Director Harald Zwart is expanding Motion Blur, his US production company from Los Angeles, to include his Norway roots.

Joining Zwart as partners are his wife and exec producer Veslemoey Ruud Zwart, directing team Roenberg (previously with Moland Films, Oslo and repped in the US by HKM/Public Works) and Norwegian producer Espen Horn, formerly of 4 1/2, Oslo. Motion Blur AS launches officially as of May 2, 2002. At press time, Motion Blur was in discussions with two other prominent, yet unnamed Scandinavian directors.

Zwart, well-known for his comedic commercial executions and his first feature, One Night at McCool's, is repped by Pink Films in the UK and Gang in France. Horn had been representing Zwart in Norway.

"It's kind of a reverse thing where we opened in the States first and now are going back to give ourselves more of a firm base in Scandinavia," says Zwart.

That said, the new company is to be virtual in nature, with Internet communications serving as the foundation rather than offices, at least until a full-scale production space becomes neccesary.

Zwart recently directed two spots for Telenor, a Norwegian cellular company and one for lottery Rikstoto, all for Leo Burnett, Oslo. All three were filmed in Vancouver, Canada, through Circle Productions (British Columbia doubled for Norway and was in Zwart's neighborhood).

"Telenor has a good campaignable idea - 'Your memories, our technology.' The first spot, 'Our Song' isn't about wild wacky humor, but more about warmth and character," says Zwart.

Set to Kiss' "I Was Made for Loving You," the spot shows a man who hears the song while driving; he calls his wife on his Telenor and they share a flashback to the '80s rock song that brought them together. Period costumes and the subtle mating game scenario accentuate the story.

"The other spot is linked to Telenor's sponsorship of the Quart Music Festival in Kristiansand in the south of Norway," says Zwart. "It has a guy trying to convince his mother over the phone that there is nothing nasty going on at the festival. [His depiction of the festival is] represented by beautiful Bergmann-esque dancing and traditional costumes, and is scored by harmonicas, which, of course is all lies."

The in-joke of the commercial is that Kristiansand is a region known as Norway's bible belt, hence the young man's pastoral portrayal of events of what is sure to be a rock festival.

Zwart says the Rickstoto commercial is a play on the old adage, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"It has a guy hitting on numerous women and getting violently slammed every time. The client is encouraging us to make it violent, which is a privilege for a director to hear. There is quite a bit of stunt work with him flying through glass tables and all these women kicking his nuts and face. Finally he succeeds with a woman, which is how this is like playing the lottery," describes Zwart.

Despite the violent humor described in this last spot, Zwart notes there has been a move in Norwegian creative away from outrageous comedy spots towards more refined ideas, requiring more sophisticated talent direction.

"With this kind of work you look for different things. In actors you look for the same things you would with a movie actor, people playing with subtle strings as opposed to broad strokes," says Zwart.

Despite Zwart's optimism, Erik Heisholt, Leo Burnett, Oslo executive creative director on both campaigns, says Norwegian spots are currently struggling creatively.

"They don't know where to go. We used to be known for great, low-budget comedy, but in the last few years the budgets have grown to 1.5 million Norwegian kroners, or about $150,000 US, sometimes smaller, sometimes far larger," says Heisholt. "I think some people in Norway forget the simple, good comedy ideas when they get a bit more money."

Heisholt singles out JBR McCann, New Deal DDB and, of course, Leo Burnett as examples of agencies who keep the Norwegian creative dream alive. The quest for scripts with solid creative and financial backing is leading other Norwegian companies abroad. 4 1/2 opened offices in Stockholm last fall and forged a representation agreement with RSA.

"The reason we have a small office in Sweden and relations with RSA is that we can't rely on Norway. We need to talk to Europe, the UK and US in hopes that our directors are as good and are tempting to our clients," says outgoing 4 1/2 partner and producer Horn.

"We could survive just doing Norwegian jobs, but if you have directors you believe in, it's nice to skim the cream."

Director Marius Holst of 4 1/2 had been working with RSA for some time prior to the agreement; this deal means Holst's fellow Fourandahalfers Pal Sletaune and directing team Sven Gelin and Calle Larsson (Sven & Calle) will be repped for spots in the US and UK .

"4 1/2 is represented by RSA in New York, Los Angeles and London. The deal was officially closed just before Cannes 2001," says Horn. "You need to be in the US and UK to be in those markets. You need to attend certain events and to show yourself. Britain is especially difficult to penetrate without being linked to a well-known company. If you don't have a name it is easy to slip away."

The RSA deal closes the book on a previous arrangement with Harry Nash in the UK. It also opens up the Scandinavian market to RSA directors, who are now repped in the region via 4 1/2. While Sletaune has completed one project through RSA, Horn says the global ad slump has thus far prevented further collaboration.

On a more regional note, 4 1/2's Stockholm office has been operating since September 2001.

"We are attacking the Swedish market from the inside with kind of a Trojan horse tactic. Since Sven & Calle are Swedish, it was kind of obvious that we had to take that step. Also we realized we could produce in Sweden and quote in the Swedish currency," says Horn.

At present, the Stockholm office is opened only when 4 1/2 is running a production in Sweden. Horn says if the volume of Swedish work makes it worthwhile, it is most likely that a permanent, registered 4 1/2 office in Sweden will be opened.

"It's cheaper and more convenient to shoot there, hire a production manager and have the invoices come to me in Norway. To open the horse and let the soldiers out, I will need a producer and perhaps more directors," says Horn. "The third reason we did this was Pal and Marius have directed features that were screened in Sweden with pretty good success."

Thus far Sven & Calle have directed a Peppes Pizza spot and Holst a spot for Paagen baked goods. In the case of Holst's spot, the job was produced with the collaboration of freelance agency production department Resource Film.

Webfiles:
4 1/2>http://www.fourandahalf.no
Leo Burnett, Norway> http://www.leoburnett.no