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.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
2023 Selected for the Berlinale TALENTS programme
2023 short film competition 39. Warsaw international Film Festival (The Soil of the Namib – Dreams)
2020 official selection Energa CAMERAIMAGE (Hurensöhne – ein Requiem)
2019 nominee: Deutscher Kamerapreis 2019 (MASCARPONE)
2018 Venice Virtual Reality competition 75. Mostra internazionale d’arte cinematografica di Venezia (ROOMS)
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)
FILMOGRAPHY (Selection)
Between Worlds / Documenty
Director: Ghafar Faizyar
Production: YalFilm, Niklas Seehausen, Aria Azizi
Between Change, Hope, and Collapse / Documenty
Director: Ghafar Faizyar
Production: Hindukush Pictures, Ghafar Faizyar
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 mein Gott / 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
BIO
Jana Pape is a Director of Photography based, but not tied to Berlin. Translating a story into pictures and developing 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 also freelanced as a boom operator for news.
After school she worked at Studio Hamburg Post Production, where she was trained as AV-Media designer for three years, witnessing the last years of the telecine workflow and the arrival of digital cinema cameras. Her journal’s piece was shot on s16mm and 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 work as a lighting assistant, as well as shooting her own short films 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 with such tricks was honoured as the best BA-thesis of the year. MASCARPONE was screened at over 100 festivals and won several prizes and was shortlisted for the BAFTA student award 2018 . Meanwhile she was studying a semester at FAMU-International and completing a nine month post-graduated colour grading course – up.grade. Her MA thesis film is a full length feature film, O my God . Following her penchant for unusual storytelling and new techniques she worked on 360° VR films as well. Most recognized is ROOMS, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the Prix Immersion Award in Montreal.
Since graduating with her Master degree in 2019, Jana has been working as a freelance DoP for fiction TV, independent films, as well as documentaries. The movies she shoots have been selected at prestigious festivals, such Warsaw International Film Festival 2023 and Cameraimage 2020. Jana has been recognized as a TALENT at the 2023 Berlinale edition. Additionally she gained international experience as a camera operator, while working for the Emy-Winner Unorthodox and Julie Plec’s Vampire Academy series.
