent.

Not only do we want to support you... we also want to be a part of your journey, helping give your senior thesis film the resources and encouragement it needs to bring your vision to life.

07/22/2025

A blacklight can reveal secrets... sometimes too many. Eughk. Thankfully, revealing the glowing sprinkles inside the latest Sour Patch Kids release, Glow Ups, was a sweet surprise. We've been goofing and scheming with the original Sour Patch Kids in all sorts of flavors for years now, and we know all the secrets to making these pranksters look just right. But with Glow Ups? It was time to flip the switch— go from the light to the dark, putting the kids in an all-new setting and revamping their character models.

Our lead 3D artist, Stanley, was ready to hit the club (during work, not after). He says, "The changes in lighting, the glow, the complexity of the crowd, and the club environment created an all-new setting to play with, in contrast to the minimal backdrops of most Sour Patch Kids spots I've worked on."

Translation? The vibe was bumping for Stan as he got to work making these kiddos glow up, inside and out.

Here's to seeing old friends in a new light.

07/17/2025

“You guys are always down for the wild stuff,” said Joe Humpay, Lead Art Director at Crunchyroll, on working with MAKE. Yeah, Joe gets us.

The Crunchyroll Ecomm project, which we broke down in high fidelity last week, was one where we really got to showcase our agility. Our quick-on-your-feet mindset kicked into high gear when we hit that moment of: "Oh crap. We're going to need to try something else". And yeah, it always gets a little wild when you go off-script. But, with great partners and great trust?

Joe was ready to feel out this new process with us. We just needed two days to test run the ex*****on before we said, "Woah. This is really going to work." We then went back to the team at Crunchyroll to pitch this new pivot confidently and move forward, together.

So the key (and not-so-secret) ingredient in making this project a success? 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆.

When you’re partnering with external creative teams who see the value in process, trust the back-and-forth, and aren’t afraid to get a little wild with it... that’s where the real magic happens.

Great way to wrap this project. More than excited for the next collab.

07/15/2025

If you’ve seen our green room on floor 18, you know we love to maximize every inch of space. But some projects just need MORE SPACE. So... welcome to the expanded MAKE stage!

One of the pics shows two sets running at the same time, but with over 25,000 square feet (yes 25K) of stage, you could shoot an entire show in this space! All this is right in downtown Minneapolis.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: https://makevisual.com/make-studio-stage-expansion

Thing is, this isn’t just more square footage (though it plays a large part). It’s the next phase of what we get to build together, and we’re so excited to show you what we’ve been making.

Let’s MAKE something bigger together!

07/10/2025

"The software won't give me what I want. It doesn't work." At MAKE, 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

Project Director Ben Lodge said, "When you have a tool, software, computer, whatever that isn't delivering to the standard needed... you have to be open to new solutions instead of insisting it's the computer's fault. This philosophy is something we had to put into practice on this Crunchyroll spot.

Crunchyroll wanted to showcase highly detailed minifigs, originally planned as a straightforward live action shoot. But our animated 3D animatics pushed the action beyond what a standard setup could handle. So we pivoted HARD, thanks to the R&D wizardry of our A+ tech director Aaron Dabelow.

His answer? Gaussian splats. A totally new pipeline for us.

At first, Ben Lodge was NOT getting the results he wanted with this new process. You see, Gaussian splats normally capture a huge amount of images by rotating a camera around an object to stitch together a 3d, digital recreation... with static, unchanging lighting. We wanted dynamic, moving light on our hero figures. Ben had to find a unique solution with our creative director, Danny Robashkin, on how the hell we were going to get our cameras AND our lights to rotate around the figures.

That solution? Don’t move the camera or the lights. Instead, we rotated the figures on a turntable. We tricked the software into thinking the camera was moving and finessed the background verrrry carefully... and yep, it worked like a charm.

Next time you hit a wall? Have a computer you wish you could hurl out of a window? Don't throw it out yet.

