SHINING A LIGHT ON...

Selected Filmography

(as gaffer/chief lighting technician unless otherwise stated)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes (2023)

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Without Remorse (2021)

The Girl In The Spider’s Web (2018)

Dunkirk (2017) (Chief Lighting Technician – Europe)

A Hologram For The King (2016)

Homeland (2015) (TV series)

Mocking Jay (2014/2015) (Gaffer – Germany)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (Gaffer, lighting key grip)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Inglourious Basterds (2009) (Gaffer – Germany)

How did you get started?

Photography became a hobby in my teens. Getting started as a photographer’s assistant was a huge learning curve for me, operating various camera systems and studio lighting. Step-by-step I got involved in creative tasks. That’s when I realised how much I enjoy participating in creating images.

First break?

After working as an assistant for five years I met some guys who started building up a lighting rental house in Cologne. They asked if I would be interested in a job. I began as a junior electrician, rising to dolly grip and camera assistant.

Learning the trade

Through the recommendation of my girlfriend, Sabine (my wife nowadays), I was introduced to the cinematographer Thomas Mauch, known for Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982). Thomas became a mentor, encouraging me to stay with lighting, following him filming arthouse movies in Germany, Europe and the USA.

Some years later I got recommended as the gaffer for a Ken Loach movie. Barry Ackroyd BSC was his cinematographer by then. On Carla’s Song (1996) we travelled to Nicaragua and Scotland, working with an international crew. My electrician buddies Georg Nonnemacher and Celio Castro were the only known fellows. This experience was outstanding, especially socially. It led to My Name Is Joe (1998), the second collaboration with Ken and Barry, who together were another great example of the director-cinematographer duo. Learning by doing is one of my skills. On every project you will encounter new challenges and being solution-orientated is necessary to survive. As well as an address book filled with peoples who are willing to support you.

DP collaborations

In terms of the collaboration which had the biggest impact on me – it’s probably Frank Griebe. Early in 2000 Frank was prepping Heaven (2002) with Tom Tykwer directing, mainly filmed in Italy. This started a longtime collaboration with Frank, so

Age// Born// School// Early career// Lives in// Hobbies/Passions// far15 projects.

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (2006) filmed on location in France, Spain and Munich. It was a very challenging experience. There was a lot of night work, in places like in the old part of Barcelona, which has very narrow lanes and it was hard to get lifts in there. We developed a strategy of lighting up the backgrounds to keep the actors as silhouettes and often we travelled a light, such as a China ball, to fill-in. The sets were fantastic and the cast were great. The reward was many awards a ‘60’s model Bad Godesberg, Germany

Academic High School in Cologne

Photographer’s assistant Hamburg and the countryside Photography, art exhibitions and our dog!

ASC for his energetic inspiration and ability to adapt to Astera Titan tubes after using China balls for 30 years.

Which film really pushed your talents?

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) directed by Wes Anderson, shot by Robert Yeoman ASC, was a creative experience. There were wonderful sets, which we usually lit for 360°, and designing the hotel lobby daylight illumination was challenging. Collaborating with Bob Yeoman was very special, where we much fun and great creativity. Watch it again, it’s an all-timer!

Advice on collaborating with DPs around the world, including two 2007 European Film Awards for Frank’s cinematography and production design by Uli Hanisch.

I try to absorb as much information as I can in pre-production. What’s the script about? How are the DP/director approaching the story?

Also, various departments are involved in the look and feel image-wise, so I try to understand how all these elements will come together – colour and locations, textures and logistics. The more you learn in prep the easier it will be on the day.

Communication is a crucial factor. It is better to talk beforehand than finding yourself in a hassle on the shooting day. The most satisfying approach is lighting the room for 360°, as having less gear on the floor means more freedom for the actors and the camera.

Which have been your favourite movies to work on?

I have been lucky meeting many great cinematographers and I’ve been inspired by each and every one. Inglourious Basterds (2009) with Robert Richardson ASC, inspired me when it came to creating diffuse lighting and harsh contrasts. On Dunkirk (2017) with Hoyte van Hoytema NSC FSF ASC it was the raw and powerful images which were created, all feeling so real. On John Wick: Chapter 4 with Dan Laustsen DFF ASC, we brought back the directional lighting style after years of super-soft light and lots of colour. And, I should mention the great Philippe Rousselot AFC

Regular crew

I find myself working with my guys on a longterm basis. I go back 30 years with my best boy Oliver Haas. There’s Juan José Alcaide (senior lighting technician), Daniel Jopp (set power), Anton Meister (board op) and Christian Brubach (key rigging grip). Over the years some guys have started to gaff. The great thing is we still stay friends and share knowledge.

