IMO 70 YEARS
Production & Concept
Christian Kroh
Sven Hachmeister & Moritz Beck
Production & Concept
IMO Merseburg
2023
IMO MERSEBURG 70 JAHRE
MERSEBURG
A company's story couldn't be more poetic. IMO-Merseburg welds the company's success together through the adaptability and cohesion of the employees. All while a whole nation comes together in the midst of "die Wende", a national transition where East and West Germany united. An example of how seriously this company embodies its passion and expertise: welding together takes on an entire new meaning. IMO-Merseburg is a German specialist for maintenance, inspection, repair, and piping construction, that proudly celebrated 70 years of their company's history. For the preparation of this event, b4 teamed up with Cineview to produce a documentary in an extent never seen before for IMO, involving 12 interviews of eyewitnesses and cinematic shots. The concept concentrated into developing a movie, that could tell the long and intensive story of the company, keeping the action and tension level high in order to entertain and inform the audience. Generating a 17-min-long film, b4 was able to immerse the audience into the packing history and drama of an East German company fighting through the unification of a whole nation; from a planned economy into a market economy.
Behind the Frame
In order to create this documentary, b4 teamed up with the production company Cineview from Minden. The exchange of talent was fundamental in order to create such an ambitioned project. The challenges consisted into finding an effective way to shoot and produce such a long film, and at the same time keep the audience hooked into the story. Documentaries of this style tend to become long and very specific, where a normal viewer can get lost into details or long and specific topics. To discard this, b4 created a concept that mainly concentrated into generating an exiting dramaturgy where the audience is motivated to listen and to hear the eyewitnesses' testimony; the exiting story and problems this company had to endure. In cinema, a conflict and issues are basic elements to tell a good story, but are not used as much in corporate communication. In combining this cinematic storytelling elements with thrilling sound design, cinematic pictures, and exiting Music Themes, b4 and Cineview created a unique experience for the client to tell their thrilling and exiting story. A story of 70 years of dedication and solution based integrity.
Director & Concept: Christian Kroh
Director of Photography: Sven Hachmeister & Moritz Beck
Production with: Cineview Filmproduction
Narration: Markus Kästle
