About Daniel Kainz

Daniel Kainz

I'm a focus puller / 1st AC based in Vienna, working on series, feature films and commercials since 2019 – in Austria and internationally. My job is to make sure the technology simply works: focus, camera setup and the flow within the department. So the director and DoP can put all their attention on the image.

Cameras have been with me for a long time: I took my first photos at the age of six, with an analogue camera at Safaripark Gänserndorf. The curiosity for nature and technology stuck – today it takes me on set, underwater and around the world.

Alongside the camera, I studied business informatics at WU Vienna. That second side isn't a sideline: I build websites and tools for the film industry – most recently Offloadr, an iOS app for copying and verifying camera cards.

How I got here

Studies

Bachelor's degree in business informatics at WU Vienna.

2016

A trip through southern Africa – Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa. Since then, the camera has come along on every journey. Travel stories

2019

1st AC on the German TV series “Großstadtrevier” in Hamburg.

2021

Back in Vienna – since then series, feature films and commercials, including “Totenfrau II” (Netflix), “Eismayer” and “Sexplanation” (Canal+). All credits

Today

Focus puller / 1st AC, underwater camera operator with Meeresschnitt and developer of Offloadr.

Between set and code

On set, you're often handling footage that can't be shot again. That's why I've been writing my own tools for backups, checksums and colour conversion for years. Offloadr grew out of that: an iOS app that copies camera cards and verifies every file.

For productions, that means I don't just understand the camera, but also what happens to the data afterwards. And when a workflow gets stuck, I'd rather build a fix than work around it.

See Offloadr

Underwater

As a Dive Master, I also work as an underwater camera operator for film, commercials and documentaries – planned together with the director and DoP, including safety and coordination with the topside team. That's what Meeresschnitt stands for: my underwater content house, through which I also offer underwater cinematography courses.