Alexander Lorenz
German videomaker
Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
In 2009 I´ve started to study design at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences Dessau since October 2010 I studies media art at the Leipzig Academy for Book Design and Graphic Arts.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
When I was a child I often saw horror movies Like Firday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street, I also watched the great classics like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and was fascinated by the work of Ray Harryhousen. I think this is the basis for my interest for building thinks and creating masks. With around 14 years my awareness for movies started to grow, before I was only into comics. Because of a friend I don´t only wanted to watch movies, I wanted make some. So we went out and shot some simple films, armed only with your imagination and creativity.
3. What kind of subjects have your films?
My work is influenced by the people who are around me. Often there are simple situations which cause some basic ideas. I also like to take family footage, mash it up and give it a new weight. Currently my work is influenced by the enormously rising of the digitization of modern society.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
In the beginning I tried to create storyboards, because of my perfectionism I´ve spend a lot of time making the drawings, at the end it didn´t work out. Today I have my basic ideas, some pictures in my head and try to spin all of it around these conditions. Often I find my red thread by cutting the material.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
I use everything that works, I have an old digital Panasonic Video camera, but today because of my study I have a verity of digital HD cameras that I can use. The cutting is done with Final Cut Pro, for animations I use Adobe Photoshop and Maxon Cinema 4D.
6. The field of “art and moving images†(one may call it videoart or also differently) is is manifesting itself as an important position in contemporary art. Tell me more about your personal position and how you see the future of this field ( your personal future and the future of “art and moving imagesâ€)
I think that movies already manifest them self as an art medium. In my opinion it´s more important to talk about games concerning their position as a modern art form. Because of the interaction between participant and medium, games are the logical evolution of Film.
7. How do you finance your films?
I spend the most of my money for buildings, financing it all by 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?
I often work alone, I´m a control freak it is hard to share ideas with other people. Sometimes because of the difficulty of an idea I have to work with other people, in such situations compromises have to be done.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Everything/everyone I´m a fan of, filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman, especially David Croneberg have a big impact of my viewing habits. In my spare time I play a lot of videogames; there are also many creative heads like Suda 51 and Hidetaka Suehiro.
10. What are your plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
I don´t only want to make films, like I said I´m also into videogames. I often build models in cinema 4D, print them out or try to animate them for simple videogame ideas. I would like to focus myself on this kind of art form.
Can works of yours viewed online besides on CologneOFF or VideoChannel? Where?
List some links & resources
http://vimeo.com/user5966423