punchline studio / Documentary & Reportage
Documentary & Reportage

We come to you
and tell your story.

Athletes, artists, clubs, organisations: reportage and portrait films that show what actually happens – not what someone wanted said about them. From the studio behind several award-winning documentaries.

Honestly

No corporate image films.

An image film shows what a company wants to say about itself. A reportage shows what actually happens. We work documentary-style – with real moments, real statements, and a story that holds up even when it isn't entirely flattering.

If you're looking for a purely polished piece of self-promotion, we're not the right partner for that – we'll say so openly and point you toward an advertising agency instead of selling you a reportage that isn't one.

Formats

From a short portrait to a cinema documentary.

Portrait

One person, one story.

An athlete before the biggest competition of their career, an artist working on a new album, someone with a story worth telling. Short format for websites and social media, with real documentary intent instead of a polished interview.

Reportage

One event, several perspectives.

A club anniversary, a competition, a project spanning several months. We follow rather than stage, and cut the material into a story with a beginning, middle and end – not just a sequence of pretty shots.

Short documentary

When a question needs more room.

Some stories can't be told in three minutes. For organisations and institutions with a subject that deserves depth, we produce longer formats with research, multiple shooting days and real narrative structure.

Our own documentaries

Why you can trust us with this.

Reportage and portrait films are the shorter form of the same craft we use to produce feature-length documentaries – with festival awards and broadcasts on SWR, ARD and 3sat.

Film poster Winter in Lviv
2017 · Documentary
Winter in Lviv

Elderly poverty in Ukraine, with the German Red Cross. Awarded at several international festivals.
Film poster Für ein Lächeln
2018 · Documentary
Für ein Lächeln

Clown Doctors in Ukraine, with Rote Nasen Deutschland. Also awarded internationally.
Film poster Heart and Soul
In production
Heart and Soul

Music documentary about Scaramouche from Lahr. Entirely self-produced.
For context

Directing on assignment, not in-house.

Pirmin Styrnol was also employed as a director for SWR. These are not punchline studio productions but assignments carried out for the broadcaster – we mention them anyway because they show the standard this work is held to.

SWR documentary series · Directed by Pirmin Styrnol

The Kelt – Der letzte Krieger vom Ipf

Eight episodes about MMA fighter Christian Jungwirth. Nominated for an AIPS Award, screened at the INPUT Festival Bilbao.

ARD Watch in the media library →
Pricing

What a reportage costs.

This genuinely can't be captured in a price table. Shooting days, editing effort, research and length differ too much from project to project for an honest ballpark figure.

In one or more conversations about the subject, scope and intended use, we agree on a budget that we then produce with.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What does a reportage or portrait film cost?
There's no honest flat rate for this. Shooting days, editing effort and length differ too much from project to project. In one or more conversations about the subject, scope and intended use, we agree on a budget that we then produce with.
How is this different from a corporate image film?
An image film shows what a company wants to say about itself. A reportage shows what actually happens. We work documentary-style: real moments, real statements, a story that holds up even when it isn't entirely flattering. We deliberately don't offer pure promotional films whose only goal is a positive image.
Who is this format suited for?
Athletes, artists, clubs, organisations and companies with a story worth telling, not just presenting. Whether that's a short portrait for a website and social media or a longer reportage for festivals and cinema depends on the material and the goal.
Do you have experience with feature-length documentary formats?
Yes. Winter in Lviv and Für ein Lächeln are feature-length, award-winning documentaries, made in cooperation with the German Red Cross and Rote Nasen Deutschland respectively. We're currently producing Heart and Soul, a music documentary about the cult band Scaramouche from Lahr. Reportage and portrait films are the shorter, faster form of the same craft.

Tell us about your story.

Who you are, what it's about, what it's for – we'll reply within 24 hours with an honest assessment.