Cinematography World May 2022 Edition (CW009)

Page 30

STUDENT UNION•FILMAKADEMIE BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG

FILMAKADEMIE BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG•STUDENT UNION

THE WORLD IS THEIR CLASSROOM By Natasha Block Hicks

We are looking for creativity, individuality and the willingness to be a team player

T

he variety of international establishments offering a worldclass training in filmmaking could leave a potential cinematography student crippled by indecision. The Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, established in 1991 in Ludwigsburg, Germany, has a neat solution to this dilemma. Study coordinator Roland Mönch, a DP with a background in documentary filmmaking who heads the cinematography programme, explains how organised exchanges with global partner institutions help connect students with their contemporaries abroad. “The oldest international programme is the ‘Hollywood Workshop’ at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which has been going around fifteen years,” says Mönch. Also on offer is the ‘Bollywood Workshop’, where Filmakademie students visit the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, and the ‘Fiction Alexa Workshop’, where a team from the school, including two DPs, shoot a 15-minute short at La Fémis in Paris. These arrangements are reciprocal, so even students staying on home soil will be exposed to the cultural diversity of foreign filmmakers. In addition, the well-established network of Filmakademie alumni, of which all students become members on enrolment, is

active throughout the international industry. Filmakademie DPs making a particular impact at home and abroad include Frank Lamm, whose work 58 MAY 2022 CINEMATOGRAPHY WORLD

can be seen on Season 3 of Netflix’ The Crown (2016-), Daniela Knapp BVK, the recipient of the Film Award in Gold at the German Film Awards for her cinematography on The Poll Diaries/Poll (2011, dir. Chris Kraus) and Mathias Fleischer, two-times winner of the Bavarian Film Award for Best Cinematography for the features Das Lied In Mir (2011, dir. Florian Cossen) and The Little Witch/ Die Kleine Hexe (2018, dir. Mike Schaerer). A framework of scholarships supports qualifying students with personal and production costs for both international programmes and home study. In line with German legislation, the Filmakademie does not impose fees on EU students undertaking their first degree, however EU students on an additional undergraduate qualification must contribute €650 Euros in fees per semester and non-EU students are liable for €1,500 Euros per semester. Within a couple of years, all the modules at the Filmakademie will be taught bilingually, in German and English, and students will be expected to integrate a year abroad into their studies, strengthening the international position of the school. “This is the goal,” comments Mönch. The Filmakademie has been working hard to build a network of partner institutions including Notre Dame University in Lebanon, the Universidad del Cine in Argentina and the Maisha Film Lab in Uganda. To encompass all these opportunities, plus their busy schedule of hands-on learning on-campus, the cinematography programme at the Filmakademie – officially four years – can often take five years and awards its own unique diploma. Prof. Thomas Schadt, managing director of the Filmakademie states: “Some years back the question arose of whether we should introduce BA and MA degrees. After a thorough analysis we came to the conclusion that, for us, the Bologna system does not really do justice to the creative processes which are at work in film and media education.” Teaching at the Filmakademie is delivered almost entirely by visiting tutors. Icelandic DP Birgit Guðjónsdóttir IKS BVK, who was awarded an honorary Ger-

man Camera Prize (Deutscher Kamerapreis) in 2018 for her ‘outstanding career in filmmaking’, is teaching at the Filmakademie this year. Previous international tutors include Philippe Rousselot AFC ASC, known for Beautiful Creatures (2013, dir. Richard LaGravenese) and Phedon Papamichael ASC GSC who lit The Trial

Of The Chicago 7 (2020, dir. Aaron Sorkin), but the majority come from BVK (German Society of Cinematographers) membership. Joining Guðjónsdóttir on the current roster are DPs Martin Gressmann BVK, winner of a 2016 German Film Critics Award for his documentary Das Gelände (2014), Jolanta Dylewska PSC, the recipient of numerous accolades for her lighting of In Darkness (2011, dir. Agnieszka Holland) and Hans Fromm BVK, winner of

The Filmakademie is keen on creative equality… and training diverse talents who can enrich the film industry the 2008 German Film Critics Award (Best Cinematography) for Yella (2007, dir. Christian Petzold). The Year 1 programme of ‘basic studies’ at the Filmakademie is shared across all departments. Students undertake eight-week modules each in scriptwriting,

directing and cinematography, culminating in the creation of a ten-minute collaborative film in a generic apartment set in the 300m² Jochen Kuhn Studio, which is the smaller of two sound stages hosted by the Filmakademie (the 400m² Albrecht Ade Studio being named after the Filmakademie´s founding director).

