What interests me most primarily about film but also about photography is their ability to put the most mundane objects and actions into an interesting and new context through simple means of a changed framing or montage and thereby bring attention to an until then often unseen aesthetic. By being able to direct the viewers eye and by its visually orientated narrative structure, film is unique in its ability to tell the biggest epos as well as the allegedly smallest everyday event – often at the same time –, either voyeuristically far away or closely self-reflecting. When it comes to the work of a director or producer, I am particularly fascinated by the necessity to find a balance between having to focus on a single individual, as the actor/actress, but simultaneously having to keep an overview and a feeling for the script as well as the whole crew and their various responsibilities. I think it is the most intriguing possibility to be allowed to work with so many different personae and to get to know their different approaches to the mutual project work.
Topics that I am generally interested in and that make up a main focus on in my work are cities and metropolitan areas, specifically the diverse individuals living in them. They are part of an urban system that is identical everywhere over the world, always following the same patterns and even though being seemingly lost in a crowd, still finding a way to define their identity despite or rather because of the surrounding similarities. I feel it is a phenomenon that connects us all in the context of a globalized modernity regardless of different cultural and historical backgrounds and might thereby have the potential to provide a potential foundation to tell stories that a lot of people can relate to.
One of my biggest goals is to contribute to a further cultural exchange in Europe (as it is now more important than ever) and feeding into a shared narrative on the continent through my own artistic voice.
Benjamin Rupprecht 