RENE.HESS.AC

About me

Education

After school and a brief time in the IT department of a bank I finally started working in the field I was passionate about since my early childhood: creating media. I studied in Stuttgart and focused on film and photography. Later on I also gained some deeper knowledge of web technology.

During my time at university I realized that this environment suited me very well. So after I graduated, the only logical thing happened. Since 2012 I am teaching at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences in the field of Media Technology. I host practical lessons on photo, video, VFX and web technology.

What I currently do
FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences
Research Assistant
Media Technology
What I've done before
Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart
Elektronische Medien, M. A.
Fraunhofer IPA
Graduate Assistant Photo & Video
Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart
Audiovisuelle Medien, B. Eng.
Verbands-Sparkasse Wesel
Information Technology Officer

René (on left) with one of his happy Graduees at the graduation event 2023

Featured Lectures

Rene holding a lecture in the virtual studio

Media Technology
Fundamentals of Web Technology
Media Production
Photo Technology
Visual Effects

Software I use — and teach

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve
Adobe After Effects
darktable
Blackmagic Design Fusion
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Lightroom (Classic)
Unreal Engine
Aximmetry

A sefie of René pointing at a laptop screen with DaVince Resolve open. Taken during an event held by Blackmagic Design.

Video

My own projects

Das machen wir. hier. auch. schon. 2022

Thumbnail of the video 'Das machen wir. hier. auch. schon.'. Showing a man standing in front of an EMC lab.

In 2022 I lead a team of students to create a new recruiting film for the Bachelor's course Electrical Engineering.

Be sure to check out the film on Youtube

Unter Leuten2020

In 2020 I created a film for the neighbourhood initiative of "Gut Branderhof" in Aachen.

The final film can be found on Youtube.

Close-up of a watercolor sketch on a wooden table, showing a landscape with a blue river, buildings, and handwritten notes, from the film 'Unter Leuten'.

(Not) Another Image Movie2019

In 2019 I volunteered to create a new recruiting film for our Bachelor's degree course "Computer Science". I worked together with a team of students over the timespan of one semester.

The final film can be seen on Youtube.

Thumbnail of the film '(Not) Another Image Movie showing a young woman sitting at a computer lab.

Ich bin ein IT-Job aus Aachen2017

Thumbnail for one of the Recruitung spots. A man sitting beside a woman. He is smiling at her, she is holding a smartphone.

In 2017 I created a series of cinema ads for Regina e.V. to show the richness of IT job opportunities in and around Aachen. For this we cooperated with 8 IT companies, each contributing an individual sequence to one of the spots. Unfortunately the films are no longer online due to expiration of the rights.

On Strings2010

As part of my Bachelor's Thesis I wrote the screenplay for On Strings, a gangster comedy inspired by Guy Ritchie's early work. I also directed the film, which premiered in summer of 2010.

More information and a stream of the final movie can be found on its own website.

A screenshot from the film 'On String', the Phamacist is standing in his lab. He's a man in a white coat.

Teaching

Over the years I have supported more than 200 teams of students on their way to producing their own short film. The genres, topics and stories were as diverse as the groups and their members. Including short fictional films, documentaries, music videos, time-lapse films, and more.

Screenshot from a student film. Two policemen are standing beside the main character, Stand Rivers.

Screenshot from a student film. A young woman is laying in the grass in the summer.

Screenshot from a student film.A woman is pushing a shopping cart down an empty street.

Screenshot from a student film. A woman is entering a dimly lit apartment.

Screenshot from a student film. A cyclist is driving towards the camera at the side of a road. There's a car behind him.

Screenshot from a student film. A woman is laying in the grass at a park at night. She seems unconscious. Party folks are standing around her.

Screenshot from a student film. People are reading a leaflet while sitting in a park.

Screenshot from a student film. A young man is talking to two women at a pool table.

Screenshot from a student film. A woman is chilling on her couch at night. She is looking at her smartphone.

Screenshot from a student film. A still frame from a timelapse film showing the Bushof in Aachen.

Screenshot from a student film. A barkeeper is handing a beer to a young woman across the counter.

Screenshot from a student film. A hacker is sitting at his desk at night, seen from the outside through his window.

Typically I give help and advice to the teams during all phases of their project work.

Preproduction
- Generation and evaluation of ideas
- Scriptwriting, polishing of action and dialogue
- Storyboarding and planning of the visuals
- Planning of required film equipment
Production
- Handling of film equipment (camera, lighting, audio, grip)
- Film lighting
- Working on set
Postproduction
- Organizing footage
- Editing
- Audio editing for video
- Color Grading
- Final delivery
- Awesome Typography

René looking at a monitor besides a camera crane.

Photo

Tools of the Trade

I'll admit it, I am a Canon guy.

I have profound experience with a large number of their DSLR and Mirrorless cameras, Lenses, Accessories, etc.

Over the years my go-to cameras have been

EOS 400D
EOS 7D
EOS 5D Mark III
EOS 5D Mark IV
EOS R
EOS R6 Mark II

Three Canon L-series lenses: 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm f/2.8, displayed on a table in a well-lit indoor setting.

And some of my favourite lenses are:

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM
TS-E 17mm f/4L
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

People, Portrait, Fashion, Beauty

I used to take a lot of portrait photos, fashion, beauty and people photography, especially during my time in Stuttgart. My personal record were 41 photo projects in one year - in addition to my Master's Degree. Below are some of the results I am most proud of.

