DIRECTOR I SCREENWRITER I ARTIST
„We the people“ was shot in the winter of 2018/2019 as a University application film for Makito Kumazawa. He has applied for a course of study as a Director of Photography. But for the application, the film had to be a maximum of five 5 minutes long. Nothing we had done until then was short enough, so I decided to take the opportunity to implement an idea I had been thinking of for a long time.
„We the people“ weiterlesen
„Das grüne Sofa“ („The green couch“) was the first movie that I directed, and worked on the script, but where the original idea came from somebody else. I met Julian Pfaff on the set of the German television series „Dr. Klein“. While we were working one day at lunch he told me about a script he worked on. He already kinda had an idea for a story but was just not happy with how it turned out. At the same time, he planned to submit the film as an application for a course of study as a Director of Photography at the Film Akademie in Baden-Württemberg. I liked the story, so he handed me his draft for me to take a look at it.
„Das grüne Sofa („The green couch“)“ weiterlesen
„Ein ungewöhnliches Treffen“ („An Unusual Meeting“) was created as a 72-hour project for the university application of a friend at the Film Akademie in Ludwigsburg. Lucas Maibaum, whom I met at the shooting of „Morgen kommt ein neuer Tag“ („Morning Comes a New Day“), had applied for the course of studies as a Director of Photography and was admitted by the Film Akademie to the further application process. The 72-hour project works as follows: Applicants will be given a topic on Friday evening and will have to submit a short film on the following Monday (exactly 72 hours later). While shooting „Morgen kommt ein neuer Tag“ Luc asked me if I would like to do this project with him and I immediately said yes.
„Ein ungewöhnliches Treffen („An unusual meeting“)“ weiterlesen
I had this picture in my head. In my mind, I saw a boy plagued with guilt and a guilty conscience. This was the idea for my new short film.
„Morgen kommt ein neuer Tag („Tomorrow comes a new day“)“ weiterlesen
Träume aus Glas („Dreams of Glass“) was my first big film. I came up with the idea for the screenplay after I watching a documentary about Russian models which absolutely shocked me! I started researching and quickly got an idea of the situation that young, exploited models often face. I wrote the screenplay in September 2016, within a week. The idea was stuck in my head and I couldn’t think of anything else. So I wrote several days in a row and then pitched the finished book to my partner and co-boss at the production company „BlackRiverProduction“. She was completely thrilled! We were both fired up and wanted to shoot the movie in November of the same year.
In the summer of 2015, I wanted to shoot an entire movie in a week. The script focused on a petty-bourgeois, bored woman who developed an obsession with watching people die.
„Toter Passagier“ („Dead Passenger“) was created as my second entry for the Subway film competition „Die goldene Orange“. After being nominated in 2015, I wanted to try it again. This time, however, with a shorter work, full of black humor and a brilliant punch line.
From the first page on I was thrilled by the book series „The Hunger Games“. The post-apocalyptic world of former North America and its cruel customs immediately mesmerized me. Even then, in early 2011, I wanted to make a spin-off of the book series. This was primarily because of my enthusiasm for the world created by Suzanne Collins, and secondarily because the original movies disappointed me. So I started writing. In my Screenplay, Cato from District Two was the lead. I was interested in the aspect that this young man was drilled to kill all his life. And now he was ready to execute everyone else. But while writing I completely lost the time frame out of sight and thus wrote a full-length movie. Since shooting this, due to lack of funds, it was unfortunately not possible I put the screenplay in my drawer and kinda forgot about it.
From a very young age, I was fascinated by art films. It impresses me how these films address topics abstractly and illustrate facts about in an unusual way. Likewise, I have an affinity for old monochrome films. The works of George Méliès fascinated me since I saw them for the first time. And luckily in the summer of 2015, I met someone who loved them just as much as I do and agreed to make one ourselves. We wrote the screenplay together and had the luck work with Christophe Schammel, an amazing filmmaker from Luxembourg as our Director of Photography. Tina Radler became our camera operator and brought in some great ideas. The lighting was set by Giovanni Zeitz, who also worked for the award-winning series „Homeland“. The idea was to shoot a movie in the style of old Hollywood. Monochrome, 4:0 and silent. We combined that style à la Metropolis with a futuristic robot story.
In the spring of 2015, I was on a train on my way home. I let my eyes wander through the train as a flyer caught my attention. It had a picture of a director’s chair on it and I immediately started reading it. The Subway Company of Stuttgart held a competition for short films, which should revolve around busses and trains. I started thinking about the theme and suddenly had the idea of two strangers getting to know each other on the train. I also decided to put an object in the center of the action. The story quickly developed and I outlined it.