Alexander Tuschinski

Alexander Tuschinski

Alexander Tuschinski on the set of Timeless.
Born Alexander Tuschinski
(1988-10-28) October 28, 1988
Stuttgart, Germany
Alma mater Hochschule der Medien (B.Eng.)
Universität Stuttgart (B.A.)
Occupation Film director, film producer, writer, actor, musician
Years active 2008 – present
Awards See list of awards in the article.

Alexander Tuschinski (born October 28, 1988, Stuttgart, Germany) is a German film director, film producer, writer, actor and musician.[1] Internationally, he is best known for his feature films that won awards at various film festivals,[2] as well as his academic writing on the early works of Tinto Brass.[3]

Life

Alexander Tuschinski attended school in Stuttgart, Germany, and originally wanted to study physics after finishing school in 2008. However, he changed his mind shortly before enrolling at university realizing that film was his main passion, and instead started studying Audiovisual Media at Hochschule der Medien. Graduating 2011 as a Bachelor of Engineering in Audiovisual Media, he enrolled at University of Stuttgart afterwards to study history and literature, graduating in 2014 with his second degree as a Bachelor of Arts. He continues pursuing a Master's Degree there. He produces his works parallel to his studies.[4]

Prior to 2008, Tuschinski had already produced short videos that he published on YouTube.[5] He is friends with Tinto Brass and Hugo Niebeling whose 1960s films influence his cinematic style. He considers them his "mentors".[6]

Works

Films

Feature films

For Tuschinski, his films Menschenliebe, Timeless and a planned upcomig project called Revolution! form an informal Trilogy of Rebellion: The films are independent of each other, but feature similar themes, styles and the same two main characters (Arnold and Konstantin). The scope of the topics they address increases with each instalment: While Menschenliebe deals mostly with relationships between individuals, Timeless addresses topics from all aspects of society. Break-Up is a smaller film, independent of the trilogy, but featuring the character of Arnold and some references to the other films.[7] As of 2015, Tuschinski considers Timeless "by far" his best film.[8]

Year Film Credited as
Director Producer Writer
2008 Killer-Squirrels[9] Yes Yes Yes
2010 Menschenliebe Yes Yes Yes
2014 Break-Up Yes Yes Yes
2016 Timeless Yes Yes Yes

Short films

Year Film Credited as
Director Producer Writer
2012 Quasicrystal Research Yes Yes
2012 Hollow Date Yes Yes Yes
2014 Break-Up: The Making-Of[10] Yes Yes
2014 The Critic Yes Yes
2015 Gold.[11] Yes Yes Yes

Music Videos

Year Film Credited as
Director Composer Performer
2008 Internet-Liebe[12] Yes Yes Yes
2009 Eine heisse Nacht[13] Yes Yes Yes
2009 Looking for my Messages[14] Yes Yes Yes
2011 Mutant Calculator Yes Yes Yes

Writing

Academic writing

In 2011, Alexander Tuschinski reconstructed the director's cut of Caligula in his Bachelor's Thesis.[15] Tinto Brass, the director of Caligula, approves of this reconstruction.[16][17] Tuschinski has been called an "encyclopledic Brass expert"[18] as well as "the foremost scholastic authority on Tinto Brass (...) in the world today",[19] and has written various essays on Tinto Brass' early, experimental works.[20][21] In 2012, Tuschinski restored some of Brass' 1960s films using material from the director's private archive. They were later screened at a retrospective in Hollywood.[22]

Other writing

Tuschinski's first novel "Das Fahrzeug" was published in Germany in 2011.[23]

Music

Tuschinski frequently composes and performs songs and instrumental music for his own films.[24] He occasionally performs his songs live on stage, often combined with comedy routines.[25]

In 2014, Tuschinski published an album featuring classical music recorded on synthesizer and vocoder.[26]

Filmmaking style

General Description

Helmut Berger (right) and Alexander Tuschinski on the set of Timeless (2015)

