Sven Kirsten

Born in the port town of Hamburg but conceived in between America and Germany on a freighter from his grandfather's Hamburg-Chicago Line, Sven chose to live in California when he turned 25. After studying Photo and Optics in Berlin and working as camera assistant for NDR network he enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1980, and switched to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles the next year. In Los Angeles he started working on music videos as a gaffer and began shooting music videos himself in 1987 with Tom Waits's 'Blow Wind Blow' video. More music clips with Billy Joel, The Cramps, Sergio Mendes and others followed, as well as commercials for Toyota, McDonalds, Kellogs and Anacin. In the mid-90s Sven began D.P.-ing independent feature films, like 'Mistress' with Robert De Niro, and in the last thirteen years he has photographed over 30 Cable TV movies in Germany, Prague, Cape town and St. Petersburg. He considers himself a visual stylist at home in any genre, on any set, looking for a fresh language for every new project.