– About –

Merlin Ortner

Artist & Production Designer

After embarking on a fascinating journey through physics, Merlin Ortner developed a passion for graphic design. Fueled by this newfound interest, he fearlessly founded his own graphic design agency, delving into the world of furniture sales before ultimately achieving a significant milestone in 2013: graduating from the prestigious Weissensee School of Art.

As a seasoned professional, Merlin has gracefully served as an art director and production designer since 2006. One of the highlights of his career has been the cherished opportunity to collaborate with legendary German art house director Christian Petzold on numerous projects, with their most recent collaboration being the critically acclaimed film “Undine,” for which Merlin served as the production designer.

In recent years, Merlin has embraced a shift towards short formats and high-end commercials, allowing him the invaluable freedom to devote more precious time to his beloved family, a cherished aspect of his life. During this period, he has collaborated with illustrious brands such as Telekom, Armani, and WWF, having the honor of designing the captivating video for renowned German band Rammstein’s hit song “Deutschland”.

Humbled by his diverse experiences and grateful for the opportunities that have shaped his journey, Merlin Ortner continues to pour his creativity, expertise, and unwavering dedication into each project, striving to deliver exceptional results that resonate with audiences around the world.

Statement:

The synergy between Production Design, Photography, and the Fine Arts is crucial. Only when they come together do my work and my mind form a complete and harmonious system. Just as the human body cannot function properly without all its organs, these elements are interdependent and cannot thrive without one another.

This website aims to showcase my commitment to living out this philosophy. Although I am still at the early stages of this journey, I hold a strong belief that this is the path that aligns with my true calling.

Let’s get in touch!

Contact me directly: +49-179 74 09 776

merlin.ortner@gmail.com

Merlin Ortner

FILMOGRAPHY (Selection)

Feature

pre-production: “Bloody Tennis” – Production Designer

Director: Nikias Chryssos

DOP: TBA

Augenschein Filmproduktion

Germany / Spain

 

“Undine” – Production Designer

Director: Christian Petzold

DOP: Hans Fromm

Schramm Film Koener & Weber

Germany

 

“Rammstein -Deutschland” – Production Designer

Director: Specter Berlin

DOP: Armin Franzen

MMMAATCH

Germany

 

“Narziss & Goldmund”- Supervising Art Director

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky DOP: Benedikt Neuenfells

Prod. Designer: Sebastian Soukup

Tempest / Mythos / Lotus Film

Austria / Czech Republic

 

“Suspiria”- Art Director

Director: Luca Guadagnino DOP: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Prod. Designer: Inbal Weinberg

Fresny / Mutfilm

Germany / Italy

 

“Robin Blood”- Prod. Designer

Director: Florian Sigl

DOP: Pater Matjasko

It’s Us Media GmbH

Germany / USA

 

„The Young Karl Marx“- Art Director (Post-Prod)

Director: Raoul Peck, DOP: Kolja Brandt

Prod. Designer: Benoît Barough

Agat Films, Velvet Film, Rohfilm and Artemis Productions.

Belgien & Germany

 

„Phoenix“- Supervising Art Director

Director: Christian Petzold, DOP: Hans Fromm

Prod. Designer: K.D Gruber

Schramm Film – Koerner & Weber

Brandenburg, Poland

 

„Gold“ – Art Director

Director: Thomas Arslan, DOP: Patrick Orth

Prod. Designer: Reinhild Blaschke

Schramm Film – Koerner & Weber

British Columbia, Canada

 

„Barbara“- Ass. Prod. Designer

Director: Christian Petzold, DOP: Hans Fromm

Prod. Designer: K.D Gruber

Schramm Film – Koerner & Weber

Brandenburg

Commercial (Selection)