Think about how to twist your inputs to get the outputs you need.

07/08/2025

We’re looking for a Creative Editor who knows how to cut with confidence, whether it's branded content, animated shorts, or punchy ad promos.

As always, artists at MAKE have a generalist flair, so experience with motion graphics and audio is strongly desired.

If you're a storyteller at heart who enjoys putting it all together, let’s talk!

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘: https://makevisual.com/job-opening-creative-editor

Have questions or someone in mind? Comment and/or tag an editor who should apply.

07/03/2025

We all know already that "simple" is never just simple. A clean, minimal look leaves more room for error. Any imperfection can become a complete eyesore, like a spill on a white shirt.
So, the irony is? A tastefully restrained ad like this Crunchyroll collab often requires more attention to detail to get it exactly right.

We decided: Let the figures pop, and the world and animation play support.

We solidified a strong art direction, based on effective contrast and a clear focus for the viewer's eyes. We leaned into highly limited color, instead of washing out the strong color branding with distraction. And instead of a wall of motion, we put motion only where it needed to be to draw the eye.

Our goal was Clarity.

Clarity has to be priority number 1 when you’re asking your audience to make a purchase. Crunchyroll was hyping up their toy line, and we were more than happy to partner up and offer our expertise in the toy scene.

This white shirt, we think, made it out of the pipeline with no coffee stains. It's spotless. We appreciate the obsessive attention to detail from everyone who made it that way.

What "spotless" part of your job looks easy or simple... but would reveal every flaw if it's not done right?

07/01/2025

"Scorpion mech monster? Oh, make it scarier? More epic?"

"Got it", said our 3D character artist, Riley Eastman.
And 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥:

He resculpted almost every element from scratch, still embodying the look of the toy set but with subtle character appeal upgrades everywhere (especially that stinger!) He tagged in Jun-Yuan Liu for lovingly hand-painted gritty textures and Julia Reshetnyak for 2D effects flourishes: something to give those claws that extra menacing "SNIP SNAP."

After our key villain was ready to rumble, detailed desert dirt and dust cloud simulations layered onto the character animation to give each movement extra oomph. Each layer was added iteratively, starting from an animatic, to block outs, to final polish, to give us and our partners maximum control. It's what animation does best.

Thank you to our partners at Spin Master Global for giving us the monster design of our dreams to work with.

06/26/2025

MAKE is looking to add a Motion Designer to the team. Someone with clean design instincts, smooth animation moves, and a love for short-form storytelling that cuts straight to the good stuff.

If you're the type who thrives on nailing timing, finessing keyframes, and bringing new ideas to life with style, we want you.

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘:
https://makevisual.com/job-opening-motion-designer

Have questions or someone in mind? Comment and/or tag a designer who should apply.

06/24/2025

Just because they're designed for kids' hands, toys don't have to play small. With Monster Jam Mini Jams, we upgraded a scorpion toy set into a larger-than-life character with truck-sized pincers.

Stylization and pushing the character's appeal as far as we could created epic moments: Moments like trucks soaring over canyon gorges, or breaking through desert rocks, all in a custom world of stylized dunes and painted clouds. With hand-painted textures on the scorpion and the trucks, nothing was left "standard"... Because? Kids can feel it when a world matches their imagination, and we like imagining it as big, cinematic, and high-impact as they do.

06/19/2025

As director of the MAKE 2024 Thesis Grant 1st Place Winner, "Alienated", Andrew Erbskorn shares sound advice for other short filmmakers about how to best approach packing a punch with just 3 minutes. Trust him, he's not the maintenance guy ;).

“Alienated!" is about a skittish, orange lizard-like alien tasked with saving his dome-shaped home from large purple monsters. With stunning 2d animation, charming acting and great comedic timing, we just knew it was our number 1.

Learn more about the film’s journey and how the MAKE Thesis Grant helped support the crew: https://makevisual.com/make-thesis-grant-2024-winners

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