Jan Paul Lodzinski
As the DOP and Head of Camera for Stand By Wrestling (SBW), I worked closely with the Director and Producer to develop SBW’s visual language.
The single-camera element emphasized a clear contrast between the polished, clean cinematography of the corporate sequences and the grittier, raw aesthetic of the underground segments. By contrast, the multi-camera live production captured the unpredictability and immediacy of the event in real time, requiring fast decision-making and coordinated broadcast coverage.
I am extremely grateful to have worked on SBW, giving its visual style and language through the multi-camera broadcast and the VTs.
In Her Hands is a short documentary about Alexis, who is deafblind, highlighting her daily life and her relationship with her sister. The film explores how they communicate and connect through touch, presence, and shared routines, providing an intimate look at their bond. I aimed to shoot it in a naturalistic and observational style, emphasizing haptic cinematography. The documentary seeks to respectfully present Alexis’s world without intrusion, focusing on subtle gestures, emotional closeness, and how they establish connection beyond spoken language.
My thesis explores what it means to be a modern auteur by comparing approaches to film direction and creative control in contemporary cinema.
It focuses on two contrasting directors and styles, Bong Joon Ho, known for meticulous pre-production and detailed storyboarding, and Chloé Zhao, known for a more spontaneous, observational, and actor-led style. Through this comparison, I examine how different directing methods affect crew creativity, collaboration, and authorship on set.
Finally, this thesis extends this discussion to large-scale studio filmmaking, particularly the rise of previsualisation (Previs) in blockbuster production, using examples such as Marvel Studios. Here, I question whether filmmaking is shifting from individual artistic vision towards a more corporate, system-driven “auteurism,” in which creative decisions are increasingly shaped by studios rather than directors, and I define what it means to be an auteur in the contemporary landscape.
Hi, I am Jp, a Cinematographer and Director from Germany with a passion for slice-of-life storytelling rooted in real people and authentic emotion. Alongside my narrative filmmaking, I’ve worked across multi-camera live productions and studio environments, including projects with Virgin Media and the Fís Awards. I also worked on two graduate documentaries as a DP and was fortunate to film all VT segments for Stand By Wrestling, IADT’s first wrestling show, while serving as Head of Camera. I always aim to give each project its own visual language.
