COMPULSORY

Director

Thor Brenne

Norwegian director Thor Brenne likes mixing it up a bit, to deal with the country's serious approach to lockdown. A voracious consumer of classy art movies and brilliant TV drama, he also finds himself attracted to other entertainments, like Ex On The Beach and&nbsp;Love Island...&nbsp;&nbsp;What were you working on before the lockdown? Everyday life working with treatments and getting funding for personal projects. The regular stuff. I had a music video shoot for Ruben one week before the lockdown in&nbsp;Norway. Feels like a year ago, but the video has just been released, and it feels good. There were also two other projects greenlighted ready for production.[vidtoken data:0]&nbsp;What are you working on now? I have been writing a lot lately. I’m developing a short-form scripted series with COMPULSORY which I hope will get fulfilled before the year is over, but maybe next year to be realistic.So, it's been positive having more time than usual for writing and reflecting and working on this in a way. Also, I have gotten back into still photography which I haven't done for years.<blockquote>Maybe a cliché, but there has been a lot of time for reflection.</blockquote>What's the most surprising, or least predictable thing, that's happened to you&nbsp;during quarantine?&nbsp; The industry presenting itself with super-fast alternative ways of experiencing art. I have watched some online concerts which I enjoyed and seeing how people are adapting to create is amazing.The <a href="https://compulsory.gallery/" target="_blank">compulsory.gallery</a> is also an interesting alternative to show diverse entertainment and art. It's curated by a wide range of creatives and I think it's a good initiative keeping our community motivated.What's the favourite part of your daily routine? I wake up early and watch the sun rising while morning shows are running loud in the background. That's my favourite hour of the day. Then I write for a couple of hours before conference calls with colleagues - catching up and working with projects that hopefully will get done later this year. And of course daylight. Minimum 30 minutes outdoors everyday with family/friends.Are things getting harder/better/staying the same? It's been like: Adapt and stay focused. In the beginning I was a bit lost and needed to restructure and sort out an effective workflow. In general I think these weeks have worked fine.<blockquote>Ex On The Beach&nbsp;and&nbsp;Love Island... so hypnotic, repetitive and disturbing.</blockquote>What have you learned about yourself during quarantine? I don't have a clear answer for that at the moment. Maybe a cliché, but there has been a lot of time for reflection. Which I think it's good. Both private and work.Best thing you’ve watched, or heard, while on lockdown, and why? And the&nbsp;Worst…? I just finished last season of Better Call Saul which I really enjoyed. Love the pace and characters. Latest movies I watched before the shutdown were Hidden Life and Portrait Of A Woman On Fire. Great films about ideals that clash with the world.[vidtoken data:1]Another positive&nbsp;experience has been watching the Norwegian versions of Ex On The Beach and Love Island. An awakening, so hypnotic, repetitive and disturbing.&nbsp;How's your Work/Life balance at the moment? It's pretty good and I'm optimistic. The country is slowly getting opened and&nbsp;I can't wait to be back on set with great people. I miss that.• Thor Brenne is represented in the UK for music videos and shortform projects by <a href="http://www.compulsoryviewing.co.uk/" target="_blank">COMPULSORY</a>.

Quarantine Q&A: Thor Brenne, COMPULSORY

Ruben - Burn Down This Room

Portrait of a Lady on Fire [Official Trailer] – In Theaters December 6, 2019

Norwegian artist Ruben is back with frequent collaborator Thor Brenne for an unforgettable study of a troubled relationship. Shot on location in Norway, Burn Down This Room depicts an abusive couple experiencing a vicious circle of violence and pain - revealed in forensic detail by Brenne, and his DoP Torkel Riise Svenson - with&nbsp;Ruben&nbsp;as the dispassionate witness. The visuals are used here as another character almost, drawing the viewer in with the beautifully framed shots and strict execution - we can&nbsp;distance ourselves from some outrageously&nbsp;malicious acts as we escape into the beauty.Almost like a metaphor for the relationship happening before our very eyes, Ruben&nbsp;stands in the middle of what is taking place. Is he the devil on the shoulders of the couple prompting their actions? In fact, a longing for peace is the running theme, and how one achieves it through reflection or chaos. The trance-like visuals compliment the impactful scenes and&nbsp;adds to the dark atmosphere that doesn't let up until the very end.[imgtoken data:1]

