Fabian Heitzhausen
German videomaker
biography
Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
I am a Cologne-based artist from Germany. Currently studying art at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Rita McBride and philosophy at distance University Hagen. Befor that I finished my bachelor studies in photography at Folkwang University of Arts.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
I started filming while I was studying photography. At that time I realised how immediate the connection between today’s viewers and the moving image was. In a way we are so used to watch moving images that there is a lot of unconscious knowledge of analysing and understanding film in every way. I was fascinated by that, so since I’ve always been watching a ton of movies, it felt only natural to me to do a video piece.
3. What kinds of topics have your films?
The topics of my films can vary a lot, but often I am interested in the ubiquitous ideological contradiction visible in today’s society, images and pop culture. At the same time art itself as a ontological phenomenon and as a discourse plays an important role.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
I always start with a thought that comes back to my mind a lot. That thought basically can emerge from everything from an observation to theoretical text. When the broad topic is there I normally do a lot of research and reading. But the most important principle is probably that I try to learn from the visual things I do in that process. I try to take the aesthetics, for example of the first shots and scribbles as serious as possible. So that I am able to change everything if something doesn’t make any sense visually. That way I am able to learn from what I do in the process of film-making.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
In the past I worked a lot with computer generated images, so I used programs like Cinema 4D, Unreal Development Kit, After Effects and Photoshop. When It comes to filming live footage I did some shots with a small Sony RX100, but I don’t feel bound to any technical equipment. Its more a question of what is the best way for that project.
6. These days digital technology is dominating also video as a medium. In which way the digital aspect is entering the creation of your videos, technologically and/or conceptually?
Since a lot of my videos are made on the computer, the digital aspect is very present. I always try to take the specifics of the medium in account when doing anything basically. Every Medium is its own language with a different vocabulary and history. So using digital technology for me is always also a question of its context in society and art history.
7. How do you finance your films?
They had a very small budget till now, so I did the finance myself.
8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team?
if you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
Mostly alone.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
The biggest influence was probably Manuel Graf, who is an interesting and very complex artist in my eyes. But I find the question of influence is pretty difficult to answer, because its always about a point of view on art itself. I’ve been working on an ongoing project since 2012 titled “in love to…” in wich I try to pay respect to and at the time criticise all those artists and theorists that influenced me in one way or the other. And that’s an ongoing list, that project is far from finished.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
Right now I try to get more involved in narration. As my videos till now where always situated in an art/ installation context I am pretty excited to open everything up towards a narrative film logic.