With hundreds of careers and opportunities, the filmmaking industry can be a unique experience for a Filmmaker. Filmtools decided to take a deeper look into the world of a Filmmaker. This week, we had the opportunity to speak to Filmmaker René Rodlauer about his work. This is what he said:

 What is your name and where are you from?

René Rodlauer: My name is René Rodlauer and I am living and working in Vienna, Austria in Europe.

 What is your primary role on set?

René Rodlauer:  I primarily work as a cinematographer.

  Who is a person in the industry that is on top of his or her game in your role?

René Rodlauer:  I truly love how Roger Deakins CBE, ASC, BSC and Khalid Mohtaseb tell stories with light. They’re magicians! And, I recently started to discover the stunning experimentality in Benoit Debie’s work.

 If you had to impress someone with your work, what would be the most “well-known” content that you’ve worked on? – Could be local TV spot or YouTube piece.

René Rodlauer:  If I could beam myself into the future, It would probably be a music video I work on at the moment. For now, it would be the movie “STIFADO”. It’s a medium-length feature where I served as a DP and Producer.

 Best craft service food?

René Rodlauer:  Good traditional Austrian fare. Shout out to “Cook Out” from Vienna! They never disappoint.

 What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on before?

René Rodlauer:  It would probably be STIFADO, the movie I mentioned above. First of all, we had the best crew ever! Everyone had so much passion for this project, I’m thankful for everyone that helped us realize this project.

Secondly, I really liked to work with director Marios Glöckner. We harmonized very well and he always appreciated my visual ideas and supported the realization of them.

 What’s the first thing you do on set?

René Rodlauer:  I always check the location for available light with my gaffer. Then we both go through our pre-production for the scene and agree to a gameplan.

 How did you break into the industry?

René Rodlauer:  I started filming with my first DSLR – a Canon EOS 7D – in 2011. Until 2014 I mainly shot sports- and event videos with my good friend Nico Wieseneder, who managed to build up his own production company “ARTJUNGLE”. When I attended the University of Applied Sciences in St. Poelten (Austria) in 2014, I focused on scenic work and I started to work in a camera rental called DigiRental Vienna. Since then, I made a lot of new friends and met a lot of producers and production companies. Parallel to that, I really tried to push every project I work on and that’s how I got my first Jobs as a cinematographer.

 Current TV obsession?

René Rodlauer: Definitely the Netflix Series “Narcos”. I recently finished Season 3 and I instantly started again with Season 1.

It’s astonishing how good the characters are developed and I love the mood and feel of the Series.

 Do you binge-watch shows or pace them out?

René Rodlauer: That really depends on much I like the show and how much time I have, but I normally like to binge-watch them.

What piece of gear do you have your eye on?

René Rodlauer: At the moment I’m split between a new digital stills camera from Fujifilm, some essential lighting equipment from Quasar Science or a new Apple iMac workstation.

 Camera – Should you own or rent?

René Rodlauer: Rent! It’s important to choose the right tool for your job. I’m definitely not into shooting every project – no matter if commercial, feature or image video – on the same camera system.

 Lenses – Should you own or rent?

Again: Rent! Lenses are such a powerful stylistic device in a project. Sometimes it’s important to have a crispy clear frame but on other days you want something that has a bit more character, flares heavily or has some imperfectness on the edges. I could never use the same lens set for every project, but I would not mind seeing myself in the future with a set of high-quality cinema primes.

 What is your preferred camera system?

René Rodlauer: I enjoy working in the Arri ecosystem. If I had to pick one camera, it would definitely be Arri’s Amira.

 Someone that is starting out in the industry, what advice would you give them?

René Rodlauer: Never lose your self-confidence and keep your enthusiasm for every project. I also recommend connecting a lot! It’s very important to have a few people around yourself who believe in your work and would also help you out with unpaid projects if the roof is on fire (and vice versa).

 Where can people see your work?

René Rodlauer: My Portfolio could be seen on my Website www.renerodlauer.com. I also have a bit of the content I shot on Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/doppelr

 Where can people follow you on social?

René Rodlauer: I’m very active on Instagram (@renerodlauer) and I always post BTS, Frames and sometimes a few lighting breakdowns.

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