Norway

Jonas Grimeland

Torkel Riise Svenson

Kjetil Fodnes

Trym Gulla Dyrnes

Henrik Fagerli Larsen

Jens Carlos Schwartz

Rebecca Kilcline Abbott

Rafea Khalid

Didrik Bråthen

Cato Lauvli

Stian Pignon

Ruben 'Burn Down This Room' by Thor Brenne

Ina Wroldsen gets back to basics&nbsp;in Haloes, directed by frequent collaborator Thor Brenne.&nbsp;Shot on location in Norway, the concept depicts Wroldsen living out in the forest&nbsp;enjoying everything nature has to offer, with friends. The visuals are contemplative, based on hypnotic locations, dreamy images and an atmosphere of euphoria that reflects the songs uplifting, inspirational message. Focussing very much on the human condition, the video analyses who we are as human beings when everything is stripped away, and we return back to&nbsp;community in its simplest form.&nbsp;Intermittent shots of interpretive dance and movement keep a calm yet focused energy to the project, and the unique camera angles and lighting using mirrors is a poignant representation of taking time to reflect and explore our time on Earth with a curious and patient mind.

Kiran Mandla

Carina Munch

Robert Erstad

Ole Jørgen Jørgen

Henning Høifødt

Solveig Aksnes

Sigrid Hesla Breie

Sara Schultz

Alex Gregory

The Mill

Syco

Ina Wroldsen 'Haloes' by Thor Brenne

Ina-Wroldsen-'Haloes'-by-Thor-Brenne

Thor Brenne&#39;s video for Norwegian artist Ruben centres around a female character floating between a hybrid between dreams and reality.&nbsp;Inspired by goth and occult elements, the video for Power visualises anxiety and depression through a prism of disturbing and unpleasant events. Closer to reality, the exterior sequences with nature and dance are synonymous with strength and&nbsp;shaking free from its clutches. The video is framed throughout with intercuts by an emotional performance by the artist himself.

Even Standal Vesterhus

Ben Lucas

Jonathan Bjerstedt

Sander Enebakk

Karoline Sødal

Runar Jarle Wiik

Stella Nova

Jakob Paulik

Mariama Slåttøy

Ruben 'Power' by Thor Brenne

Ruben-'Power'-by-Thor-Brenne

Thor Brenne&#39;s video for Ina Wroldsen is a strikingly&nbsp;metaphorical retelling if a folk tale through dance.In Norwegian folklore, The Nokken is a lethal water spirit who lures unsuspecing humans to their deaths. For Brenne&#39;s interpretation of Wroldsen&#39;s The Sea, it becomes one of a crew of bikers&nbsp;in a house overlooking the sea, whose twisting movements resemble a whirlpool, and drive&nbsp;the bikers to destruction.&bull; Premiere via <a href="http://www.clashmusic.com/news/ina-wroldsen-tap-into-norwegian-folklore-on-sea" target="_blank">Clash</a>. &nbsp;

Torbjørn Sundal Holen

Daniel Berrum

Michaela Sophia Vujovic

Hanne Arntzen

Oisín O'Driscoll

Even Eileraas

Elizabeth Doonan

Sony Music

Ina Wroldsen 'Sea' by Thor Brenne

Ina-Wroldsen-'Sea'-by-Thor-Brenne

Thor Brenne challenges racial preconceptions in his video for Norwegian rapper HKEEM.&nbsp;Brenne&#39;s video for Ghettoparasitt features a trio&nbsp;of Caucasian white men on a night out in Oslo - being treated with widespread suspicion whereever they go. They are turned away from clubs, made to feel outcast and repeatedly apprehended - and it&#39;s all because they are white (and not that young either).Befitting the Norwegian setting - and in keeping with the director&#39;s trademark style - this is delivered in a deadpan fashion, which makes the role reversal message all the more effective.

