With the campaign “Lift’s you up” for the loyalty program Magenta Moments, Telekom turns its focus to those tipping points - the typical “meh” moments when everything seems to go wrong. Instead of portraying perfection, the campaign highlights the in-between: failed setups, annoyed glances, short pauses. It is precisely within these uncomfortable transitional states that turning points emerge - and Magenta Moments makes visible how bad moments can unexpectedly transform into new possibilities.
The campaign was photographed by Markus Mueller, whose cinematic style places emphasis on atmosphere, timing, and subtle humor. The visual world remains deliberately close to people, allowing room for small imperfections and quiet wit - and for those brief instances when something shifts. In our interview, Markus speaks about “meh” moments, cinematic compression, and the power of the in-between.
You are known for your humorous, often slightly absurd observations of everyday life - and these very “meh” moments also appear in the Telekom campaign. How do you stage frustration, small defeats, and annoyed in-between states in a way that feels both funny, human, and cinematic? And where, for you, is the visual turning point when “meh” suddenly becomes “lifted”?
Markus: I believe many people recognize themselves in these small moments of frustration because they are part of everyday life. I’m interested in that precise point before or after something happens — when emotions are visible in an unfiltered way. The turning point usually emerges visually through context or light. Suddenly you realize the moment is not just frustration, but also humor and humanity. That mixture makes it cinematic and relatable at the same time.
Many of your images live in the brief moment before or after the actual event - in the in-between. Is that in-between state the real protagonist of the campaign?
Markus: Absolutely. For me, those transitional states are the real hero moments. I’m not interested in the obvious, but in what comes before or after — the look, the gesture, the fleeting thought. That’s where personality emerges, and that’s where storytelling begins.
Rain in the forest, neon light in a cafeteria, warm living room light - you work strongly with atmosphere. How do you develop the lighting dramaturgy for these emotional tipping points?
Markus: Light is one of the most important narrative tools. It defines not only space, but also emotion and the attitude of a scene. I always develop light dramaturgically: What mood supports the story? Should it feel slightly heightened or almost documentary? Atmosphere emerges when light does more than illuminate - when it opens an emotional layer. That presence is what makes images stay in your memory.
Your visual language often feels closer to film stills than to classic campaign imagery. Do you think narratively first, like a director,or photographically in single images?
Markus: Both at the same time. I think in scenes like condensed film stills - extremely compressed storyboards. A single image must carry idea, mood, and action simultaneously. There’s no cut, no dialogue - just one moment. That reduction is what makes it exciting for me.
There is often a quiet humor in your work. Do you think brand communication is currently moving toward this more subtle form of comedy?
Markus: I think quiet humor is often the more intelligent humor. The world is loud enough - that’s why subtlety stands out. Small nuances or minimal gestures can tell more than big effects. Brands that allow this kind of humor feel more human and approachable because they don’t try to shout - they want to be seen. That kind of presence works, in my opinion.
If you had to describe this campaign in three cinematic terms - what would they be?
Markus: Quiet tension, absurd reality, a moment of lightness.
Where does documentation end for you, and where does fiction begin?
Markus: I’m not interested in the boundary between the two, but in the space in between. That’s where images can feel constructed and emotionally true at the same time — and for me, that’s where the strongest form of visual storytelling emerges.