“Chanel- Blue” – Production Designer

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Tempomedia – Berlin

“KRYS” – Prod Designer

Director: Matthäus Bussmann

DOP: Carl Nilsson

75p , Paris

Budapest

“NEFF” – Prod Designer

Director: Marcus Werner

DOP: Simon Dat Vu

It’s us Media GmbH

Berlin

“Opel New Leadership” – Prod Designer

Director: Matthäus Bussmann

DOP: Ekkehart Pollack

Tempomedia GmbH

Barcelona

“Geschenkideen” – Prod Designer

Director: Djawid Hakimayar

DOP: Björn Knechtel

It’s us Media GmbH

Berlin

“EM-Eukal” – Prod Designer

Director: Tim Löhr

DOP: Stephan Burchardt

Wolff-Brothers GmbH

Berlin

“Depot” – Prod Designer

Director: Jaci Judelson

DOP: Jens Masboel

Tempomedia GmbH

Berlin

“Audi R8 Spyder” – Prod Designer

Director & DOP: Laszlo Kadar

Kiefernümann GmbH

Braunschweig

“Tolino Good night Stories” – Prod Designer

Director: Jan Bohmann

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

“Vitafy- Tu’ dir selbst was gutes” – Prod Designer

Director: Micky Sülzer

BigFish Filmproduktion GmbH

Berlin

“Mc Donalds- Big Rösti” – Prod Designer

Director: Micky Sülzer

BigFish Filmproduktion GmbH

Berlin

“TB Guide” – Prod Designer

Director: Jan Bohmann

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

“VW- Hide & Seek” – Prod Designer

Director: Robin Polak

DOP: Roland Stuprich

Markenfilm Berlin

Berlin

“Hagebaumartk- Hier hilft man sich” – Prod Designer

Director: Alex Feil

DOP: Ekkehart Pollack

Tempomedia GmbH

Lübeck

“Media Markt – Wer Will der Kriegt” – Prod Designer

Director: Alex Feil

DOP: Peter Matjasko

Tempomedia GmbH

Berlin

“The S5 Pulse Challenge” -Art Director

Creative Director: Jeremy Hofmeister Mac Lynn

Acne Production GmbH

Berlin

“WWF I am Nature” – Prod Designer

Director: Alex Eslam

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

“TNT Glitz” – Prod Designer

Director: Jonty Tossey

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

“Co-PS” -Prod. Designer

Director: Hakan Can, DOP: Arsenij Goussev

Apartment Blue Factory

Berlin

“Berlin Fashion Film Festival”- Prod. Designer

Director: Sandin Puce, DOP: Tobias Jail

Acne Production GmbH

Berlin

„Mycare“ – Prod. Designer

Director: Carsten Gutschmidt

AVANGA Filmproduktion

Berlin

„ENERCON“ – Prod Designer

Director: Carsten Gutschmidt

AVANGA Filmproduktion

Berlin

“Conrad, voller Ideen” – Prod Designer

Director: Jonty Tossey

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

Short

“The Barbiers Blade”- Prod Designer

Director: Hakan Can, DOP: Carlo Jelavic

Apartment Blue Factory

Berlin

“90 Grad Nord”- Prod Designer

Director: Detsky Graffam, DOP: Hanno Kunow

K17 Films

Brandenburg, Berlin

Other

“Grönemeyer- Morgen” – Prod Designer

Director: Kai Sehr DOP: Björn Knechtel

Who’s McQueen Pictures GmbH

Berlin

“Kovacs”- Prod. Designer

Music Video

Director: Sandin Puce, DOP: Tobias Jail

Acne Production GmbH

Berlin

„Open Doors“ – Director

Documentary

Exss Films

Berlin

„a family drama“ – Director

Short

Exss Films

Burkina Faso

„Vietnam in Berlin“ – Director

Short

Exss Films

Berlin

„11 Seconds“ – Director

Short / Video installation

Berlin

EXHIBITIONS

“Photoshoot 2016”, Black Gallery, Oregon, USA

“Transzendenz des Geistes” Treffpunkt Kunst, Ottobrunn, Germany (Solo)

“ARTiges 2016”, Kunstverein Ottobrunn e.V, Ottobrunn, Germany

“Allgäuer Kunstpreis-Ausstellung 2016”, Galerie Kunstreich, Kempten, Germany

“Geister” Maerz-Galerie Plus*, Leipzig (Solo)

“Spinnerei-Rundgang 2015 /Maerz-Galerie Plus”, Maerz-Galerie, Leipzig

“Chronopraph”, Darkroom Gallery, Vermont, USA

“Art Takes Miami”, Miami Art Fair, Miami

“Ich sehe mich Niemals selbst”, Maerz-Galerie, Berlin (Solo)

„Familienaufstellung“, Uferhallen, Berlin

„Exposure 2013“, See.me Galerie, New York

»Magie des Abdrucks« Fotohof Gallery, Salzburg

„23 Fotografische Positionen“, Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Berlin

»Ouagadougou« Galerie HbK Saar, Saarbrücken

„Und dafür Zahlen wir Steuern“, KHB, Berlin

„Through the looking glass“, Bar Barbette, Berlin

Querschnitt 20 & 21 Kunsthaus Bethanien, Berlin

Neukölln bei Nacht & Nebel, Berlin

48 Stunden Neukölln, 2007 bis 2010 ( Exhibition & Performance), Berlin

„Die Viele“, Schillerpalais (Solo), Berlin

Workshops

Matserclass, Simon Norfolk, Athens, Greece

Artist- Workshop, Villa Romana, Florence, Italien

Int. Artist-Workshop, Skoki Poland

Publications

“Chronograph”, Exhibition Catalog, Vermont, USA

“Chapeau, der Kunstmarkt”, Exhibition Catalog, Innsbruck

“Fotoausstellung Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz”, Exhibition Catalog Berlin

” Through the Looking Glass”, Exhibition Catalog, Bar Barbette

Awards

“Allgäuer Art Prize 2016, Kempten, Germany

“ARTiges 2016 Award” Kunstverein Ottobrunn e.V, Ottobrunn, Germany

“Honorable Mention” Moscow Photo-Award 2016

EDUCATION:

2013

Gradutated from the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee,

The Berlin Weissensee School of Art.

Class of Prof. Friederike Feldmann

2008-2013

Study of Fine Art, Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee, The Berlin Weissensee School of Art

04/2004-10/2005

Berliner Technische Kunstschule, Graphic-Design

10/2003-04/2004

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Physics

08/1998-06/2001

Secondary School, Svendborg, Denmark, University-entrance-diploma

Since 2002

Working as Artist and Graphic-Designer in Berlin

2003-2008 Owner of the graphic design buero. „Dreamwalkers Design“