Biggest challenge?

The International (2009), directed by Tom Twyker, with Frank Griebe the DP, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. It included a gunfight inside the Guggenheim Museum in New York. There was no way to film in there, so production design recreated the Guggenheim in an abandoned locomotive warehouse. The challenge was to erect a ceiling rig inside an existing construction.

Our key rigging grip Christian Brubach managed to come up with a solution for a 120ft span rig. Working overnight shifts the rigger managed it! This became the base for a skylight with three cylindric helium tubes diffused through a 40x40ft silk and skirting, appearing like a gigantic spacelight.

Favourite bits of kit?

Tungsten lights in combination with LED, because you need full spectrum white light to understand colours. Astera Titan tubes for great colour-rendering and dimming. Creamsource’s Vortex 8 for not fearing the elements anymore.

Keeping up with the latest innovations

I like to visit trade shows. Talking to manufacturers is educational and vice versa. Companies benefit from communicating with the users of their gear. Building a trusted relationship with representatives is very useful, allowing you to get information about what is in the development pipeline. Becoming a member of the International Cinema Lighting Society (ICLS) has opened new ways to share knowledge.

Lighting and virtual production

We’ve used LED screens and walls for years, and as the pixel pitch (the distance between the diodes) gets narrower the moiré effect is less problematic than it used to be. For sure virtual sets have benefits – for example, you won’t have to spend long nights on a trailer filming actors inside a car, or when you are filming a five-page dialogue scene at sunset. With Virtual Production (VP) it’s less stressful to make your day. Also, you might enjoy greater options to create lighting effects and moods than in reality.

However, VP still has challenges technically. The colour hues of the LED panels are different to the film lights we are using. You’ll find yourself fighting colour rendering of skin tones and costumes. In my experience you need to light the performance area of the actors separately to achieve better results.

The rise of the desk op Anton Meister is probably one of my closest collaborators over the last ten years, with each movie bringing new challenges and growing with them.

On my last two movies we used the Bolero Intercom system with a separate channel for us, which boosted our creativity. I like to control each fixture on-set regardless of whether it’s a film light, practical or design element. Camera sensors are so sensitive to light-levels now that it’s crucial to be able to adjust whatever hits the actor and decoration. Being able to make adjustments using a dimmer board is crucial. On a smaller project you might get away with an iPad and dimming software such, as the Blackout app or a Gaffer’s Control. But, I like to have a dedicated board op with me for creative support.

As one of the industry’s premier rental resources, we are extremely proud to support crews around the world with an unrivalled collection of production solutions which embrace both the conventional and the very latest in advanced lighting technology.

Whatever your production type, wherever you are, when it comes to lighting - we’ve got the lot.

What are you most proud of?

That my wife is still with me … despite travelling and working around the globe.

Cinematographer Frank Griebe says:

“ The style of a DP is always a collaboration, especially with the gaffer. With each new film project, I try to find the appropriate visual language. I start collecting ideas and then I have pretty concrete ideas about lighting design. Helmut listens to that with great attention and then asks questions. Because for him it’s not just about the technical implementation, but more… Helmut wants to know! He takes my ideas and changes them, or, in other words, improves them. It’s like getting into a cab. You know the destination, but the driver knows the way.”

Cinematographer RobertYeomansays:

“The choice of gaffer is always delicate. I research their films, contact DPs that they have worked with, and generally know their credits before our meeting. I try my best to evaluate if this is someone that I can connect with, not only about lighting but also on a human level.

When I met Helmut I realised that he would be perfect. Not only did he have great credits, but I immediately felt that we would work well together. I tend to not be specific about lighting units, I discuss the overall tone of the shots and give the gaffer great freedom.

Shooting with Wes Anderson can at times be challenging, as we shoot 35mm film with an ASA rating of 200. Wes likes to hold focus from an actor in the foreground to the deep background, so at times we require a large amount of light to accomplish this. It takes an experienced gaffer to pull this off and Helmut and his crew were superb.”

SHOOTING GALLERY•16MM X 100 YEARS

Kodak is celebrating 100 years of 16mm film, first launched by Eastman Kodak in 1923 as a format for amateurs. Whilst it may have been originally aimed at hobbyists, there’s something about its texture, colour and grain, the exquisite cameras and their small on-set technological footprint, that has attracted film directors and their cinematographers to tell all manner of stories on the big screen. 16mm is still going strong. Here are a few modern examples…