what's important to me

Usually I fall in love with the story, first. But what became even more important to me is a good working relationship. With the director of course, but also with the producer, set designer, gaffer, VFX-supervisor, colorist – it’s teamwork first of all. I value the preproduction phase very much, because it’s where you develop a common language for the film and each other. It’s creatively the most influential time and where you eliminate upcoming problems. Shooting, to me, is a beloved very enriching adventure every time. Calling myself a director of photography comes with a responsibility to supervise the picture from script page to screen.

Jana Pape is a Director of Photography based, but not tied to Berlin. To translate a story into pictures and develop a visual language for a movie, is as much fun for her as finding solutions for logistic and technical challenges.

She moved to a technical secondary school with a focus on design to have more artistic education, and the possibility of doing a year long internship working as a news camera operator and editor at the local TV station Oldenburg 1. She was also a member of the local short film festival zwerkWERK and she freelanced as boom operator for public TV. After school she worked at Studio Hamburg Postproduction, where she was trained as AV-Media designer for three years, witnessing the last years of the telecine workflow and the arrival of digital cinemar cameras. Her journal’s piece was nominated for the junior cinematographer award from the IFFF, which was judged alongside final pieces of established film schools.

Light is her most appreciated tool, which can’t be replaced by any update. Because of that she left the post-production house to be more on set. She was working as a lighting assistance as well as to shooting her own short films and music videos as a Director of Photography. Subsequently she studied Cinematography at the film university in Babelsberg. Her BA thesis film is a unique mix of old film-tricks and modern compositing. The paper about dealing withs such tricks was honored the best BA-thesis of the year. MASCARPONE was screen at over 90 Festivals and won servil prizes and was shortlisted for the BAFTA student award 2018 . Meanwhile she participated in a lot of international workshops, as well as studying a semester at FAMU-International and taking a nine month post-graduated color grading course – up.grade. Her MA thesis film is a full length feature film O my God . Following her penchant for unusually storytelling and new techniques she worked on 360° VR films as well. Most recognized is ROOMS, it premiered at the Venice Filmfestival and won the Prix Immersion Award in Montreal.

Since graduating Jana is working as a freelance DP in fiction and documentary for various productions. Additional she has been working a a camera operator as well, most recently for NETFLIX Unorthodox.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

2020 Energa CAMERAIMAGE offical selection (Hurensöhne - ein Requiem)

2019 nominee: Deutscher Kamerapreis 2019 (MASCARPONE)

2018 winner: Best Cinematography in an Animation film: Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival, Szeged (MASCARPONE)

2017 nominee: ARD-ZDF-Förderpreis für Frauen und Medientechnologien (BA thesis)

2016 winner: graduates award at the Filmuniversity Babelsberg for the best BA thesis of the year.

2011 nominee: Nationaler Wettbewerb für BildgestalterInnen, with (ANKERHEMMUNG)

75. Biennale del Cinema, linear VR Compilation / Internationale Filmfestspiele von Venedig / Festival du nouveau cinéma FNC expolre 2018 / Prix Immersion Award / BIFF BUSAN / DEFA-Förderpreis Animation, 30. Internationalen Kurzfilmfestival Dresden. 2018 / DEFA promotion preis / LA shorts / Deutscher Kamerapreis Kurzfilm 2018 / BAFTA shortlist 2018 Student Film Awards

 

FILMOGRAPHY (Selection)

WAPO Berlin / 4x 50 min
Director: Markus Adrian
Production: Saxiona-Media, Britta Hansen
TV station: ARD / rbb

SCHLOSS EINSTEIN / episode 1036-1039 4x25min
Director: Alkmini Boura
Production: Saxiona-Media, Yvonne Abele
TV station: KIKA / MDR

ABGENABELT / 4x20min
Director: Florian Schwarz
Production: PEPE Berlin
watch at amazonePrime

HURENSÖHNE - a Requiem / 68min
Director: Christina Friedrich
Production: Madonnenwerk
Energa CAMERAIMAGE 2020

O MY GOD / 87min
Director: Steffen Heidenreich
Production: Bubbels Film in co-production with Film University Babelsberg
Funded by Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg.

ROOMS / 23min 360° VR Film
Director: Christian Zipfel,
Production: Niklas Burkhardt produced by Film University Babelsberg

In competition: 75. Biennale de Cinema Venice filmfestival, linear VR competition
23. BIFF BUSAN 2018
Adelaide Film Festival 2018
59. Thessaloniki International Filmfestival
Won: Prix Immersion Award 2018 FNC explore, Festival du Nouveau Cinema de Montreal

MASCARPONE / 14min
Director: Jonas Riemer
Production: Johannes Schubert: Film University Babelsberg

Won: DEFA Promotion Prize Animation - National Competition, 30. International Shortfilm Festival Dresden 2018
Won: Grand Prize, Kyoto international Student Film & Video Festival. 2018 (Japan)
Won: Best Action – HollyShorts Film Festival (LA, USA)
BAFTA students awards shortlist 2018
Nominated: Studio Hamburg newcomer award 2018, Deutscher Kamerapreis 2019 (german cinematographers awards) for best short

KATHARSIS / 12min
Director: Alison Kuhn
In competition: Max Ophüls Preis 2018

TWO SOLDIERS / 45min
Director: Paul Hoffmann
Won: best feature, 5. Boddinale 2017
Won: PRESIDENT’S AWARD, 5th North Carolina Film Awards
 

GIGANT / 15min as part of borderless - stories about freedom & friendship (80min)
Director: Johanna Benz
Production Bildersturm WDR Gothe Institut

Film festivals: 30. international shortfilm festival Dresden 2018
Zlin Film Festival – International Children and Youth Festival, 2018 Czech Repuplic
borderless - stories about freedom & friendship cinema tour, 22.03.2018