By Patrick Meadows

As the film frame splits into vertical segments of two and three, German teenagers talk about their passions, struggles, love, and worries. Frenetic and fragmented visuals flash on the sliced screen. The dialogue is ad-libbed, which gives the film a verisimilitude. Welcome to the latest movie by independent filmmaker, Ralph Etter.

His interest in unconventional filmmaking and powerful documentary storytelling is on display with the creation of his most recent projects “WYLD” and “Warten auf die Welt” (or “Waiting for the World”). Transformation and authenticity guide the stories in his newest films and are integral parts of his own narrative. From moving away from his homeland of Switzerland to winning Germany’s most prestigious award for up-and-coming filmmakers, Etter has been on a journey as an independent filmmaker.

Early Life

Etter grew up in Switzerland with no interest in film. He was raised without a television, but at 10 years old, Etter discovered what the world of film could hold for him.

“There was one moment I realized that film could be different than what I knew,” he said. “This was when we went to a film festival close to where I grew up with the school. There I saw some films I’d never seen before.”

Etter said he became fascinated with music videos, which he took inspiration from to create his own experimental projects. He eventually gravitated toward the film format and created his graduation project, “Wackelkontakt,” released in English as “Loose Contact,” which critics praised. Soon after, he was awarded the First Steps Award, which Etter calls the “most important prize for young filmmakers in Germany,” which led him move to Germany. Etter said his parents supported his decision.

“I know that my father, he had his own [wine] business,” Etter said. “He built up something from my grandfather, and he would have loved if I continued his work. And for sure at one moment or another he was sad that I didn’t take his path, but he’s still proud of what I did. . . . I’m really happy for my parents that they let me do that, and they never pushed me in one direction.”

Etter said that the idea of leaving Switzerland to work in the German film industry, or any other country’s industry, is typically frowned on in Switzerland. Though he did not experience judgment, he said Switzerland sees itself as “the best country in the world” and thinks that anyone who leaves must believe “Switzerland is not enough.” This pressure didn’t prevent Etter from realizing his ambitions, though, or from returning to Switzerland to work on film projects.

Etter continued making connections with producers from different countries, which landed him projects like the large-scale science-fiction film, “Cargo,” that began preproduction in Copenhagen, Denmark and filmed also in Switzerland. For editing, “Cargo” moved to Berlin, where Etter met his wife. After moving around, they eventually settled in Berlin to raise their child. Berlin has since served as Etter’s home base, with occasional trips to Switzerland and other parts of Germany to pursue projects.

Teaching Career

In between working on films, Etter found himself taking the role of educator. Through workshops at museums and universities, he works with young people interested in telling stories through film. He is involved with the “Meet the Filmmaker” program at the Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin Film Museum), and he offers workshops. Etter takes these opportunities to teach about film by physically teaching techniques and methods instead of just having them watch movies. Etter said he also provides insight into his own filmmaking approaches and methods to motivate the next generation to create something they love.

“I try to teach [but I] don’t stick to the usual path,” he said. “Try out things. There’s no right or wrong. It’s just your opinion and your perspective. . . . I try to support young filmmakers in their perspective and their view of the world in their own personality and not [assume] films should be like this or should be like that.”

Filmmaking Process

The projects that Etter has created span a wide variety of genres and themes, all following one philosophy: “When I do something, it’s something that I’d like to watch. . . . It should be worth asking for the time people give to your things.”

A recurring theme Etter said he finds in his documentary pieces is the theme of transformation, especially among places. In one of his recent documentaries, “Warten auf die Welt,” he looks through the eyes of younger residents and new citizens at how the city of Dessau, Germany has lost population over time. The film deals with themes of loneliness and hostility towards immigrants moving into the city, while also grappling with the divide between older, life-long residents of Dessau who have stayed and young people who can’t wait to move away.

The documentary Etter is working on also focuses on change, this time looking at the transformation of the city of Bitterfeld, Germany into a more modern city that is looking to new ideas to solve old problems. The film will showcase the city’s history of pollution from old chemistry factories and coal mining dating back to before the time of Germany’s reunification. The city is trying to transform, he said, and this is the focus of Etter’s story.

Although his films often include political themes, Etter does not consider himself a political filmmaker.

