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As
a freelance director / cameraman / editor I have more than 20 years
experience in news, documentary and corporate film making. Also, I
have valid knowledge in DVD production, satellite up linking, video
streaming and web design.
As
a director / cameraman I have had many commissions by major TV stations.
Plus, I have worked as a cameraman and/or editor in partnership with other
directors.
I'm
used to working in challenging environments world-wide - specializing
in conflict zones from the mountains of Afghanistan to the rainforests
of New Guinea. My extensive background includes the ability to act alone
or as part of a larger production team; to balance determination with
flexibility, deliver the footage, and to stay on schedule and within budget
whatever the circumstances. |
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2008 |
TV
adverts for UK Army - Afghanistan, Sierra
Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo: The advertising agency Publicis
hired me to direct, shoot and edit 36 adverts of 30 and 40 seconds
length. The campaign aimed to raise the awareness about peace keeping
and reconstruction. We interviewed people who saw the British Army
in action. My ability to edit in the field was essential
to finish the production within a tight deadline of one month.
(March 2008, UK TV adverts, 36 x 30sec) |
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2008 |
Hull
Freedom Trail -
UK to Sierra Leone: an anti-slavery
campaign of 24 people from Hull in the UK. They drove five 4x4 vehicles
to Sierra Leone where they donated the trucks to humanitarian organizations
that focus on anti trafficking. HFT was inspired by William Wilberforce,
who initiated the abolition of slavery 200 years ago. Unfortunately slavery
is still very wide spread in the 21st century. I directed and filmed HFT on
my own.
(April 2008, released on DVD and in film festivals, 90min) |
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2007 |
Long
Way Down -
UK to South Africa: my second three month long motorbike
trip with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I already
filmed their first TV series Long Way Round. This time we drove from
Scotland across Europe and Africa to Cape Town. I shot and directed about
80% of the series. I also edited and uploaded over 30 video clips for
the BBC
website.
(November 2007, BBC 2, 6x60min + NatGeo, 10x45min)
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2007 |
Forced
Repatriation - Iraq: as a director/cameraman I followed Karzan
Sherabayani reporting on Kurdish Asylums seekers in the UK who got
forcibly repatriated back to Iraq. We also shot a report about the smuggling
of alcohol from Iraq into Iran.
(8 May 2007, C4 News + More4 News)
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2007 |
Blood
on the Stone - Sierra Leone, Congo, USA:
a Sorious Samura investigation into the certification process of today's
diamond trade. This documentary is published on Warner Brother's DVD of
'Blood Diamond' with Leonardo DiCaprio staring as a ruthless diamond dealer
during Sierra Leone's civil war in the 90s. Insight
News TV produced the documentary and I got hired as a director/cameraman.
(2+3 March 2007, CNN International, 52 min) |
QuickTime
300K
or
40K |
2006 |
The
Thin Blue Line - Iraq: as a director/cameraman I followed Karzan Sherabayani
reporting on the police in Kirkuk. It's one of the frontlines in Iraq's
growing civil war with deadly power struggles between different ethnic and
religious groups. We shot this film within a single day. It was a rather
tense experience.
(10 January 2007, Channel 4 UK, PBS, AJI, 22min) |
Podcasts
300K
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2006 |
British
Army Everest Expedition - Nepal:
in team with Simon
Atkins I filmed and edited 30 short videos about 8 junior soldiers.
On a daily basis we uploaded these clips to an Army
website and managed to operate even in snow blizzards and at altitudes
of up to 5600m. Our Junior Team clips can be found at the end of the Podcasts
list
(April 2006) |
QuickTime
300K
or
40K
Pictures Link |
2006 |
Guns
for Hire - Congo: a 2nd documentary filmed in team with Jim
Foster. Sam Kiley reports on Conrad Thorpe an ex British Special Forces
colonel who trains anti-poaching units in the Virunga National Park. After
a decade of civil war they launch a desperate atempt to protect Congo's
endangered wildlife, particularly gorillas.
(22 May 2006, Sky One, 46min) |
Website
Link |
2006 |
Race
to Dakar: Charley Boorman's ultimate off-road motorbike challenge supported
by Matt Hall and Simon Pavey. The 2 weeks endurance ordeal through African
deserts is captured not only by Jim
Foster and myself (main cameramen) but as well by producer Russ Malkin,
assistant Robin and all 3 bike riders. Injuries, accidents and sleep deprivation
turn into major issues.
(October 2006, Sky One, 7x46min) |
QuickTime
300K
or
40K
Pictures Link |
2005 |
Guns
for Hire - Afghanistan: a highly topical insight into the secretive
world of private military companies including a unique interview in Kabul's
Polecharki jail with the infamous American prisoner Jack Idema - an ex US
Special Forces who turned rouge. Presented by Sam Kiley, filmed in team
with Jim Foster
and produced by Carbon
Productions.
