Jost Vacano
Jost Vacano ( born March 15, 1934 in Osnabrück ) is a German cinematographer, who became internationally known through his camera work for the film Das Boot, and for a number of American films of director Paul Verhoeven.
Life and work
Subsequent to his studies in electrical engineering at the Technical University of Munich and a visit to the German Institute for Film and Television Camera Jost Vacanos career began in the mid 1950s with advertising and documentaries. He has been involved at this time, among other things, directed by Peter Schamoni the documentary Moscow 1957 World Youth Festival in Moscow.
After several television films in which he - among other things, directed by Peter Zadek - had been involved as a cinematographer, the film adaptation was closed season for foxes (1966, Director: Peter Schamoni ), his first feature film. Also in the following years Vacano has worked with well-known directors: Among other things, for the Tatort episode Kressin and the dead man in the Fleet and the German lesson with Peter Beauvais and for supermarket and Lieb Vaterland like be quiet ( Film Award for the camera ) with Roland click.
In the first rank of German cameramen Vacano has arrived later than in 1975 by the art work of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum. For this he has been awarded the German Film Award. Then he could reap laurels on the international scene in 1981: Among the total of six Academy Nomierungen for the theatrical version of The boat was also nominated for Vacanos camera work.
Cooperation with The Boot director Wolfgang Petersen he has continued in 1984 with the camera work for The Neverending Story. At this point, it was, however, already been in the U.S. more aware of him. This is especially true for the Dutch director Paul Verhoeven established there, for the Vacano had worked at Soldiers in 1977. Directed by Verhoeven, he was initially responsible for the images of RoboCop (1987). A co-operation, which is subsequently used for the Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall - Total Recall ( 1990), which flopped at the U.S. box office production Showgirls (1995), the highly controversial nature film Starship Troopers (1997) and Hollow Man - Invisible should continue danger ( 2000). The latter film also marks the temporary end of the list of productions in which Jost Vacano have been involved.
Vacanos image composition was already marked the beginning of his career through an extremely enterprising camera work. This style, which is particularly involved in working with a handheld camera or Steadicam, he has developed and perfected over the years. A preliminary culminated with the camera movements in the boat that ran along the longitudinal axis of the submarine. Vacano used for these trips a self-built gyroscope to carry the camera wobble-free by the boat scenery. This technique developed Vacano 1973 in collaboration with director Roland Klick for the film supermarket. The dynamic Joosticam how Vacanos Steadicam was called in Hollywood, is an essential part of the film because it best expresses the state of the constantly present on the flight lead actor in this way.
True to the motto " Motion Pictures - these are moving pictures " he has placed in the following years great emphasis on providing dynamic images. Vacano is now engaged as a lecturer in the training of the next generation camera.
Since 2008 Vacano involved in litigation regarding a fairness compensation gem. § 32a of the Copyright Act due to the extraordinary success of the film Das Boot. 2009 and 2010 has already been decided in favor of two methods Vacano. Proceedings are still the appeal proceedings before the Supreme Court against the production company Bavaria and the WDR and before the District Court Stuttgart against the SWR and the other ARD, a demand of 450,000 € Nachvergütung is in the room.