BLOCKET - A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES

Our very dynamic director duo, Bold Faces recently finished a TVC for Swedish classified online site "Blocket". The commercial's idea was to show what you can do with all the stuff you have lying around in your wardrobe or in the attic - and where it could possibly lead you if you manage to sell it on the Internet through Blocket.
In order to achieve this, Bold Faces collected a whole lot of stuff and started to animate it stop-motion wise. The result was a very nice little film with a twist at the end. See the "behind the scenes film" here, and go to our work page to view the final TVC.

FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

We are very proud to have been selected as sole contributor of all the graphic effects for the upcoming Vasa documentary, directed by renowned Swedish filmmaker Anders Wahlgren.

The documentary, which is being produced for Swedish television company SVT, will air around Christmas time 2011, and will by then have been in production for around 2 years.
FilmTecknarna and director Boris Nawratil was called upon to recreate the environment and the actual Vasa ship, that sank on its maiden voyage on the 10^th of August 1628. A vast amount of research has gone into recreating the world of Stockholm and its inhabitants in 1628. For FilmTecknarna, otherwise most known for their narrative design and work with short films and TV-series, this is the start of a new line of production.

- Making visual effects is nothing new to us, states director and head designer Boris Nawratil. The difference here is the amount of work that has to be produced over a relatively short time. The team working on this really has their work cut out for them, but they are fantastic in their approach to this, and show a great enthusiasm for this project.

The team has spent much time getting all the details right for the ship, but also for the settings of Stockholm in 1628. The research has included several trips to the Vasa museum, where the remains of the ship are on display, as they have been more or less since the ship was taken from the water 50 years ago. At that time, the ship had spent 333 years on the bottom of the sea.

FILMTECKNARNA UPDATE FEBRUARY

Time for a new update. We have some very exciting news this time.
First we would like to take the opportunity to brag a bit - in January we received yet another Guldbagge for Best Short Film of 2010 at the recently held Swedish Guldbaggegala. This is the major award show in Sweden every year. This time it was Jonas Odell's short film Tussilago that won the prestigious award.

In addition to this we have just signed a very talented director from Brazil. His name is Marcelo Garcia and he works out of his studio called Molho in Sao Paulo. Please have a look at our website for some of his amazing work.

Finally we also have a new TVC that is being shown all around the world. The spot is for a newspaper called Metro. The directors are Boris Nawratil, Jonas Dahlbeck and David Nord. The assignment came through the Swedish agency Draft FCB.

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTOR JESSICA LAURÉN DIRECTS NEW FEATURE FILM AND TV-SERIES BASED ON THE POPULAR WHO? CHILDRENS’ BOOKS

FilmTecknarna recently unveiled a new children’s feature film and TV-series based on the popular Scandinavian children’s book series “WHO?” by Stina Wirsén.   The feature was released in Sweden on September 24th to box office success. 

View the trailer here or http://www.filmtecknarna.se/directors/work/?director=10#/183

This feature was made through a close collaboration between FilmTecknarna producer Linda Hambäck, FilmTecknarna director Jessica Laurén and the author and illustrator, Stina Wirsén.   The family-friendly, endearing stories portray exquisitely drawn, expressive animal characters going on adventures.

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTING TEAM CREATES NEW FILM FOR KIA 'POP' CONCEPT CAR

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ­ September 30, 2010 ­ FilmTecknarna, the storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, announced yesterday the release of a film showcasing the POP car, from Kia Motors Europe, a new three-seater zero-emission electric 'concept' vehicle designed for city driving. 



The 3D animated film, entitled "Pop Life", was co-directed by FilmTecknarna directors Boris Nawratil, Jonas Dahlbeck and David Nord for the London office of advertising agency David + Goliath.   The film debuted at the Paris Auto Show yesterday, when Kia unveiled the futuristic and sporty vehicle.

The agency charged the FilmTecknarna directors with visually bringing the car's personality characteristics upbeat, unexpected and technologically sophisticated -- to life, and the film chronicles the energetic POP taking a joy ride zipping through the various 'arrondissements' of Paris.  Bringing to bear their skills in narrative storytelling, the FilmTecknarna directing team relates the story of a bug who, enamored with the POP, pursues it with ardor, while simultaneously fighting off a hummingbird rival.

FILMTECKNARNA SHORT FILM “NEVER LIKE THE FIRST TIME!” SCREENING AT NEW YORK IFC CENTER

NEW YORK, NY – October 1, 2010 – The IFC Center will screen FilmTecknarna director Jonas Odell’s short film "Never Like The First Time!" as part of a selection of recent award-winning animated short films. The series, titled "Nine Nation Animation," screens through Tuesday, October 5th.