Jørgen Klüver

Emil Gurvin

Anton Österlund

Rebekka Jynge

Sandra Krogh Rodum

Joachim Nilsen

Storyline

Lars W. Nygaard

Universal Music / Def Jam Norway

Hip Hop

HKEEM 'Ghettoparasitt' by Thor Brenne

Hkeem-'Ghettoparasitt'-by-Thor-Brenne

Thor Brenne returns to music videos with an offbeat performance piece for Nordic artist Sondre Justad.It&#39;s a pop performance in a resolutely normal setting -the artist&#39;s hometown. Things are pretty quiet around there - even at the after-hours pool party. Justad is just the man to inject some excitement.

Edelzek Films

Martin J. Edelsteen

Mange Debauch

Indie

Sondre Justad 'Ingenting' by Thor Brenne

Sondre-Justad-'Ingenting'-by-Thor-Brenne

In a&nbsp;collaboration on NOWNESS, Thor Brenne has directed this&nbsp;journey of dance and acrobatics through the Arctic Circle unfolding an intimate story between two characters, for Anneli Drecker&#39;s Alone.Featuring acrobats Louise von Euler Bjurholm and Henrik Agger, and&nbsp;some stunning photography of northern Norway, where Drecker comes from, the video focuses on&nbsp;a&nbsp;human, emotive and palpable performance between the dancers, showing life and warmth coexisting&nbsp;amongst&nbsp;the frosty, desolate Nordic landscape..

Edelzek As Prod.

Martin Endelsteen

Erik Mikkelsen

Viktor Enoksen

Martin Edelsteen

Annicken Aasheim

Jon-andré Hakvåg

Fanny Senocq

Ulf Tønder Flittig

Anneli Drecker 'Alone' by Thor Brenne

For his promo for Beezewax&#39; In The Dark,&nbsp;Norwegian director Thor Brenne has delivered a&nbsp;compelling short documentary that focusses on a group of skateboarding friends from northern Norwegian town of Bodø during the Nineties.How this group went through a crucial,&nbsp;formative period of their young lives - with much &#39;rough play&#39; going on between the boys - and also impacted on their town (situated within the Arctic Circle) as a result of their skate obsession, is told through a combination of&nbsp;archive footage and a contemporary interview to make a heartwarming&nbsp;story of youthful rebellion.

Beezewax 'In The Dark' by Thor Brenne

Beezewax-'In-The-Dark'-by-Thor-Brenne

Director Thor Brenne&#39;s video for Norwegian rapper Lars Vaular plays out like an&nbsp;urban performance video with strange flashes of unsettling, dreamlike scenes&nbsp;inside of a shadowy café. He&nbsp;has achieved&nbsp;an aggressive,&nbsp;threatening&nbsp;atmosphere throughout, giving the impression that Vaular could snap at any second...&nbsp;

Elisabeth Skatvedt

Andreas Nesse

Lars Vaular 'Ung Heit Gateflamme' by Thor Brenne

Lars-Vaular-'Ung-Heit-Gateflamme-'-by-Thor-Brenne

Norwegian director Thor Brenne has directed a strange, engrossing and in some ways disturbing video about a trio of particularly nihilistic girl goths&nbsp;and a truckdriving&nbsp;older guy who falls in with them,&nbsp;for&nbsp;Norwegian band&nbsp;AE&#39;s Låt Alla Gamla Drömmar Dö (which possibly translates as &#39;Dreamers&#39;).You could describe it as being on the bleaker side of blackly funny - or really just bleak. But the &#39;what&#39;s the point of it all&#39; vibe cuts through immediately in a way that makes it quite transfixing. It&#39;s just not the kind of thing that makes getting through February any easier...

AE  'Låt Alla Gamla Drömmar Dö’ by Thor Brenne

Ae-'-'lÅt-Alla-Gamla-DrÖmmar-DÖ’-Aka-'dreamers''-by-Thor-Brenne

Promonews Podcast

Thor Brenne

Director

Interviews featuring Thor Brenne

Videos featuring Thor Brenne

2020 (1)

2019 (2)

2018 (2)

2017 (1)

2015 (4)

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