film
film is my new frontier, my biggest adventure to date. i don't know much about film or its history but i am trying to find a language in order to tell a story in a medium that moves. after having directed, and sometimes filmed, a good 80 music videos, some live shows and a short film over the last 30 years, i was kind of persuaded by others to 'try' film. i was curious but not convinced i was capable and i am sure the jury is still out but i am enjoying the possibilities i am given and the reception the work has received so far. film making is so intense it makes everything else feel like an exercise in relaxation. this autumn i am hoping to shoot my 3rd feature, a john le carré based story called A MOST WANTED MAN, set in hamburg. i have a tremendous cast and a great script so that is the best start you can hope for. coming to you in 2013, fingers crossed.
photography
initially my second love, first one was music, it is still the basis of my thought process as is evident in my films and stage-designs. the power of the still image cannot be over-estimated. my photography has gone thru different phases over the last 40 years (1972 onwards) but it feels like my most natural language currently. however busy i am with other non-photography projects i will always have a camera with me. the democratising of photography means it is more important than ever to find a way to make something meaningful within the jungle of images that surround us continuously. these days photography as a medium is stronger than ever yet it has to fight not to lose its impact. interesting times.
design
partly out of disappointment with the way my work sometimes ended up being used, partly because i am a frustrated painter, partly out of eagerness to explore this medium, i started designing bits and pieces sometime in the 80's and ended up designing record sleeves by depeche mode and herbert grönemeyer as well as for posters, articles, magazine covers and logos. i don't advertise myself at all as a designer, it just floats in and out of what i am working on but it helps me understanding that element of communication more by doing it myself. i also design stages since some of my film work for depeche mode got used in their 'violator' tour in 1991, i designed the next tour in 1993 so that is nearly 20 years of designing all their worldtours since. the wonderful thing is that i start with a scribble and then 9 months later there is this very large stage with music and visuals and an audience all centred around this scribble that has gone 3-D. hugely enjoyable experience.