The building blocks of film: how a DP’s toolbox can be applied to architecture

Production company Dynamic Frame operated from two offices in Zurich – one focused on fiction and documentary production, the other on commercials. 

In order to unify, the clients leased a larger space in Zurich's Binz district, a former industrial area, allowing room for future growth.

We were tasked with creating a multifunctional and adaptive space to accommodate a range of needs: traditional workspaces, noise-controlled editing suites, a cinema, and dining/kitchen areas. Reflecting the company’s name, we based the design on the principles of dynamic framing in cinematography.

We zoned the space using the cinematographer's everyday tools – a grid and different aspect ratios.

In cinema, what is included – or omitted – from the frame guides the viewer’s experience of the story. This concept is so central to filmmaking that Dynamic Frame was named after it, specifically referencing a technique where multiple frames are shown on-screen, each displaying different story elements.

In construction, a frame forms the foundation of a building or structure, providing strength, rigidity, durability, and shape, yet it is often concealed from view. Inspired by the ‘frame’ concept and our client’s practice, we zoned the space using the cinematographer's everyday tools – a grid and various aspect ratios.

The design’s transparent structures and exposed beams reveal the creative processes behind film production. Key highlights include a stainless-steel cloakroom inspired by retro box offices, glass block windows in the editing rooms, and an RGB kitchen lamp crafted by a prop maker.

Both in cinema and in architecture, space can be organised to create sequential impressions.

Architecture, as a spatio-temporal form of art, gradually unfolds as a three-dimensional space through the observer's movement and changing visual impressions. In this respect, it parallels cinematic techniques, where a plot visually reveals itself through shifting frames, perspectives, and shots.

Thus, both in cinema and architecture, space can be organised to create sequential impressions, altering the viewer’s perception and forming new images that reveal an evolving story experienced in real-time.

Architectural design can employ varied lighting scenarios, mixed materials and textures, and changes in spatial scale to create dramatic or symbolic effects. Just like a sudden shift from a panoramic shot to a close-up, the transition from a high-ceilinged open space to smaller enclosed areas alters perspective.

Above: The Dynamic Frame office. Courtesy of Balbek Bureau, images by Ivan Avdieienko.

The office design project began with a deep dive into the company’s portfolio, working methods, and even the history of its location. However, the main design focus was on using the frame as the central theme.

While cinematographers use frames to tell stories, here, the architects used frames to divide the space (both horizontally and vertically), creating room-like structures suited to diverse workplace needs.

The entrance is an ‘establishing shot’ that immediately communicates the company’s identity and sets expectations for what’s to come.

The grid helped split the premises into ‘cubes’ that do not reach the ceiling, resulting in a visual interplay between negative and positive space – akin to how a DP might use framing to create depth and perspective.

Above: The zoning process of the Dynamic Frame office. Courtesy of Balbek Bureau, images by Oleksii Bylym.

We used the principle of frames within frames – exposed concrete beams, glass partitions, and standalone cubes that create layers of visual interest while maintaining clear sight lines throughout the space.

If you look at the office layout, the volumes of the cubes correspond to the classic 4:3 aspect ratio.

This layering effect, similar to how cinematographers create depth in their shots, helped to define different areas while preserving visual connectivity. Furthermore, if you look at the office layout, the volumes of the cubes correspond to the classic 4:3 aspect ratio.

Above: Meeting room and cloakroom with adaptable RGB lighting. Courtesy of Balbek Bureau, images by Ivan Avdieienko.

We approached the space’s design as a narrative journey. Like a film story, the spatial progression gradually reveals itself. The custom galvanised steel cloakroom was designed to evoke a retro box office, and the entrance acts as an ‘establishing shot’ that immediately communicates the company’s identity and sets expectations for what’s to come.

The exposed structural elements reflect both the building’s industrial past and the company’s transparent, collaborative approach to filmmaking.

We also drew inspiration from Dynamic Frame’s portfolio, particularly the short film People on Saturday, which influenced our colour palette of warm ochre shades and green accents.

Above: Lighting scenarios for the cinema, aperture-like windows, and another view of the Dynamic Frame office. Courtesy of Balbek Bureau, images by Ivan Avdieienko.

Collaborating with Expolight, the Ukrainian lighting design company, we developed diverse lighting scenarios that allow different ‘scenes’ to be created depending on the activity – much like how lighting sets the mood in a film.

The cinema’s round windows mirror the building’s signature circular façade elements, creating an intentional architectural link while functioning like camera lens apertures. We used these geometric elements to control natural light flow, similar to how cinematographers work with practical lighting in their scenes.

Working on the project remotely – during a time of full-scale war and closed airspace – posed logistical challenges.

Approaching interior design through a cinematographic lens prompted us to consider how people experience space sequentially and emotionally. For example, the modular nature of our design – with mobile furniture like the wheeled cube sofa and adaptable lighting scenarios – allows the space to be "reframed" according to needs, much like how different camera angles transform a scene.

The key was recognising that, like film, design is about creating experiences that unfold over time.