FILM AS MUSIC

In 2012 I started using sonata as the dramaturgical form. Later I have collaborated with Åke Parmerud, arguably the best electro acoustic composer in the world aver. Since all my heroes of cinema were dead it means a lot to me to have collaborated twice with a master composer. We did not agree on everything, but I prefer working with a true artist in favour of the regular film worker. 

FILM AS SILENCE

Using silence is important in film, and to be honest overly saturated movies and TV series are far too common. Toru Takemitsu is to me, the greatest composer ever, using silence in movies - I also love the compositions of Zbigniew Preisner. I wish to collaborate with Zbigniew.

FILM AS CHOREOGRAPHY

I love working on choreography, how it affects our emotions, and the meaning as part of the whole from an Eisenstein perspective, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with Karolin Kent, Laban, London. A wonderful dancer, artist, choreographer. Her way of expressing herself from inside-and-out, manifesting inner feelings through movement, made my tears fall down first time I saw her and I knew I wanted to work work with her. Luckily she said yes.

FILM AS EDITING

My friend Edu Villanueva learned me setting up scenes. Interviews with Akira Kurosawa taught me to practice editing until the editing become an actual extension of the arm. Finally, everything comes natural. The musicality of editing, the rhythm is the most important thing.

FILM AS ACTING

Beauty for me is inner truth pouring out. And when this truth collides or harmonizes with the outer expression, it is true beauty. 

I give actors freedom to make their own interpretations and hopefully they will themselves make true art. If an actor can't use their own intuition, how else could it be truthful?

Though, it happens quite often, that the intuition fools the actor or actress. I believe, we all have a tendency for taking the easy way out. And what is easy is not necessarily the right thing. In this case, we have to wait for the second intuition will tap in. In this way I aim to give something back to the actress, namely her best at the moment.

An actress shouldn't compare herself with her previous self, as she is constantly becoming a new actress. All artists have to learn anew. Or, they will  become a bad copy of their previous self. To constantly learn anew is the key..

FILM AS STAGING MOVEMENT

On set I start by staging the movement of actors. Staging is crucial to the artistic level of acting. Regardless if movement is minimalist or if it's the center of attention. Bergman & Kurosawa are two masters of staging. Few if any contemporary film makers are excellent in staging. Tarantino is good. Personally,  I'm there by the camera. I think too many directors are hiding behind a screen focusing to much on graphical values and too little on acting and staging..

FILM AS DANCE

Since physical acting and movement is dear to me I have collaborated with dancers, but also artists from other fields, What you can't tell with words, you can tell through your body. It's a cliche, I know, but it's a truthful one.

FILM AS ATMOSPHERE

I typically spend a long time looking for great locations. What I do and which is rare today is how I use the qualities of a location. I have learnt this from watching Tarkovsky. It doesn't matter if you have a great environment or set unless it's in absolute harmony with the inner soul.

You see, beauty needs resonance from the soul. I'm quite lonely with this aspect in movies, although I often notice how something happens to the actor or actress when she is in the right spot, on the right location, expressing the right atmosphere. 

FILM AS TRUTH

When we tell stories understanding the fundamental nature of things in life and knowing truth is crucial. Reflecting truth generally means you need to take a step aside. Naida Ragimova is an actress I worked with who is good at reflecting truth. Naida has roots from Cuba, Azerbaijan and first came to a refugee camp in Sweden. All actors have different spectra of truth, and I tend to adapt the script to enhance the qualities of the actor.. Similar to a football manager, Carlo Ancelotti, who adapts his tactics depending on players on his team. 

FILM AS ALIENATED

As much as truth is important, we shouldn't forget the alienated. And that truth often works best when you transform from reality to 'unreality' or from normal to abnormal. And sometimes it's necessary to show that the unusual is nothing but common. 

FILM AS LOVE

Making cinema or TV is a Loving act in an altruistic way, Film making is a great way to do good to other people and helping others is a good and simple goal when working with movies. I share this belief with actress and artist Marion Horney.

FILM AS MAGIC

There are few things like adding a magical aura to a movie. At times you need to enhance a scene visually, I collaborated with Linus Lindbalk for VFX & Mattepainting, Linus is a compositor and VFX artist and worked with numerous movies as Cloud Atlas and Melancholia. I usually work with a small team of highly skilled professionals.

FILM AS MAKE UP

Rebecka Ray is the make up & hair artist I worked with the most. She has also been featured as make up artist on covers of magazines, and she had an exhibition with photos from the making of the film we worked on. Her own art pieces have some resemblance to the main character, Alia. I've worked with many make up artists and they are crucial for building character, wounds, dirt and effects. And also, they are important for the actors.

FILM AS COSTUME

After the first viewing of my feature film 'Naked Skin, Naked Sky' a woman said the costume was good, reflecting the mood of the character, 

and how internal and external was represented throughout the movie. 

Keeping costume, set design, locations, actor's movements, feelings, and words together is rare today, and I think attentive people will notice this. Everything serves the truth, not effect.

FILM AS PHOTO

If the camera is the extension of the eyes or the sight of the director, I loved my cameras. People say I do photographic filming. Today I see a lot of director's using camera movements avoiding the face of actors in the most important moment of a scene. I don't understand this. It is as if many film directors don't want the audience to feel..

FILM AS LIGHT

I love working with gaffers. Especially if they work on the use of light and dark. I work a lot with natural sun light. The sun has the best light. Painters from the past, such as Vermeer and Caravaggio knew this. And it's good for environmental reasons. Niklas Beckman Larsson, Eduardo Villanueva, and Sofie Andersson are three of the gaffers I've used. Sofie has a background in theatre lighting.

FILM AS WRITING

If a classical story is hidden underneath you can't fail to make a good story. I normally I write in winter time. My school teacher in primary school told me, - 'Leif, girls are better at writing than boys - but the best ones are boys'. She looked me straight in the eyes. In High school i won a poetry competition. Every student had to write a poem, Being a sports guy I was embarrassed to win. Petra Revenue my teacher in Screen writing has said I am precise in my writing. Personally, I  don't find writing very amusing. I do many drafts and I don't work with 'finished scripts'. I am process-based, similar to Roy Andersson & Ruben Östlund. Two Swedish film directors.

FILM AS DIRECTING

Film directing is what I do best. 

I'm calm and friendly. I don't believe in getting angry. For me being calm and putting trust on others is important and I'm confident about myself and the actor in front of me when I'm directing. 

It happens that I rehearse scenes myself so that I can understand the situation better. I'm not a director hiding behind a screen, as I believe in good contact with the actors whom I work with. I respect the actress as an artist and I wish not to interfere, unless necessary. I have strong preferences and the expression should be in the right spectra. 

FILM IN POST PRODUCTION

Large digital productions needs branching and having experience from creating infotainment systems with larger budgets than hollywood productions makes post production easier. Even detail knowledge as my experience of using Photoshop have been handy for making mattepainting. A lot of skills translates. Film productions can learn a lot from other areas.

FILM FOR NATURE

I shoot most of the time off studio, in nature, with respect for nature in an environmental friendly way, with small teams and little use of light. Most food is vegetarian though I adapt to actors & crew.  I am skilled in both cost effective and environmental friendly production using small teams. 

FILM & AUDIENCE

If we tell stories and reach peoples' soul the audience will relate the story to their lives. Movies are great for touching people.