“Never Like The First Time!” recreates the first sexual experiences of four individuals through interviews and animation. The stories range from comical through mundane and violent to romantic. “Never Like The First Time!” won the Golden Bear for best short film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006.

For more information about the screening run of "Never Like The First Time!" please click here.

Jonas Odell is one of the founders of FilmTecknarna. He specializes in making films that mix live action with various mixed-media animation techniques. He has also directed for television and designed the title sequence for the 2000 MTV awards in Stockholm. He has directed a number of music videos for such artists as The Rolling Stones, Goldfrapp, U2, and Franz Ferdinand; his video for Ferdinand garnered the award for breakthrough video at the 2004 MTV Music Awards as well as a Grammy nomination.  Jonas’ 2010 short film Tussilago, an animated documentary about a terrorist affair in Stockholm in the 1970s, is currently showing on the global film festival circuit.

For more info on FilmTecknarna please visit www.FilmTecknarna.com.

FILMTECKNARNA'S ROSTER EXPANDS WITH THE SIGNING OF DIRECTOR JASMIN JODRY

Motion designer and director Jasmin Jodry has recently joined the roster at FilmTecknarna. Her work includes the title sequence design for the blockbuster film "Spiderman" and 2001 film ‘"Monsoon Wedding", directed by Mira Nair. She was just interviewed about her professional passions for commercials and music videos combining state of the art animation and live action. To watch the brief interview with Jasmin see below.

You can watch her reel here.

For more info visit http://www.filmtecknarna.com/ or visit their Vimeo page at www.vimeo.com/FilmTecknarna

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTING DUO 'BOLD FACES' CREATE MUSIC VIDEO FOR SWEDISH RECORDING ARTIST BRITTA PERSSON

FilmTecknarna recently released a new music video directed by John Nordqvist and Johan Toorell, AKA 'Bold Faces', for Swedish pop artist Britta Persson's single "Meet A Bear". The single is the first from Persson's third album "Currrent Affair Medium Rare".

The video opens with Persson alone in a studio with a guitar, and as she begins singing and the video unfolds, four other dancers appear in the background. Director Johan Toorell remarks, "We wanted to keep the video light and stylish. We let the dancers improvise moves and then we looped their movements."

Persson and the four dancers were shot separately in the green screen studio, using three different cameras. The multiple cameras allowed the editor to cut between the same loops to achieve different angles. Bold Faces added a 3D camera projection of the studio background and 3D versions of the loops to further enhance the music video. Then they animated a camera motion to get a more realistic handheld feeling. Though it was a complicated process, Toorell felt it was necessary in order to capture a more realistic quality and eye-catching movement.



Bold faces also played a part in creating the album art for Persson's album "Current Affair Medium Rare". The visual concept for the album is quiet, white and stylish. The basic colors yellow, red, blue and green were added to give the design a distintict feeling. Bold Faces recruited fashion photographer Märta Thisner to assit them with art design and photography. "Her visual ideas," Toorell says, "worked well with our thoughts for the cover."

More info on FilmTecknarna and Bold Faces can be found at www.FilmTecknarna.com.

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTORS DAVID NORD AND BORIS NAWRATIL DIRECT MUSIC VIDEO FOR SWEDISH HIP-HOP GROUP HUR HÖGT

FilmTecknarna has released a new music video directed by David Nord and Boris Nawratil for Swedish hip-hop group Hur Högt’s eponymous single “Hur Högt?” The video also features guest artist Jens Hoffmaestro.

Paying homage to classic American monster flicks of 50 to 60 years ago, the video unfolds as an opening title sequence to a “monster movie” introducing each of the main characters who are band members. It begins as an idyllic and traditional early August Swedish crayfish party on an isolated island. As the band and their friend devour the boiled crayfish and drink vodka, they are soon beset with Giant crayfish. As they make their escape to Stockholm the giant "decapod crustations" have the same destination in mind. The action segues to a burning Stockholm under siege. In vintage drive-in movie style, the band rushes in armed with baseball bats, determined to defeat them.

“How High” is the first single released by Soundcloud Records in anticipation of their full album coming out of Slang Musik later this year. The video features bandmembers Näääk, Thomas Rusiak, Adiam Dymott, Nimo Cheebs and guest Jensa from Hoffmaestro. Hur Högt is a so called supergroup; artists having their own things going decide to form a group together, kinda on the side. Thomas Rusiak is one of the most well known and respected names in the Swedish music and hip hop scene, both as an artist and as a producer. Adiam Dymott was one of the hottest and most critically acclaimed debut artist in Sweden 2009 (produced by Rusiak). Naaak is regarded as one of the top young rappers in Sweden, and Nimo is an emerging artist yet to release his own album.

