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  • 12/18/2013

A new Motion Scene Camera:

TUM student is a development engineer at ARRI

Julia Lüthen runs up the stairs to the editorial office. Her steps indicate de­ter­mi­nation. A young woman enters. She is wearing purple shorts, has a tattoo on her right upper arm and carries a long­board. This en­gi­neer leads a double life: she is doing a master course of Electrical En­gi­neering and Information Technology at TUM and works as a development engineer for ARRI Cinetechnik.

Student Julia Lüthen behind a motion scene camera
Julia Lüthen is involved in a European research project: the development of a motion scene camera prototype. (Photo: private)

She came across the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of motion picture cameras, which has its headquarters in the Türkenstrasse, by accident. She works in the development department. As an electrical engineer with a practical approach, she knows what the end-user wants – and her employer appreciates that. Lüthen gathered her knowledge and experience at various film sets over the course of ten years.

European Research Project

Currently, she is involved in a European research project at ARRI: the development of a motion scene camera prototype. In addition to the actual image content, the camera will be able to store the scene’s depth information in a so-called depth map. The information can be used during post-production, for example to incorporate visual effects.

When she completed her "Abitur", Julia Lüthen had not yet found a specific career goal. Her job aspirations were vague. "I wanted to do something artistic and ended up in the film sector." After she completed some internships and had worked as a production and camera assistant for various films and commercial productions, Julia Lüthen came to a point where she wanted to make more purposeful plans for her future.

"Marks are not so important"

She sat down in a bookstore and intuitively picked "Basics of Electrical Engineering". As she had already gathered plenty of practical experience, she decided to take a plunge into a course of studies of Electrical Engineering. As she had mainly focused on artistic subjects in school, the mandatory final exams in maths were an unwelcome obligation. When she chose the course of studies, her views changed – and mathematics became key to realizing her ideas.

Julia Lüthen passed all exams in Electrical Engineering, and also managed the mathematics by preparing for the tests together with her fellow students. She is pleasantly different from other students who have never worked before. “Marks are not so important if you’re trying to solve problems within a team," says Julia Lüthen.

At the moment, she is very happy that her studies and her job can be balanced quite harmoniously – even if it means having to show 150 percent effort. She would always be open to starting something new. Being a hands-on engineer, she says: "Decisions aren’t unalterable throughout one’s life.”

by Gabi Sterflinger

More Information:
Film and video at the TU München

Technical University of Munich

Corporate Communications Center

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