One of the most influential German Film directors. A major figure in German Expressionist film during the 1920s.
He was born in 1888 Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe in Bielefeld Germany and died 1931 in Santa Barbara, California, USA
His most famous films are Nosferatu and The Last Laugh.
Nosferatu was an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula and its controversial release caused the Stoker estate to sue him for copyright infringement and all prints of the film were ordered to be destroyed. Only bootleg copies survived and these are the prints of the film we have today.
The Last Laugh featured the use of new and different camera angles that reinforced the story of the film. The camera was placed at the sightline of the characters as to show what they were seeing and this was used to reinforce the psychological state of the character. This was understood as the Unchained Camera Technique--an innovation that many consider one of the most important stylistic inventions of 20th century.
Unchained Camera Technique - Allowed filmmakers to get shots from cameras in motion enabling them to utilize pan shots, tracking shots, zooms, etc.
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