Written by: Shirley Baugher
In our high tech age, youth is everywhere: on facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blog sites, vimeo, you name it. On the internet, the world of short film is being driven by young producers, directors and cinematographers. A rising star in this world is Phil Arntz, a sixteen-year-old German filmmaker, now living in London, who already has many short films to his credit. Some of his more recent projects include the DSLaktiv Charity Dinner, HDR Timelapse Tutorial, Flight, Cracks, Italia, Timelapse Showreel, Phil Arntz and “My Story” for IndieSpot.tv. His latest work is a made-for-television commercial called Vanity Hair and Beauty Salon. Mark Zuckerman launched facebook while he was still a student at Harvard. Ernest Hemingway began his literary career writing short stories in Oak Park, Illinois when he was sixteen and became a reporter for the Kansas City Star when he was seventeen. Hemmingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature some forty years later. The latest American Idol winner, seventeen-year-old Scott McCreery’s debut album went to the top of the Billboard charts in its first week of release. The world should get ready to add Phil Arntz to the list of successful young entrepreneurs.
Mandy Rogers, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Zacuto USA, caught up with this young phenom at the IBC 2011 Exhibit in Amsterdam and got him to agree to this interview. Check out what Phil had to say.
Question: What inspired you to get into filmmaking?
Arntz: This is a tough question to answer. I don’t think that there is one specific thing that got me into filmmaking. It’s everything. I love telling stories through visuals. I love the technical aspect of the genre and of course, I love the opportunity filmmaking offers to collaborate with amazing people! I am inspired every time I meet new people at expos and workshops. I think what made me pick up the camera for the first time though, was when I saw a documentary about the job of a camera crew on German TV. The whole package about the film industry seemed perfect. I had to try it!
Question: How old were you when you made your first film?
Arntz: I must have been around nine or ten when I picked up a point and shoot camera from my parents. There wasn’t much behind the films, just placing the camera on a tripod and running around. Sadly I can’t find any of the films I made back then. I would love to look back at them. Picking up the camera then motivated me to keep going. A year or two later, I got a camcorder for my birthday and started shooting everything around me!
Question: In your film, My Story, you said that you loved doing timelapses. What is it you like about this form and what do you do to make your timelapses unique?
Arntz: Timelapse is beautiful, especially nature timelapse. It allows me to show just how beautiful our world really is. I love seeing a change that would take place over several hours in real life compressed to 40 seconds of timelapse. It’s amazing how many different places I can look and to get all these views into one video is just nice! I also think that through my nature, timelapses I can raise awareness of what we stand to lose if we keep on damaging our planet. I care about nature and I want others to care as well. It would be a huge loss for everyone if we continue to destroy our beautiful surroundings. I want to travel through the UK and do timelapses of the countryside is to show people the beauty that exists outside cities.
I think every filmmaker has his own style, especially when editing a piece.
I have come up with a couple of techniques I use to make my timelapses unique. One is to make timelapse moves over a couple of hundred feet—like a huge slider. The effect is stunning. I can’t really explain everything I do in my videos. I just shoot what I like.
Question: At the recent IBC 2011 Exhibit, you were very excited about the equipment you saw. What were some of the cameras you tried out and what was your reaction to them? In what way do you think they will improve filmmaking?
Arntz: IBC was fantastic! The mass of technology was crazy! I tried out a variety of cameras, including broadcast cameras, DSLRs, REDs, Arris, Vision Research Phantoms, Sonys, and a tiny, but amazing GoPro.
I think all of these cameras have their specific uses and there is a camera for everyone. The Alexas and RED’s are at the top. They can easily be used on big cinematic productions as well as small, independent films. Although they are extremely expensive, these cameras can actually cut down production costs by eliminating the need for endless amounts of tape and by making the post-workflow more efficient. It is important to recognize, however, that a high-end camera isn’t required to tell a beautiful story! But hey, you can dream, can’t you?
IBC wasn’t entirely about the cameras. It was about meeting new people and seeing what equipment is available in my price range.
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Question: What are some of your thoughts about the world of short films today? What do you particularly like and what do you think can be improved?
Arntz: We live in a time where nearly everything is found on the internet. It provides an opportunity for us to share our films. There are so many beautiful short films out there on the web and talented young filmmakers creating them. Sadly, most people never see many of them and these films deserve to be seen. It bothers me that some films that don’t deserve to be taken seriously can get a million clicks on Youtube, while others, made by people who are serious about their work and who know how to tell stories and use cameras are overlooked. Producing an amazing short film is the goal of all serious young filmmakers, but once they have done this, they want their work to be seen and finding an audience is tough!
