Frank Papenbroock
Encyclopedia
Frank Papenbroock born 1963, is a German documentary filmmaker, film director and author. His documentary films cover a variety of topics in areas such as culture & arts, history, science, religion or reportage.
and acclaimed New York photographer and later commercial director Michael Somoroff
. For a brief period Papenbroock himself worked as a photographer and then moved to New York City
, to study film at the Tisch School of the Arts (New York University)
. At the same time he managed a commercial production studio in Manhattan, later becoming freelance camera assistant to top D.O.P.s like Howard Atherton, Allen Daviau
, Ernest Day, Robert Fraisse or Geoffrey Wharton and then eventually began his own work as director/cameraman
.
In the early 1990s he returned to his hometown Hamburg
and soon began working as a documentary filmmaker and specialist for contemporary literature, for the cultural broadcast division of the NDR
, shooting 18 episodes about leading authors like Paul Auster
or Joseph Heller
for the preeminent literary program "Bücherjournal" ("Book Journal").
From 1994 onwards, he has been partner and creative managing director of blm Filmproduction http://www.blm-film.de, shoting numerous commercials, corporate films, "special format" films (i.e. multi-screen pictures and 360°-dome-films) as well as music videos.
In 2006 his German/French documentary "Genesis vs. Darwin" ("Von Göttern und Designern") about creationism
in Europe, caused a public uproar which eventually led to the resignation of then cultural minister Karin Wolf. The insights of the investigative film became part of the protocol of the European parliament's report on creationism in 2007
, Beiersdorf
, Deutsche Bahn
, Nestlé
or Tchibo
,
http://www.crew-united.com/index.asp?show=projectdata&ID=67720,
Sarah Brightman
http://www.crew-united.com/index.asp?show=projectdata&ID=31823.
Career
Papenbroock started his professional career as assistant photographer to renowned German photographer Christian von AlvenslebenChristian von Alvensleben
-Family background:Christian von Alvensleben is the son of Anna Caroline von Alvensleben, cousin of Heinrich Graf von Lehndorff-Steinort who was executed because of his involvement in the attempted assassination of Hitler on 20 July 1944. His daughter, Vera Gottliebe Anna Gräfin von Lehndorff, is...
and acclaimed New York photographer and later commercial director Michael Somoroff
Michael Somoroff
Born in New York City in 1957, Michael Somoroff is a prominent commercial director as well as an accomplished photographer and artist. His father, Ben Somoroff, was a celebrated commercial photographer who studied with Alexey Brodovitch at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art now the...
. For a brief period Papenbroock himself worked as a photographer and then moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to study film at the Tisch School of the Arts (New York University)
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
. At the same time he managed a commercial production studio in Manhattan, later becoming freelance camera assistant to top D.O.P.s like Howard Atherton, Allen Daviau
Allen Daviau
Allen Daviau, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer.-Selected filmography:*Amblin *Close Encounters of the Third Kind *E.T...
, Ernest Day, Robert Fraisse or Geoffrey Wharton and then eventually began his own work as director/cameraman
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
.
In the early 1990s he returned to his hometown Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and soon began working as a documentary filmmaker and specialist for contemporary literature, for the cultural broadcast division of the NDR
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
, shooting 18 episodes about leading authors like Paul Auster
Paul Auster
Paul Benjamin Auster is an American author known for works blending absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction and the search for identity and personal meaning in works such as The New York Trilogy , Moon Palace , The Music of Chance , The Book of Illusions and The Brooklyn Follies...
or Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller was a US satirical novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His best known work is Catch-22, a novel about US servicemen during World War II...
for the preeminent literary program "Bücherjournal" ("Book Journal").
From 1994 onwards, he has been partner and creative managing director of blm Filmproduction http://www.blm-film.de, shoting numerous commercials, corporate films, "special format" films (i.e. multi-screen pictures and 360°-dome-films) as well as music videos.
In 2006 his German/French documentary "Genesis vs. Darwin" ("Von Göttern und Designern") about creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
in Europe, caused a public uproar which eventually led to the resignation of then cultural minister Karin Wolf. The insights of the investigative film became part of the protocol of the European parliament's report on creationism in 2007
Author
Papenbroock is a renown author for TV-documentary programs like "Terra X", "Hitec" or "Menschen hautnah".Commercials
Papenbroock's career includes hundreds of commercials for major European companies like: AutostadtAutostadt
The Autostadt is a visitor attraction adjacent to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, with a prime focus on automobiles. It features a museum, feature pavilions for the principal automobile brands in the Volkswagen Group, a customer centre where customers can pick up new cars, and take a...
, Beiersdorf
Beiersdorf
Beiersdorf AG is a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany, manufacturing personal care products. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin , Labello, and Nivea....
, Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
, Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
or Tchibo
Tchibo
Tchibo is a German chain of coffee shops and cafés, also known for its weekly-changing range of other products. The latter includes: clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances...
,
Documentaries (selected)
| English Title | German Title | Year | Made For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising in Germany | Wie man Fischen Fahrräder verkauft | 1996 | TV |
| Foster Child Andreas | Dem Hungertod entkommen - Pflegekind Andreas | 2005 | TV |
| Getting Rid Of Our E-Waste | Computerschrott (Frontal 21) | 2005 | TV |
| Genesis vs. Darwin | Von Göttern und Designern | 2006 | TV |
| The Devils Name Is "Darwin" | Der Teufel heißt Darwin | 2007 | TV |
| Gilgamesh - The Phantom of Uruk | Gilgamesch - Das Phantom von Uruk | 2007 | TV |
| A Lost Life | Verloren im Leben | 2008 | TV |
| How Food Upsets Our Genes | Wenn Essen auf die Gene schlägt | 2009 | TV |
| Dangerous Meals | Gefährliche Mahlzeiten | 2009 | TV |
| Mit der Bibel zu Abitur | 2009 | TV | |
| Homer's Last Secret | Der Fall Troia - Homers letztes Geheimnis | 2010 | TV |
| Mobiglobe 2.0 | Mobiglobe 2.0 | 2010 | Cinema (on six 360°-screens) |
| Light from the Dark (WT) | Licht aus dem Dunkel (AT) | 2011 | TV |
Music videos
Papenbroock also has directed several music videos, for artists like Mark Wallberghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1KFSMa_8R0, VangelisVangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
http://www.crew-united.com/index.asp?show=projectdata&ID=67720,
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
http://www.crew-united.com/index.asp?show=projectdata&ID=31823.
External links
- Frank Papenbroock's production company
- C.V.
- German Wikipedia entry