August 9, 2022
XLVIII — Pavel Brenner
Pavel Brenner is an LA-based director, and cinematographer.

Below are Pavel’s selects for influential works:

Series
Babylon Berlin by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, Henk Handloegten
2018

Co-directed and scored by Tom Tykwer this is a masterclass in atmosphere and world-building. I discovered Tom’s work as a teenager with ‘Run Lola Run’, which came out around the same time as ‘Trainspotting’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’.

Even though ‘Babylon Berlin’ is a series, the two first seasons were shot as a long feature split into parts. Besides being a masterpiece, this is essential viewing for anyone who pays attention to today’s politics. The ambition and the scale of the project with a relatively modest budget are quite inspiring. The cast is top-notch. I recommend watching ‘Babylon Berlin’ in original German with subtitles to preserve the performances.

One thought voiced by Tom in his interview about the show stood out to me – episodes of a TV show should not have the same runtime; if we would compare episodes to chapters in a book it would be strange if all the chapters would have the same page count.

Film
Battle Royale by Kinji Fukasaku
2000

Amazing film, blends a lot of emotions. It has one of the most memorable scenes I’ve seen with Takeshi Kitano in it.

Series
Arcane by Christian Linke & Alex Yee
2021

Created by a French production Fortiche, Arcane is one of the best animated films I’ve seen. Many still treat game-based content as B-rated and I strongly disagree with that. Masterfully structured with fleshed-out characters, this show is a thrilling ride.

The film is split into three chapters and each of the chapters is split into three episodes. The creators of the series analyzed successful shows to understand what makes an engaging story in a long-form film. In my opinion, they succeeded. The world-building is perfectly executed. The characters are memorable and diverse, without it feeling forced.

Music Video
‘Fantasy’ DYE by Jérémie Périn
2011

Visceral video and great atmosphere, also love the track.

Music Video
‘Papaoutai’ Stromae by Raf Reyntjens
2013

The ending of this video hits me every time. Like father, like son.

Music Video
‘What’s A Girl To Do’ Bat For Lashes by Dougal Wilson
2007

Long take, subtle execution, great song – classic music video.

Campaign
‘Singin’ In The Rain’ VW by Ne-o
2005

Smart idea and a groovy execution.

PEOPLE IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom Tykwer
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Achim von Borries
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Henk Handloegten
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Kinji Fukasaku
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Christian Linke
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Alex Yee
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Jérémie Périn
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Raf Reyntjens
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Ne-o
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