More info on FilmTecknarna and directors David Nord and Boris Nawratil can be found at www.FilmTecknarna.com.

DIRECTOR MATO ATOM SIGNS WITH FILMTECKNARNA

FilmTecknarna, the visual storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, recently announced the signing of director Mato Atom. Mato is a self-taught director, art director, designer and occasional animator who includes Psyop, Paranoid-US and DUCK as former production companies. Mato’s professional portfolio includes motion design projects for Coca-Cola, O2, Mars, and LVMH/Belvedere. A self-described hobby-astronomer without a telescope, Mato lives and works in Manhattan. Named by Print Magazine as one of the design industry’s rising stars under 30 in the publication’s "New Visual Artists 2009" issue, Atom’s work features diverse styles.

Mato comments, "Each project I undertake requires a different approach and each new job and pitch is a welcome challenge to me."

For more information on FilmTecknarna and Mato view his reel here.

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTOR STIG BERGQVIST DISHES ON ANIMATION AND VISUAL STORYTELLING

FilmTecknarna founding partner and film director, Stig Bergqvist, was recently interviewed about the ever changing animation industry, his passion for visual storytelling and the history of FilmTecknarna.



Click here to watch the video on the company's Vimeo page.

To learn more about Stig and other directors at FilmTecknarna please visit FilmTecknarna.com.

BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL NOMINATES TUSSILAGO FOR GOLDEN BEAR AWARD

The Berlin Film Festival recently announced its nominations, and FilmTecknarna director Jonas Odell's animated film "Tussilago" (about a terrorist affair in Stockholm in the '70s) has been nominated. View a clip of the trailer here.

"Tussilago" was awarded 'best short film' last month at the annual Toronto Hot Docs Awards. Jonas' short film "Lies" was awarded 'best international short film' at last year's Sundance Film Festival.

To view more videos, visit FilmTecknarna's Vimeo page and FilmTecknarna.com.

RENOWNED DIRECTOR ARVID STEEN SIGNS WITH FILMTECKNARNA

NEW YORK, NY ­ May 3, 2010 ­ FilmTecknarna recently finalized a deal to represent Stockholm-based director Arvid Steen for exclusive commercial representation in both the U.S. and European markets.

This past winter Arvid directed a music video with the acclaimed London band 'The Guilty Ones' for their debut single. He also recently finished two commercials for the Swedish grocery store chain ­Coop­ and spots for Apoteksgruppen, the chain of pharmacies. Currently he is working on a new music video that combines live-action with 2d animation.

Click here to see Arvid's work.

Arvid's professional experience includes work in animation and concept design, and he has held positions as a storyboard artist and art director, but it's his breadth of skills in visual storytelling that led him to directing. He comments,

"As a director my goal is to revitalize the classic style of animation, while also finding new and interesting visual styles that carry a hand-drawn and analogue look."

"We have watched Arvid perfect his artistic skills over a number of years, and in particular his talent as a visual storyteller," says Lars Ohlson, CEO, FilmTecknarna. "We're excited to bring him on board."

Arvid Steen was born in Stockholm in 1979. He was 15 years old when he started illustrating for a local newspaper. Since then drawing has always played an important role in his life. After graduation from high school, he studied animation at Konstfack, the main Swedish post-graduate education for artists and designers. It was there that he developed his life-long crush on
animation.

In 2001 he got his first assignment as animator on a project conceived by FilmTecknarna director Jonas Odell. After that followed a number of freelance assignments for various production companies in Stockholm.

For more information on Arvid Steen please visit FilmTecknarna.com.

FILMTECKNARNA SIGNS WEST COAST REP TONI SAARINEN

FilmTecknarna has signed Toni Saarinen for commercial representation on the west coast. They recently took on Linda Powledge as their Broadcast rep in the U.S.

For more information please visit the FilmTecknarna homepage.

TUSSILAGO WINS IN SAN FRANCISCO

The new short film by director Jonas Odell, just received the first prize in the San Francisco International Film Festival. The film got the award in the category Best Animated Short Film. Congratulations to Jonas and his team.

For more information please visit the FilmTecknarna homepage.

DIRECTING DUO 'BOLD FACES' SIGNS WITH PRODUCTION COMPANY FILMTECKNARNA

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ­ March 9, 2010 ­ FilmTecknarna, the storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, today announced the Company signed directors Johan Toorell and John Nordqvist (aka 'Bold Faces') for exclusive commercial representation worldwide.

Most recently signed to production company Mister Krister, in its off-time the directing duo performs in a punk band (also called Bold Faces) that writes songs exclusively about graphic design and animation. To see their reel click here.