Alexander Tuschinski's films have been compared to "the early works of Woody Allen".[27] He uses an impressionistic camera- and editing-style that is considered experimental by some. His films frequently employ classical music with scenes edited to the rhythm and the structure of the music, as well as satirical songs that are often used to progress the story.[28]

I find it boring when I can predict a film's outcome and find that conventional filmmaking can be quite uninteresting at times. My films have a strange, surrealistic logic to them.
— Alexander Tuschinski, Interview by Steve Williams for Take One 2012.[29]

Visual language

Tuschinski himself uses an analogy to language when describing his approach to cinematography and editing, calling different shots nouns (e.g. shots showing an object / a person without any additional intention than showing it, like establishing shots), verbs (shots used to depict an action or movement) or adjectives (shots "describing" things, like quick cut-aways and details), comparing regular visual rules of filmmaking to classial literature, while his way of filming is rather like slam poetry.[30]

To return to the example of slam-poetry vs. classical literature and the comparison to language: I throw around "words", meaning shots, in my films; might use more adjectives, nouns etc., than others, but still each sentence needs subject, verb and object so the receipient understands it. But it shouldn't be worded according to textbook rules, else it gets boring.
— Alexander Tuschinski, Interview by Ursula Drees for plusinsight 2015.[31]

In almost all of Tuschinski's films, him and Matthias Kirste share the cinematographer-credit. When Tuschinski is acting, Kirste operates the camera, and when Tuschinski is not seen in the frame, he often operates the camera himself. Sebastian B. is often cast as the lead actor in Tuschinski's films.[32]

Reception

The films of Alexander are a new kind of film, of showing what can come out from the editing. It is good.
— Tinto Brass, about Break-Up[33]
At twenty-three, Alexander Tuschinski has begun to reveal his own very personal voice (...) with talent that is blossoming splendidly.
— Miles Kreuger, note from January 2012[34]
Alex is an avant-gardist and neoclassicist director.
— Harry Lennix, interviewed on the set of Timeless.[35]
The film is youth times youth. (...) A fantastic film, a joy to watch!
— Hugo Niebeling, Making-Of documentary about Break-Up[36]
Alexander Tuschinski's work of comedic genius (...) resembles the early work of Woody Allen in the best possible way.
— Independent Filmmakers Showcase, 2012 program guide entry for Menschenliebe[37]
We recommend strongly that you see (...) Menschenliebe. This film brilliantly shifts between dramatic realism and Pythonesque absurdist comedy.
— Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, 2012 program guide[38]

Awards (excerpt)

Alexander Tuschinski at Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival 2015, receiving awards for "Break-Up".

Additionally, Tuschinski's documentary Quasicrystal Research was selected to play during the Australian National Science Week in 2012, being shown in 400 venues around Australia during that week.[56]