Yulia Molotova standing, wearing a self-made black and white latex dress.

Portrait shot fo Julia. Studio photography. Butterfly lighting.

Sandra sitting on a couch, wearing a selfmade long blakc dress and ankle boots.

Black-and-white photo of Anastasia, wearing a beautiful corset.

Studio portrait of Anastasia, wearing a venetian face mask and a corset.

Outdoor fashion portrait of Sira, sitting on some stairs, wearing a red dress and shiny latex leggings.

Outdoor fashion portrait of Sira, standing in a parking lot, wearing a white blouse and shiny latex leggings.

Portrait of Salvation, wearing a latex rockabilly outfit and updo hairstyle.

black and white studio fashion photo. A woman wearting overknee boots, sitting on a chair.

Photo fo Sira at a lost place, wearing a lace body andf high heels.

Photo of Sira at a lost place, wearing a red dress.

Colorful studio portrait of Thessa with white paint sprinkles on her face.

Fashion Portrait fo Nadine at a lost place.

Outdoor fashion portrait of Lola, sitting on a handrail, wearing jeans and a white shirt.

Outdoor fashion portrait of Lola at outdoor stairs, wearing jeans and a white shirt.

Fashion photography highlighting grey clothes and jewelry, worn by a blue haired young woman.

Fashion photography highlighting grey clothes, worn by a blue haired young woman and a redhead young woman.

Fahion photo of Nissy taken at a lost place. Wearing leather jacket and leggings.

Outdoor portrait photo with shallow depth of field.

Photo of Kayla Jane sitting on a black and yellow motorobike.

Outdoor fashion photo of Julia wearing a red dress in front of a modern bulding.

studio photo of a young woman with big red curly hair , wearing a glittery bra.

Photo of Coco wearing a bubblegum colored latex dress with puffy arms.

black and white studio portrait of Nissy.

Studio fashion photo of a young blonde woman wearing a glittery jacket.

studio portrait of a young woman with long reddish-brown hair, wearing a black corsage dress.

Architecture

From time to time I like to focus on exterior and interior architectural photography. I like the different approach compared to any genre involving people. Other photographers like to go out capturing landscape pictures as a kind of retreat from everyday life. But for me, architecture does the job.

Photo of 'Big Air Package' by Christo at Gasometer Oberhausen. Dutch low angle photo.

Photo of 'Big Air Package' by Christo at Gasometer Oberhausen. Low angle photo.

Photo from the inside of 'Big Air Package' by Christo at Gasometer Oberhausen.

A Photo of Divinity Hall at the Oxford Library.

A Photo of Elisabeth Tower (Big Ben) in London at night.

A Photo of London City Hall and Tower Bridge at night.

A Photo of Tower Bridge in London at night.

VFX

VFX Basics

One very special topic that I really enjoy teaching is Visual Effects. With students that have already figured out the basics of film production, this really is the icing on the cake.

While I am familiar with node based workflows in Nuke and Fusion, the prefered tool for our classes is Adobe After Effects. From my experience, this is the easiest way to get into the basics. In our lecture and practical project, I teach insights into the most common tasks of any VFX workflow.

Basic concepts of Compositing
Fundamentals of Keying
2D, Planar and 3D Camera Tracking
CG integration
Introduction to Virtual Production

A powerpoint slide taken from a VFX lecture, showing info about 3d camera tracking

Some of the results our students created

A man standing in front of a poster advertisement, looking at his smart phone. Poster is digitally composited into the frame. Taken from a VFX project.

A Woman standing on a snowy mountain top, wearing a wooly hat. Still frame from a VFX compositing clip

Still frame from a VFX film, a man out on the street is dissolving in a beam of light.

Still frame from VFX clip. A man and a woman standing on a snowy mountain. He is drinking coffee.

A man walking past a poster advertisement, Poster is digitally composited into the frame. Taken from a VFX project.

Still frame from a VFX clip. Someone is looking at a smartphone screen that reads: 'Ready to dive into the universe?'

Still frame from a VFX clip. A man has been transported into a poster advestisement. He ist surprised and tries to get out.

Still frame from a VFX clip. Someone is looking at a smartphone screen that reads: 'Join the wild side.'

Virtual Production

René taking a selfie in a green screen studio, surrounded by video equipment, bright lights, and monitors in the background.

The most recent - and recently most fun - part of my work and teaching covers Virtual Production. The journey started in summer 2020, when I lead a team of students setting up the fundamental tools for virtual camera work and live compositing.

By now I've set up a production environment for us and our students to explore the different flavors of virtual production hands-on. I'm a frequent contributor to the international VP community and user groups, sharing knowledge and experience with others.

A photo of HTC Vive Mars Camtrack Hardware

Virtual Production Tools in Unreal Engine
Camera Tracking with Vive Mars Camtrack
Virtual Camera work inside Unreal Engine
Live Green Screen Compositing with Aximmetry
In-Camera VFX on multiple screens via nDisplay Setup

A glass standing in a space ship. Virtual Production shot againt a real time background.

A glass standing in a bakery. Virtual Production shot againt a real time background.

Two people bumping cups. Virtual Production shot againt a real time background.

Fun Fact

A person working on a computer. Close up of hands with keyboard and mouse.

Since I also teach the basics of client side web technology, this site is completely done from scratch with only vanilla HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

So, students... Don't tell me this can't be done ;-)