Ana Castillo | Reporter
From Print [Feb. 23, 2016] | Lindenwood Legacy

An aspiring cinematographer, director and visual storyteller came from Germany to study at Lindenwood to pursue his dream. Julius Damenz was born in Verden, Germany, and decided to move to the United States to become more familiar with the film industry in 2012.

“I came to the United States because I saw that all of my favorite movies and songs were made here,” he said. He also enjoyed the idea of being face to face with a new culture. “I wanted to see another part of the world and see how I would fit in it,” he added.

Damenz is a film and advertising major and has enjoyed being a part of the LU advertising club.

“We actually do a lot of fun stuff,” Damenz said. “On Feb. 15, I volunteered for an event, and was able to make multiple connections.”

Last semester, Damenz presented his capstone short film “Infinite”, which has been accepted to the 2016 Black Warrior Film Festival. It has also been featured in indie-film magazines, such as Synergomatique.

“My capstone ‘Infinite’ has been my biggest project so far while being here at Lindenwood,” he said. He is working on his second capstone, which he hopes will be even more successful. “The capstone is a post-World War II drama, but the specifics of the story have yet to be determined.”

Though drawn to camera work, Damenz partakes in different roles of the filmmaking process.

“I mostly do cinematography, but I like directing because it gives you more overall power,” he said.

Most audiences recognize Damenz’s projects because of the value he puts into each element.

“The greatest films become unique because of the details, and that’s what I aspire with my work,” he said. The senior’s priority is film, but he would love to work with advertising as well.

“I believe that advertising is a different way of storytelling,” he said, “and I wouldn’t mind spending my life working with it.”

Damenz enjoys Lindenwood because he is able to work with a variety of professional equipment and enhance his cultural understanding with the diverse student body.

“I love being able to walk around campus and meet people from all over the world,” he said. “I know that other schools do not have that, and that is what makes Lindenwood unique.”

David Fincher, known for movies such as “Fight Club” and “Gone Girl” is his favorite director.

“I like Fincher’s style and how everything is very well thought out,” Damenz said.

Damenz gets his inspiration from other art forms. He said, “I actually enjoy using music, paintings and writing [as] my inspiration for my films.”