References

  1. ↑ "Käpsele-Magazine: Article about Tuschinski.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ See list of awards below.
  3. ↑ See list of sources in the section about academic writing.
  4. ↑ "Käpsele-Magazine: Article about Tuschinski.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article on Alexander Tuschinski's works.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  6. ↑ "Gold. Making Of Documentary on Youtube". Retrieved 21 June 2015..
  7. ↑ "Alexander Tuschinski: Official website - Article about the Trilogy of Rebellion.". Retrieved 23 November 2015..
  8. ↑ "Facebook: Photo caption with quote on the official Timeless site.". Retrieved November 9, 2015..
  9. ↑ "Killer-Squirrels: Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  10. ↑ "Break-Up: The Making Of – Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  11. ↑ "Gold. Making-Of-Documentary – Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  12. ↑ "Internet-Liebe: Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  13. ↑ "Eine heisse Nacht: Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  14. ↑ "Looking for my messages: Official youtube-upload.". Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  15. ↑ "Analysis and reconstruction of Tinto Brass' intended version of Caligula (PDF, 15,2 MB, 106 pages)" (PDF). Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Tinto Brass discusses Tuschinski's reconstruction of Caligula (video).". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  17. ↑ "The Projection Booth: Podcast featuring an interview with Tuschinski about Caligula.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Mondo Digital: Review of the Blu-Ray edition of Tinto Brass’ "The Key", to which Tuschinski wrote the booklet.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival: Article about Tinto Brass retrospective." (PDF). Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Official Website: Selection of Tuschinski’s articles.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Arrow Video: Website for the Blu-Ray release of Tinto Brass' film "The Key", featuring a booklet with an essay by Alexander Tuschinski.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Films in Review: Article about Nerosubianco, and about the retrospective.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Google Books: Entry for Das Fahrzeug.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  24. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article on Alexander Tuschinski's works.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  25. ↑ "Recording of a performance on stage.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Official upload of the finale of Beethoven's 9th symphony on Tuschinski's youtube-channel. This track is taken from the album, and was uploaded by the artist on youtube to be available for free.". Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Program Guide of Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, found on official website.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  28. ↑ "Making of Documentary about "Break-Up".". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  29. ↑ "Take One: Interview with Alexander Tuschinski.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  30. ↑ "plusinsight: Interview with Alexander Tuschinski (German)". Retrieved June 22, 2015..
  31. ↑ "plusinsight: Interview with Alexander Tuschinski (German)". Retrieved June 22, 2015.. Original quote in German: "Um das Beispiel Slam-Poetry vs. klassische Literatur aufzugreifen, und die Analogie zur Sprache darin: Ich werfe „Wörter“, also Einstellungsarten, darin durcheinander, arbeite vielleicht mit mehr Adjektiven, Substantiven etc. als andere, aber jeder „Satz“ muss doch Subjekt, Prädikat, Objekt haben, damit der Rezipient ihn verstehen kann. Aber er sollte nicht nur lehrbuchmäßig formuliert sein, sonst wird es dabei langweilig."
  32. ↑ "Making of Documentary about "Break-Up".". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  33. ↑ "Foreword by Tinto Brass to the trailer of "Break-Up"". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  34. ↑ "Alexander Tuschinski – Quote on official Website". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  35. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article about filming Timeless. The Quote was translated into German in the article, and was translated back into English for Wikipedia. Quote in the article: "Alex ist ein avantgardistischer und neoklassischer Regisseur."". Retrieved 17 November 2014..
  36. ↑ "Making of Documentary about "Break-Up"". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  37. ↑ "IFS Programme, March 2012.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  38. ↑ "Program Guide of Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, found on official website.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  39. ↑ "Facebook: Photo of Alexander Tuschinski and Festival President Lydia Venieri with the award.". Retrieved July 7, 2015..
  40. ↑ "Maverick Movie Awards: Official Website.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  41. ↑ "List of 2011 winners on website of California Film Awards.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  42. ↑ "Take One Awards: Official Website with winners 2012.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  43. ↑ "American Movie Awards: Official Website.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  44. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article about Alexander Tuschinski's film "Timeless", mentioning win at American Movie Awards". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  45. ↑ "Article on official website of Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  46. ↑ "Article on official website of the festival.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  47. ↑ "Park City Film Music Festival official website: List of past awards-winners.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  48. ↑ "Hochschule der Medien: Article on "Menschenliebe" and its awards.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  49. ↑ "List of 2011 winners on website of Nevada Film Festival.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  50. ↑ "Winners of 2012 Honolulu Film Awards on official website of the festival.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  51. ↑ "WorldFest Houston: List of Awards Winners.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  52. ↑ "Oregon Independent Film Festival: List of Awards Winners.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  53. ↑ "Oregon Independent Film Festival: Entry for "Break-Up", mentioning award.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  54. ↑ "Berlin Independent Film Festival: List of winners 2013.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  55. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article on Mutant Calculator winning at Las Vegas Film Festival.". Retrieved November 5, 2014..
  56. ↑ "Official Program Guide to the Festival of Science film, taking place as part of the National Science Week." (PDF). Retrieved November 5, 2014..

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