(15 May 2006, Sky One, 46min) |
Pictures
Link |
2005 |
UNHCR
- Fund raising Video - Colombia:
I filmed several reports about UNHCR's efforts to protect millions of refugees
and IDPs (Internally Displaced People). One of the stories focused on the
Embera Indians close to the Panama border. It's a drug trafficking route
and illegal armed groups are terrorizing the Emberas.
(September 2005) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2005 |
Neil
Morrissey's Excellent Adventure - Jordan: as a cameraman I follow the
British actor Neil Morrissey and his partner Emma on a Bedouin camel trek
along the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia. The 2 week journey through the
Jordanian desert at temperatures up to 50 C pushes them to physical and
emotional limits.
(August 2005, Sky, 46min) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link |
2005 |
Walking
the Tightrope - Pakistan: as a director/cameraman I follow reporter
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy looking at the effects of 'War on Terror' in Pakistan.
Filming happens at the time of the 7/7 London Underground bombing and we
manage to capture a good overview of reasons for fast growing anti-US/UK
sentiments and escalating sectarian violence.
(July 2005, Channel 4 Unreported World, 24min) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link |
2005 |
Living
with Aids - Zambia: a film with award winning reporter Sorious Samura
about the impact of HIV/Aids in Zambia. For 4 weeks Sorious works as a nursing
aid in a government hospital and lives with an HIV/Aids affected family.
He tries to find answers how to best combat the further spread of HIV. I
filmed and directed this documentary for Insight
News TV
Winner of One
World Media Awards 2006 for Broadcast Journalist of the Year
(27 June 2005, Channel 4 Dispatches, 49min) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
QuickTime
300K
(46
min)
Pictures Link |
2005 |
Return
to Kirkuk - Iraq: after 24 years exile Karzan Sherabayani returns to
Kirkuk to participate in the first free Iraqi elections. He also conducts
a personal opinion poll: Do Kurds want to remain part of Iraq or would they
prefer an independent South Kurdistan? An exclusive historic report produced,
directed and filmed in collaboration with Karzan.
(08 February 2005, BBC Newsnight - 16 minutes) |
QuickTime
300K
or
40K
Pictures
Link
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2005 |
Land
of Missing Children - India: as a director and cameraman I follow
reporter Sam Kiley investigating the trafficking of underage girls into
prostitution in India. We start in North West Bengal and end up in the
red light districts of Calcutta and Bombay.
(11 June 2005, Channel 4, Unreported World - 26 min) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link |
2004 |
Living
with Refugees - Chad: a film with award winning reporter Sorious Samura
living for 4 weeks with Darfur refugees. As a director/cameraman I followed
Sorious and a group of refugees from the Sudan/Chad border to the over
crowded camp of Breidjing in Chad. The lack of proper registration procedures
leads to a lot of hardship. I was assisted by producer George Waldrum
of Insight News
TV
Emmy Award 2006 nomination for Best
Long Format Investigative Documentary
(09/12/2004, Channel 4, Discovery Times, CNN 49min) |
|  QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link
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2004 |
Long
Way Round: an epic motorbike journey around the world from London
to New York with the actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I
got involved as a director/cameraman riding a third motorbike. My ability
to work on my own was crucial for this 4 month assignment. Official website:
Long Way
Round
Winner of Broadcast
Awards 2006 for Best Multi Channel Programme of the Year
(18/10/2004, Sky + Bravo - 7 x 52 minutes) |
 QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures
Link
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2004 |
Rooted
- Sierra Leone: the 2nd series about British teenagers of immigrant
families travelling back to their countries of origine. As a cameraman I
followed Horatia to Freetown in Sierra Leone. Observer:
Possibly Five’s best documentary series at present.
(25/04/2004, Channel 5 - 26 minutes) |
Pictures
Link |
2004 |
Out
of the Shadows - Lebanon: John McCarthy takes us on a personal journey
to Lebanon - a country he has not seen since he was held hostage there for
5 years. Now he is finally prepared to confront the ghosts of his past and
meets the Shia of today. I was involved as a cameraman
(11/04/2004, ITV1 - 52 minutes) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures
Link |
2003 |
Rooted
- West India: as a cameraman I follow 11 year old Hemali Shah from
Leister. She comes from a Jain family and travels with her mother to Rajasthan
where she discovers the roots of her religion. We visit magical tempels
in Ranapur and stay with a Jain family in rural areas.