eras, including ARRI Alexa LF and Mini LF, Sony Venice, Black Magic and ARRI SR3 and 416 film cameras, that can be partnered with lens sets such as Zeiss Ultra Primes or Cooke S7i, plus a selection of industry-standard zooms. Students can choose from a large range of grip and stabilisation options, including Easyrig,

Both studios are equipped with control panels, lighting control and black, blue, and green screen. The Filmakademie has around 400kW of lighting in its stores, including ARRI Tungsten, HMI, SkyPanel and Orbiter systems, plus Dedolight DLED and Lightstream Sets and KinoFlo and Carpetlight options. The year concludes with a module in freestyle moviemaking. “We call it ‘filmgestaltung’ which means shaping, forming film” says Mönch. “Students can do what they like. Some make short dramas but many make small animations.” In Year 2, students break away into their specialisms. Cinematography students pass the winter semester filming a documentary, in given lighting conditions, and the summer semester shooting a drama of up to 30-minutes runtime with additional light. There is also a week-long workshop with directors and actors, in collaboration with the Filmakademie’s own dedicated casting department. Lighting a set created by the production design students forms part of the curriculum in Year 3 for student DPs. “They shoot it with access to all the resources the Filmakademie has to offer,” explains Mönch, referring to the Filmakademie’s substantial inventory of 48 cam-

Sachtler Cine tripods, Cartoni Lambda Nodal Heads, Panther Classic dollies, tracks and jib arms from Grip Factory Munich. A three-month interdisciplinary workshop with the Filmakademie’s Animation Institute is a highlight of Year 4. “It’s called set extension,” explains Mönch. “The art department construct some physical elements and create a digital background. This used to be done with a greenscreen, but for the last two years we’ve been sponsored by LEDitgo in Mannheim, about 100km from here, who build LED walls.” Students opting to pursue the Filmakademie’s unique diploma qualification may then spend up to a year on their final film project. The Filmakademie is keen to promote student films, of which more than 250 are produced across all formats per year. As well as utilising the Filmakademie’s own 160-seat, full digital projection Caligari Cinema, and collaborating with German public television stations, the Filmakademie festival coordination team actively help students pursue film festival screenings and competitions. In 2021, the short Tala’vision (2021, DP Philip Henze, dir. Murad Abu Eisheh), shot in Jordan, won Best Narrative Film at the

Student Academy Awards, the 7th Student Oscar for the Filmakademie, as well as the Silver Tadpole at Camerimage. In the same year the Bronze Tadpole was claimed by another Filmakademie short Cold Blow Lane (2021, DP Christopher Behrmann, dir. Luca Homolka). Student Marvin Schatz was the winner of the 2019 February Award at the European Cinematography Awards for his lighting of Proxima-B (2018, dir. Stefan M. Bürkner). The Filmakademie is committed to enrolling a student body that is representative of the general population and runs outreach campaigns that target underrepresented groups. This is underpinned by student workshops and conferences on gender and diversity in filmmaking. Part of their official policy states: “By promoting diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, the Filmakademie is keen to make an active contribution to creative equality. We want to train diverse talents who can go on to enrich the film industry with different and multifaceted stories.” Potential students can apply to the Filmakademie cinematography programme by the submission of a short film and written application. Around 130 hopefuls applied last year, of which 20 were invited for an interview. Applicants then have 72 hours to make a five-minute film to a brief set by the Filmakademie. “We are looking for creativity, individuality and the willingness to be a team player,” states Mönch. A panel of three judges oversees the admissions process and selects the final seven cinematography students. Future filmmakers need not wait until adulthood to realise their passions. The Kinderfilmhaus – literally ‘Children’s Film House’ – is an interactive centre run by Filmakademie students, which gives youngsters from the age of six their first taste of moviemaking. “Maybe one day a kid who has been there will come to the Filmakademie,” says Mönch, “it hasn’t happened yet, but watch this space.” Applications for 2023 enrolment go online in Q4 2022 and close on 15/02/2023. www.filmakademie.de CINEMATOGRAPHY WORLD MAY 2022 59


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