John and Johan met at the Forsberg School of Design in the year 2001, where they quickly discovered a shared passion for design and music. During this time they formed Bold Faces, which became both their punk group name and their alias when working in the field of graphic design. After graduation they worked as graphic designers and art directors at the agency Vardag. In 2005 they decided to move full-time to directing and animation.

Bold Faces is known for a humor-driven, playful style that incorporates various film techniques including collage, live action, stop-motion and combining high-tech animations with retro looks. Their creative portfolio includes work for MTV, broadcast graphics for Swedish TV channels and TV commercials for Samsung, Canal + and Estrella.

About FilmTecknarna
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with offices in New York City, FilmTecknarna was created by Lars Ohlson, Jonas Odell, and Stig Bergqvist out of their common passion for graphic art and animation. The trio fueled their passion by designing, creating, and illustrating a long list of film projects, seamlessly migrating into Sweden's fledging commercial market in the 1990's. FilmTecknarna's impressive body of work includes a series of high-profile and award-winning films, music videos, TV series, and commercials for both the Nordic and international markets. The firm naturally evolved into a storytelling and design production studio, creating classic 2D animation, CGI, and 3D animation, as well as live action.

FilmTecknarna's directors are Jonas Odell, David Nord, Johanna Andersson, Jessica Laurén, Boris Nawratil, Stig Bergqvist, Jonas Dahlbeck, Jory Hull, Lucas Zanotto and Bold Faces.

In the United States the company is repped by Judy Wolff (East Coast), Hilly Reps (Midwest), Reber Covington (West Coast) and Hesty Reps (Canada).

To learn more about the company, make sure to visit FilmTecknarna.com.

FILMTECKNARNA DIRECTORS DAVID NORD AND BORIS NAWRATIL RIDE THE 'CRAZY TRAIN'

Swedish alternative singer songwriter Nicolai Dunger recently tapped FilmTecknarna directors Boris Nawratil and David Nord to create a slightly mental music video for Dunger's new single 'Crazy Train.'

To view the video click here.

The music clip transports viewers on a train ride weaving through the cartoon-like windows of a children's book. While the vibrant and colorful aesthetic is reminiscent of Warner Brothers cartoons starring the Wylie Coyote, the directors conjured a more contemporary style by infusing it with creative nods to Roy Lichtenstein pop art.

Living up to the songs name, the video includes many odd moments, such as the appearance of well-dressed children in the desert sky (the kids were modeled after photos of two of Nord's children), the train possessing a very large tongue, and packs of crazed desert rabbits and steer. Boris and David comment,

"Nicolai wanted something trippy, outrageous and fun. That's why the extra touches in the animation and story became important. This is a country western song with flair so we wanted the animation to match the track's vibe."

The directors, who frequently partner on creative projects, created massive environments for Crazy Train; everything, including the black outlines, was built in 3D to convey an inked comic book feel and keep the outlines somewhat organic.

For more information on FilmTecknarna's director visit FilmTecknarna.com.

RESIDENT BERLINER SIGNS TO SWEDEN PRODUCTION COMPANY FILMTECKNARNA

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ­ February 1, 2010 ­ FilmTecknarna, the storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, recently inked a deal to represent Berlin-based director Lucas Zanotto for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S., Canadian, French and Nordic markets.

Guided by his creative motto,'the simpler it is, the better it works,' Zanotto's aesthetic blends a variety of mixed media in new and experimental ways, and is best described as modern and minimal. This creative approach is exemplified by a network identity project produced and directed by dyrdee Media (Berlin) in conjunction with Zanotto for Nickelodeon Germany ­the idents went on to win the prestigious Gold Design Lion at the 2009 Cannes International Advertising Festival. Click on the following links to see Zanotto's work including the Nick idents: http://www.lucaszanotto.com/, and his reel.


"We love Lucas' ability to mix different media. His way of styling classic animation in combination with digital media gives his film a very modern and analogue feel. It's a decidedly different approach that conjures new and unexpected animation possibilities," says Lars Ohlson, CEO, FilmTecknarna. "We are thrilled to have him join FilmTecknarna's roster of directors."

Zanotto comes from a background as a product and graphic designer. After receiving his design diploma in Milan, he worked in several different international design studios (including the renowned product design firm Continuum). Slowly he moved into graphic design area and then went on to directing films and creating motion graphics.

After Milan, he lived in Barcelona and later moved to Berlin, where he now lives and works. Zanotto's work has been recognized by numerous award shows, including Promax International, HAFF, ITFS and the Ottawa Animation Film Festival.