What can be improved? That’s a tough question. Every film can be improved in one way or another. Some films just have less to improve on than others!hat I love about some short films is their creativity. Of course, the technical aspect and image quality are critical, but what makes some films truly great is the story they tell and the unique ideas the filmmaker conveys.
Question: In “My Story” you mention how you enjoy working with your brother. How does he encourage your creativity and how do you enhance his work?
Arntz: The encouragement from my brother comes from his lifestyle. If there is one thing about him I truly admire, it’s his ability to survive in the wilderness without any of the items most of us consider essential. One day, when we both have the time, I want to go out and shoot a survival-type documentary with him.
When I am out filming with him for his Youtube channel, he makes me appreciate how beautiful nature is and how much fun life can be. It is a joy to be out with my brother, sharing his interests and his hobbies! For him of course, it’s great that I am into filmmaking. His videos are so much better because of my knowledge of cameras and the technical side of filmmaking.
Question: Are either of your parents involved in filmmaking?
Arntz: No, they have never been particularly interested in filmmaking, at least not directly. My dad worked in the marketing business and he approved commercial films for a big company at one time. It was pretty much up to him whether commercial films would be seen on TV or not. Neither of them have been involved in the production process though.
Even though they have never worked in the business, they are very supportive. I can’t thank my parents enough for what they are letting me do! They let me fly into different countries for filmmaking jobs; they let me meet and work with strangers; and they just let me do what I love to do! Although sometimes of course, they have to restrict me… I still have school to worry about.
Question: Who are some of your idols in the film industry and how have they inspired your personal style of filmmaking?
Arntz: My idols in the film industry are not the more well-known people like Spielberg, Cameron and Lucas. They are people like Philip Bloom, Tom Lowe, Josh Owens (better known as Mindrelic), Nino Leitner, Sebastian Wiegaertner, and Steve Weiss. It’s not only the filmmakers who inspire me, but the generosity and helpfulness of the people in all aspects of this business! For example, Tom Lowe and Josh Owens influence my timelapses. Although I am not a match for them in any way, they still motivate me to go out and shoot!
Nino Leitner and Sebastian Wiegaertner are people who are very down to earth. A plus is that they speak my mother tongue! I met them both at IBC and although it was the first time I interacted with them, it felt as though we had known each other before. In February, I will do a two-week internship in Vienna with Nino. I’m really looking forward to that.
Philip Bloom is very special! He is one of the people I most admire. He is hard to reach because he travels so much for his jobs, but when you do have the pleasure of talking and working with him, it’s great! I found out about him when I started filming with my DSLR, which was roughly 10 months ago. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he tweeted that he lives only 10 minutes away from me. I am frequent reader of his blog and it has been very helpful in my work. He is a generous person and is a great guy all round!
Steve Weiss is a terrific friend. Not only does he run a company that produces awesome gear, he is a really good guy. I can’t tell you what an inspiration he is to me. He makes things possible which I could only have dreamed of. Thanks to all of them!
Question: Where do you see yourself going with your film career in the future?
Arntz: This is the question I ask myself over and over again. I receive loads of positive comments on my work, and I have some pretty amazing shoots lined up in the coming months. Still, I don’t know what direction my life will take! I will probably start film school next summer although I’m not sure it’s necessary. Maybe I can save tens of thousands of dollars by not going to film school. At the moment, I plan to do as much work as possible and build an impressive show reel. What I really want to become is an independent filmmaker who isn’t bound by a contract to any company. I don’t want to end up shooting weddings for a small company just to pay the bills.
My future is an unknown path. What will happen, will happen, one way or another. I am looking forward to what will be!
To learn more about the vision and talent of Phil Arntz, contact him at: http://www.vimeo.com/philarntz
website—coming soon—http://www.philarntz.com
Phil Arntz was born in 1995 in Hamburg Germany. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to London, UK. Near the end of 2010, Phil picked up a camera and has been making films for the past 10 months. He has filmed loads of videos for his Vimeo channel where he tests out equipment and has already filmed a television commercial for the Asian television market. Phil’s inspiration often comes from films themselves, but he also looks up to all the great filmmakers like Philip Bloom, Nino Leitner and Sebastian Wiegaertner. Phil had the pleasure to meet the
Filmmaking is Phil’s biggest passion and he would love nothing more than to make this hobby into his work. What Phil enjoys most about filmmaking is that it is the strongest form of media there is. You can tell great stories and change people’s views on different things. aforementioned filmmakers at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam. However, Phil feels that the best thing about filmmaking is the community. All of the people he has met and talked to are driven by the same thing, creativity. The community really shares all of their information and he feels like they’re a great help!
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