GABA Team Interview: Frieder Hochheim
Frieder Hochheim has spent more than four decades shaping how Hollywood is lit. The founder of Kino Flo Lighting Systems, honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his technical innovations, he helped establish GABA’s Film Initiative Business Mixers and remains a driving force in the local film community. In this interview, Frieder looks back on his path through the motion picture industry, what keeps him excited about new technology, and the GABA traditions he never misses.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do!
I’ve been in the motion picture lighting industry for the past 45 years. I founded Kino Flo Lighting Systems in 1987 and was later honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a Technical Achievement Award in 1995, for developing the first color-correct, portable, lightweight fluorescent lighting system. That system went on to revolutionize motion picture lighting. The spectrum of the lamps was designed to harmonize with the spectral response of motion picture film, and the low-energy, color-accurate soft light enabled quicker setups and resulted in unsurpassed image quality. It also became indispensable for visual effects lighting on blue and green screen. Kino Flo went on to win numerous awards for its later work on LED lighting fixtures, including LED light sources that operate through video processors and generate color-correct light from images rendered in volumetric environments. These image-based light sources (IBL) are used in virtual production studios to simulate light as it would appear in the natural world. I sold Kino Flo in 2021 but remain involved in new technologies for motion picture production.
What’s a fun fact about you?
Fun fact: I was conceived in Germany, born in Canada, and moved to Los Angeles in 1982. My family originally comes from the Neue Bundesländer, and after German reunification we regained a number of family properties that had been taken from us in 1945. An orchard from 1889, planted by my great-great-grandfather, now gives me the chance to make apple and pear brandies. Together with a local artisan distiller, I’ve started producing them under the name Villa Hochheim. Having lit Hollywood for the past 40 years, I’ll keep doing so, just in a different mode. As I like to say: please, drink responsibly.
What’s been your most memorable experience with GABA so far?
I was drawn into GABA by my dear friend Joachim Zell. He asked me to join him in establishing GABA’s Film Initiative Business Mixers. It’s been a great joy to meet other Germans in Los Angeles and compare notes on navigating life in America. As part of the Film group, I have over 40 years of experience to share with the next generation of filmmakers and artists. I remember what it was like coming to LA and trying to break into the industry. It was never easy, and in today’s market it’s possibly harder than ever. I look forward to every last Tuesday of the month, when we meet at the Wirtshaus on La Brea, knock back some good German beer, enjoy schnitzel, and talk about what everyone is working on. And where else can you get traditional white Spargel but at GABA? It’s the once-a-year event not to miss.
What are you passionate about?
Having spent the past 40-plus years in the film industry, I still get excited by new technology. Changes in technology have heavily influenced and shaped our cinematic language. Images that once shocked early audiences now seem quaint. A train entering a station, filmed by the Lumière brothers in 1896, so shocked audiences that they fled the theater for fear of being run over. The introduction of AI is another change being met with similar fear. The AI wave is upon us, and either we learn to surf it or get caught in its undertow. I’m fascinated by some of the capabilities it offers, and I hope to be part of its evolution. As part of this new direction, I’m working on establishing a purpose-built film-rendering compute center in Burbank for our film community, one that will address the ever-changing demands of post-production workflows. The next few years are going to be a bumpy ride, but a good suspension, some tasty apple brandy, and a few talented film artists should make it a rewarding one. Go GABA!