“There’s always like a background in the stories that I think they have social or political connection,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m a political filmmaker, but yeah,I don’t like films to like, show what’s wrong. I prefer films that show solutions or ask questions and give some strength to people.”

Aside from documentaries, Etter works in fiction, as well. His most recent film, “WYLD,” employs an unconventional storytelling approach. The story centers on three teenagers, Ben, Momo, and Zoe, as they navigate life. The film started as a social media series shot entirely on iPhones. What makes the film unorthodox is Etter’s editing decision to put three different perspectives onto the screen at once, all playing at the same time. This decision created many challenges for the film editors.

Luca Zuberbühler worked as the head editor on the film, and though he has edited many film projects, including the Oscar nominated “Ala Kachuu,” or “Take and Run,” he said he had never experienced anything like editing “WYLD.” Zuberbühler described the experience as like “playing a new instrument.” At first, he was unable to figure out how to edit the project, even on the program he was most familiar with, Adobe Premiere Pro. Two weeks later, everything changed.

“I hated the job at the beginning because I didn’t know how to handle it,” he said. “After two weeks of work, like magic, something clicked in my brain, and I got the technique, and I understood how to play this instrument.”

By the time the film was sequenced, the file was too large and complex to move to another editing software for post-production. So, all late-stage editing, like sound and color work, was done on Premiere Pro, which is unusual, according to Zuberbühler.

Bertrand Glosset served as a digital imaging technician for “WYLD” and was involved with the post-production process. Glosset was introduced to the project by a friend, and he said he immediately recognized its originality.

“I thought like ‘wow, this project is kind of weird and fun, and totally out of what we do normally,’” he said.

Etter and his producer were very open from the beginning about how complicated the project would be, which Glosset said he appreciated.

“In terms of timeline, you have to understand that it’s like you have three movies all the time in terms of quantity of pictures, and they are in very precise frames to stay in the same place all the time,” he said. “And nothing can be moved in the editing there, so this is where you have to be careful because basically the software is a bit tricky. When you touch something, you can eventually touch something else.”

Zuberbühler said he spent over 600 hours editing the film, which he says made him feel like a parent to the younger characters; he got to know them so well. Though he was at first apprehensive about the project, Zuberbühler said “WYLD” became the “most beautiful and fun” editing job he can remember. For this, he said he credits the joy of overcoming the challenge of the project, as well as Etter’s relaxed style as a director throughout.

“What was really amazing with Ralph is that he’s so relaxed as a person,” he said. “This removes that stress that is naturally there. He just removes that because he’s so comfortable to work with.”

Another factor that makes the film unique is Etter’s trust of his young actors. Tim Rohrbach, Nina Brack and Lia Rémy were given permission to ad lib their lines and include their own lives into their respective roles. Etter said he chooses to use this process when working with younger people because “they bring in a lot of ideas,” and he wanted to create “something very authentic.”

“He also let those persons be, the actors I’m meaning by that…They brought their stuff, they brought their feelings. They are a part of the shape of the movie, and it’s aware of it…This is a big generosity for a director.”

Glosset said he also appreciated Etter’s relationship with his young actors while working on the film.

“They brought their stuff, they brought their feelings,” he said. “They are a part of the shape of the movie, and this is a generous thing from a director.”

For “WYLD,” Etter said he wanted to create a unique format in following the stories of the three main characters, where their past, present, and even futures could be juxtaposed on screen at the same time. This thought led to the triple split screen approach. He said his approach in all of his film projects is that “form follows function.”

Facing Hardship

Independent filmmaking is a difficult pathway, Etter said, from applying for funding to running very small film sets. However, he said he would much rather continue working as an independent creator than be involved with more commercial films, even though he enjoyed his experience with “Cargo.” [CH1] 

“I love to work in a small team with my ideas that I don’t have to really sell to like millions of people,” he said. “I love this freedom to work here on small projects. My heart is really beating for the small independent films without a lot of budget, with a lot of heart in it.”

He said he does not plan on stopping anytime soon. His love for film and independent filmmaking won’t let him.

“I love cinema,” he said. “I love films. For me it’s one of the perfect forms of telling stories. So, it’s really my love for cinema that keeps me going in a way. Watching films, trying out new stuff. I always feel connected to cinema.”