Through time and memory: DOP Fabian Gamper on Sound of Falling
- oliverjlwebb
- 15 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Oliver Webb
Narrated across four different timeframes, Sound of Falling is a story about a remote German farm that harbours generations of secrets. Directed by Mascha Schilinski, the film was captured by DOP Fabian Gamper.
How did you first get involved with Sound of Falling?
Fabian Gamper: The director and co-writer Mascha Schilinski is my wife. So, I was involved in the project from the very beginning. I wasn't involved in the writing process itself, but we started discussing our approach as they were developing the screenplay.
What were your initial conversations with Mascha about the look of the film?
Fabian Gamper: Mascha had a vision that the film - in its overall conception, should not follow a classic dramaturgy, but should have an associative, fragmentary structure that tells the story in the same way that memory works. We wanted to create a visual language that looked more like inner images than what we see directly - like a memory in your head that you can no longer access in all the details precisely. We began the process with conversations like these.
Did you look at any creative references?
Fabian Gamper: We were particularly inspired by the original filming location - a four-sided courtyard that had stood empty for decades. Francesca Woodman's photographic work was also a great source of inspiration.
Which camera and lenses did you select, and why?
Fabian Gamper: We had a whole collection of lenses that we used to create different effects. The most extreme was a pinhole camera - no lens at all, just a very small hole in front of the sensor. This produces a very soft image with no actual focal plane, somewhat reminiscent of 8mm film. We found that this effect was similar to that of a slightly faded memory. In addition to some other effect lenses and zooms, our main lenses were Cooke S2/S3 rehoused by TLS, on an Alexa Mini and a Sony FX6 camera. The Cookes have a very interesting bokeh and fit best into our world of memories and dreams.
What was your approach to capturing the different time periods in the film?
Fabian Gamper: The goal was that there should be no main narrative time, and everything else becomes a flashback. Rather, everything was supposed to be a memory - as if everyone were remembering from a distant future. We had this idea for the camera to behave like a ghost who has the ability to float through the house to observe the inhabitants - and through time, as if time would not exist at all. In that respect, stylistically, we tried to bring everything together rather than move it apart. We realised that the set design, costumes, props, practical lights, and, of course, the cast made it clear enough what time period we were in.
What was your approach to lighting? Which lights did you use?
Fabian Gamper: My gaffer Oliver Geissler and I wanted to create natural looking lighting that would also contribute to the atmosphere of the film. For example, the nights should feel like you were actually stepping into a dimly lit old farmhouse, where much of it is very dark and barely visible, and it is very bright next to the light source, which to me felt both naturalistic and more mysterious as opposed to a more evenly lit set.
For the daytime interior scenes, we had a kit consisting of three ARRI M40 and one M90 unit, along with smaller HMIs. We usually bounced them to get a stable soft light through the windows, and we sometimes added accents using CLRS Reflectors. To create late warm afternoon sun effects indoors, we also had tungsten units with us - I really like the effect of ParCan 1KW units. We also had LED panels in various sizes, controlled via Oliver's iPad. For night exteriors, we often had an HMI Mole Beam 4KW bounced into an 8x8 on a lifting platform, along with all kinds of practical Lights.
Did you create any LUTs with a colourist? How did you apply these during the shoot?
Fabian Gamper: We had a very small budget, so my colourist Maik Letzius could only join the project for the final grade. During the preparation phase, I created a LUT myself, which we then used for the shoot on all monitors and also for the rushes, and which we remained faithful to during grading. I like this way of working; it's a bit like choosing film stock and Lab Process that gives you a certain look. We would have loved to shoot 16mm which was not possible due to the small budget.
How long was the duration of the shoot?
Fabian Gamper: We had 33 days of shooting.
What did you enjoy most about working on the film?
Fabian Gamper: Everything, really - the project was very challenging on many levels. We had a really great crew who made much more possible than the budget would have allowed. I enjoyed this energy.
Sound of Falling will be released in UK cinemas 6th March. Watch the trailer below!