About FilmTecknarna
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with offices in New York City, FilmTecknarna was created by Lars Ohlson, Jonas Odell, and Stig Bergqvist out of their common passion for graphic art and animation. The trio fueled their passion by designing, creating, and illustrating a long list of film projects, seamlessly migrating into Sweden's fledging commercial market in the 1990's. FilmTecknarna's impressive body of work includes a series of high-profile and award-winning films, music videos, TV series, and commercials for both the Nordic and international markets. The firm naturally evolved into a storytelling and design production studio, creating classic 2D animation, CGI, and 3D animation, as well as live action.

FilmTecknarna's directors are Jonas Odell, David Nord, Johanna Andersson, Jessica Laurén, Boris Nawratil, Stig Bergqvist, Jonas Dahlbeck, Jory Hull and Lucas Zanotto.

In the United States the company is repped by Judy Wolff (East Coast), Hilly Reps (Midwest), Reber Covington (West Coast) and Hesty Reps (Canada).


To learn more about Lucas please visit FilmTecknarna.com

FILMTECKNARNA U.S. SIGNS UP COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR JORY HULL

NEW YORK, NY ­ September 17, 2009 ­ FilmTecknarna continues to build its business in North America, most recently inking a deal to represent director Jory Hull for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. and Canada markets. Jory will work out of the company's new studio in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

Jory comments, "I'm pleased to join FilmTecknarna. Each director here has a distinct creative approach. I look forward to bringing my own live-action style to the mix. We are just coming out of a 'visual baroque' era where motion design companies created amazing CG worlds that pushed the limits of what was visually possible. As times are changing, people are responding better to advertising that feels clever and honest. So even though my background is in design, as a FilmTecknarna director, I'm looking to explore human moments and stories, with the perfect visual and graphic content."

Earlier this year Jory creative-directed the complete rebrand of PBS, including concepting and scripting 16 spots for the network that deal with the theme of everyday exploration. Jory also photographed the corresponding print campaign. Also in 2009 Jory directed two commercials for Target that culminate their "Art For All" campaign, the last of which features the amazing work of the MOMIX dance troupe and the famed surrealistic choreography of Moses Pendleton.

"As a director, Jory specializes in mixing stunning visuals with human and real-life moments, a key element that's usually overlooked in today's commercial world," says Lars Ohlson, CEO, FilmTecknarna. "We are thrilled to have him join FilmTecknarna in the United States, particularly at this exciting time of growth for the stateside office."

Jory started his career as a Swiss-style trained graphic designer working in everything from magazines to advertising, and dove into the burgeoning motion design world of New York City in the mid 90's. During that time, Jory led teams of designers as a creative director at several of the top companies in the motion graphics world, including Digital Kitchen in Seattle, and Eyeball in New York City.

FilmTecknarna Executive Producer Bill Hewes comments, "Over the last ten years Jory has designed and directed hundreds of commercials, film title sequences and music videos, as well as redesigning the identities of several major U.S. television networks. For any project he brings to bear this depth of experience and a multi-faceted approach, one that's able to fuse design and storytelling into a way that resonates with a broad spectrum of viewers."

Some key clients of Jory's include Nike, Brand Jordan,Target, National Geographic, USA network, Rogers Media, EAS, T-Mobile, Coca-Cola, MTV, Sony, IKEA, Bravo Television, Comedy Central, Pepsi, McDonalds, Motorola, Alltell, Showtime, HBO, The Independent Film Channel, Hennessy, The Weather Channel, BET, Merchant Ivory, and the Washington Post.

Jory is an accomplished photographer, and has shot several commercials and music videos with an innovative stop motion technique as well as shooting international print campaigns for various clients.

About FilmTecknarna
Stockholm's FilmTecknarna was created by Lars Ohlson, Jonas Odell, and Stig Bergqvist out of their common passion for graphic art and animation. The trio fueled their passion by designing, creating, and illustrating a long list of film projects, seamlessly migrating into Sweden's fledging commercial market in the 1990¹s. FilmTecknarna's impressive body of work includes a series of high-profile and award-winning films, music videos, TV series, and commercials for both the Nordic and international markets. The firm naturally evolved into a storytelling and design production studio, creating classic 2D animation, CGI, and 3D animation, as well as live action.

FilmTecknarna's directors are Jonas Odell, David Nord, Johanna Andersson, Jessica Laurén, Boris Nawratil, Stig Bergqvist, Kalle Haglund, Jonas Dahlbeck and Jory Hull.

In the United States the company is repped by Judy Wolff (East Coast), Hilly Reps (Midwest), Reber Covington (West Coast) and Hesty Reps (Canada).

To learn more visit FilmTecknarna.com.