German-based cinematographer Tim Pfautsch was a uniquely excellent choice to lens the experimental documentary Fassaden (internationally titled Curtains). Narrated by acclaimed actress Sandra Hüller (Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall), the documentary explores the onset and progression of domestic violence, interweaving expert advocate testimonials with raw dance sequences. With a strong background in music video and experimental filmmaking, Pfautsch worked intimately with the director and choreographer to depict the emotional rollercoaster of an unraveling relationship. The cinematographer looked to the versatility and nimbleness of Astera Titan and Hyperion Tubes to light the pivotal dance scenes that structure Fassaden.
Fassaden is no lighthearted film, tackling heavy and complex themes with a careful, nuanced touch. “The film has a very clear arc and structure,” Pfautsch explains. “When interviewing the women for the film, our director Alina Cyranek found that almost all, if not all, of these toxic relationships start the same. While there are many different reasons why women might stay with a partner–there is a very real danger that the relationship will end with a femicide.” The filmmakers aimed to share this story in way that was palatable and instructive while artfully opening audiences to a painful topic.
The explosively emotional core of Fassaden is found in the choreographed sequences of a female and male dancer which illustrate a relationship poisoned by violence. “The dance sequences operate as a canvas that Sandra Hüller’s voice paints over,” Pfautsch says. For these scenes to embrace their full potential, he needed a versatile lighting set up that would not restrict the dancers or camera’s ability for dynamic movement.
Due to a typically modest documentary budget, Pfautsch and his gaffer would be the only lighting crew on set. As such he needed a comprehensive lighting set up that could be quickly adjusted for diverse looks, without additional manpower. “I decided to use a 20×20 ft overhead rig made of Astera Titan and Hyperion Tubes that we could place before the shoot.” He designed ‘lighting zones’ which could be brightened or dimmed using the Astera App to create novel ambience without ever touching the fixture. “The Astera App was really crucial–everyone knows how to operate the app, so even if my gaffer of choice wasn’t available, I could easily have someone step in to control the console.”
Pfautsch affixed four 79.9” Hyperion and eight 40.7” Titan Tubes to a square frame, sandwiched with Ultrabounce above and ½ Grid below. Battery-powered and lightweight LEDs, the Tubes were easily lofted into place over the studio floor on a prep day. During the two shooting blocks Pfautsch and his gaffers, Benjamin Hirlinger and Stefan Hannig, would tweak the zones remotely from ground level, and when an additional backlight was required, they introduce one movable unit, a Kino Flo shell with four Titan Tubes mounted inside.
With this deceivingly simple lighting setup, an extraordinary amount of emotional variation could be exercised. Pfautsch cultivated variations in shadow and color temperature to illustrate the fraying of the relationship. “One really impactful dance scene takes place after she gets away from her abuser. She has this very contemplative moment, by herself where she examines her own body. We talked a lot about how we wanted to feel like we were inside her head,” the cinematographer describes. “That informed the lighting and camera work.” A chill stillness permeates the scene, as the lighting color is pushed to a super cool daylight. The woman’s awakening and relief are etched through intimate cinematography that traces her pained self-reflection.
Elsewhere warm lighting creates a potent feeling of tension combined with handheld camerawork. “In the second to last scene, she dances herself free. She has escaped the relationship but is chased by flashbacks. We shot flashbacks handheld and set the color balance to be much warmer, and then really saturated that warmth in post-production, as if to underline how much pressure the character is under.”
With overhead, versatile lighting the dances and camera fluidly traverse the studio space, to breath-taking effect. Pfautsch embraced a dichotomy of light in Fassaden, creating an unforgettable experience. “For many viewers the film helps illuminate where domestic violence begins–that it can be very small actions that grow,” he relates. “It’s a film that tries to educate where psychological and physical abuse can start, before violence necessarily.
“Astera has been with me since the beginning,” concludes Pfautsch. “For this project, we put a lot of care into how to depict the emotions—and lighting was integral to this.”
Learn more about the film and future screenings: www.instagram.com/timpfautsch