(2003, Channel 5 - 26 minutes) |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link |
2003 |
Saddam's
Legacy - Iraq: the last part of a 4x52 min. series commissioned by
the BBC and MBC. Filmed all over Iraq in August and September 2003 this
documentary focuses on the ethnic and religious tensions that surfaced after
the fall of Saddam. I shot and co-directed this film with Giles
Trendle, an Arabist and Middle East correspondent.
(17/05/2004, ITV1 - 52 minutes) |
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2003 |
A
Place in France - An Indian Summer: a Channel 4 docusoap of 8x26 min.
Two Brits, Nippy and Nigel, are opening an Indian restaurant in the middle
of rural France.With the help of Rezza, an experienced London restaurateur,
they are trying to achieve the impossible. I filmed and directed this series
in collaboration with Charlie Forman from Tiger Aspect. |
QuickTime
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or 40K |
2002 |
Stern's
Music - "Mi-Negra" by Kad Achouri:
As a one-man operation and within three days, I shot and edited this 4 minute
music video. Despite an extremely tight budget, the completed video was
highly unique in atmosphere. This was achieved by combining amateur concert
footage with additional shots of the French musician Kad Achouri. The video
clip 'Mi-Negra' was used for the UK release of a new CD. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2002 |
Rooted
- Ukraine: This 26 min. Channel 5 (UK) documentary is part of a
children series about youngsters of immigrant families searching for their
origins. As a cameraman I followed 12 year old Simon Finkelstein who traveled
from the UK to the Ukraine. His grandfather was born in Liviv but got deported
by Stalin in 1940. Later he was released and ended up in London after he
fought with the Allies during WW2. |
 QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures
Link
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2002 |
A
Place in France: This Channel 4 docusoap (25x26 min. day time + 8x26
min. prime time) was shot between summer 2000 and May 2002. It's about two
Brits - Nippy a Sikh shopkeeper and Nigel a journalist - who are buying
and restoring a holiday house in France. As a director, cameraman and translator
I worked mostly on my own and had to develop an efficient one man shooting
style. The series received great press reviews and attracted up to 3 million
viewers. Produced by Tiger Aspect |
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2002 |
Deutsche
Bank - Service Partnership Group: As a cameraman and editor I was
involved in producing an internal marketing video for a new IT service department
within Deutsche Bank. This 12 minute video is distributed on CD-Rom and
internal websites. |
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2002 |
Christian
Aid - Angola: As a cameraman I covered a fact finding tour of different
British church representatives. We visited schools and refugee camps. The
footage was used for news coverage at different regional TV stations and
as well for the Christian Aid Website: www.christianaid.org.uk |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2001 |
Take
Away - Sri Lanka and Kerala/India: 2x26 min. for the Taste Network (UK
Cable). As a cameraman I followed 2 UK based Indian cooks to their countries
of origin to study the traditional cooking techniques. The comparison of
cultural differences was another important element of the programme. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2001 |
Pfizer
- UK Marketing Conference 2001: I filmed seminars, interviews and a
rock concert that included a band composed of Pfizer managers. With a notebook
computer I edited highlights of these videos on location for immediate use
during the conference. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2001 |
Saddam's
Bomb - Iraq: A 40 min. investigation for German TV ARD + BBC about Saddam's
nuclear weapons programme. The film is based on an eyewitness account of
a former Iraqi scientist who claims that Iraq conducted successful underground
atomic tests in September 1989. As a cameraman I shot key sequences in Iraq,
the UK and the USA. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
2000 |
Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers - Sierra Leone: a 9 min. fund raising
video for the UK NGO "Catholic Aid For Overseas Development".
I used a Mini-DV camera and digitized the footage on location for instant
non-linear editing. Despite the very hot and humid climate the DV equipment
performed superbly. |
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2000 |
Unilever
Conference: shooting and editing of several educational video clips
for the visual support of a major conference presentation. My new mobile
editing system was a great asset for working on the move in different countries. |
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2000 |
Website
Construction: My first challenge in the new Millennium: setting up my
own website www.vonplanta.net. |
| 2000 |
Studies
of New Technologies: Mobile editing, CD & DVD authoring, digital
compression standards, satellite transmission of video and sound clips. |
 QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1999 |
News
Features:
A) 5-minute report for Television Suisse Romande on the fate of 'War
Widows' in Nagorny Karabakh / Azerbaijan
B) 5-minute Rowing Report for APTN about a family reunion in a Macedonian
refugee camp
Arts File: monthly 5-7 minute features about culture and art for
BBC, produced by Sham Ambiavagar. I shot and edited the project. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1999 |
Fighting
by the Rules: A 28-minute educational film for the ICRC explaining
the history and the relevance of the Geneva Conventions. This compelling
video will be used in military academies world-wide. It was a major challenge
to find archive footage about wars in the 20th century and to develop a
concise but neutral point of view. Gwynne Roberts scripted the film and
I acted as producer, researcher, cameraman and editor. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1998 |
Saddam's
Secret Time Bomb: A 40-minute Dispatches programme for Channel
4 (UK) on the long-term effects of chemical weapons used against the Kurdish
city of Halabja in 1988. With a tiny Sony DV camera I followed the director/reporter
Gwynne Roberts and the British geneticist Christine Gosden on a clandestine
investigation in Northern Iraq. I shot the most harrowing pictures of my
life and the film sold world-wide: CBS 60 Minutes USA, ABC Australia, ZDF
Germany etc.
In 1998 nominated as one of the 3 best foreign
documentaries by the
Royal Television Society with a special commendation by the
Rory Peck Award |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1997 |
The Cuba Connection: A 51-minute documentary for HTV (UK). The film
tells the story of six idealists building an ‘environmentally friendly’
cargo sailing boat with recycled scrap metal. Their aim was to establish
trade relations with Cuba and protest against the American trade embargo.
Filming started early 95 in the UK and ended in December 96 in Havana. I
filmed, co-directed and edited this story with a colleague. |
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1997 |
The Money Makers: a 27-minute documentary about German investment bankers
in London. This report was produced and directed by a young freelance journalist
who won a price from the German foundation "context". I filmed
and edited this video.
Contracts
as cameraman: BBC Breakfast News, BBC Sport, BBC World Service
TV: Arts File, Hard Talk, Euro Pops etc. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1996 |
The
Saudi Tapes: a Channel 4 (UK) ‘Dispatches’ programme about the growing
opposition movements in Saudi Arabia. The project includes an exclusive
portrait of Osama Ben Ladin, an internationally wanted financier of Islamic
terrorism. Employed as cameraman I shot footage in Kuwait and Afghanistan.
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1996
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An
Afghan Recovery: A 7-minute feature about the ICRC Orthopedic
Workshop in Kabul and the rehabilitation of mine victims. I filmed and edited
this report on my own. Used world-wide in the anti-landmine campaign by
the ICRC. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1996 |
Karzan’s
Brothers - Escape from the Safe Haven: A 65-minute investigative
documentary for BBC 1 ‘Inside Story’. As cameraman and director I used secret
cameras and mini DV equipment to film a perilous journey smuggling illegal
Kurdish immigrants from Iraq to Britain. Sold world-wide. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1995
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Voices
from the Aftermath: A 30-minute ICRC documentary about victims
of war in the Middle East. Employed as cameraman I shot footage in Lebanon,
Iraq and Israel. |
1994 |
Contracts
as cameraman: BBC WORLD, ITN, CHANNEL 4 NEWS etc.
Production of several News Features: DEUTSCHE WELLE TV |
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1993 |
Larisa’s
War: A 13-minute ICRC documentary about a Bosnian refugee in search
of her family. I shot this report on my own in Bosnia and London. Broadcast
at the International Women's Day meeting in Beijing and on numerous news
magazine programmes world-wide |
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1993 |
Mobile
121 calling: A 15-minute ICRC educational video about security
precautions for personnel from international organizations working in war
zones. I was involved in the filming and editing of this project. |
1992 |
Corporate
Productions: Rhône-Poulenc France, Dunlop UK and Cambridge
Research & Innovation Ltd. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1991 |
Rebels
of the Forgotten World: A 52-minute one man production for
CHANNEL 4. The project is about Papuan OPM Guerrillas who are desperately
fighting for independence. This film follows the journey from my initial
meeting with the OPM on a clandestine airstrip and how I succeeded in evading
capture by the pursuing Indonesian army for more than 6 months. Sold internationally. |
QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1989 |
Eldorado
Perdido: A 52-minute documentary for Swiss TV SRG about a Brazilian
garimpero trying to find gold in the territory of the Yanomami Indians.
I filmed and directed this story with 2 Swiss colleagues. |
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1988 |
Suisse
- La Forteresse inconnue: A 52-minute documentary for ANTENNE 2
(France) about the Swiss army and its system of civil protection. I shot
and co-directed this film with a colleague from Paris. |
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1987 |
Tomorrow
the Mollahs: A 26-minute report for the Dutch TV station EO
about the rising Islamic Fundamentalism in Senegal. My first report shot
on Beta-SP. |
 QuickTime
300K
or 40K |
1986 |
The
Beginning of the End: A 10-minute story for ANTENNE 2 (France)
about a group of Hesb-e-Islami fighters in Afghanistan. My second film shot
on Super 8. |
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1985 |
Tanaka
- A Samurai in Afghanistan: A 10-minute story for ZDF in Germany
about a Japanese Karate teacher who is training Mujahedins in their fight
against the Russian occupation force. Shot on Super 8, it is my first film
I could sell to a TV station. |
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