In Depth with the Director - Robin Jensen

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in filmmaking.

I was born and raised in the northern parts of Norway, way above the arctic circle. I started making home videos with a couple of friends when I was twelve. Lots of killing, blood and fighting. I then studied animation at Volda University College right after my military service. Here I also studied documentary film, before I went to Oslo and studied graphic design at the Academy of Arts. I continued to develop and make short films, both animation and live action, and eventually became involved in the production company Mikrofilm. I have also had several feature film scripts in development, but so far nothing has come to fruition. But I still hope.

How did Farce first come together as a project?

I actually had this idea from my student days. I had already made a film for Mikrofilm, so, it felt natural to present it to them. Much to my surprise, they liked it. The plot changed quite a bit when I started developing the script, but the biggest change happened when I drew out the animatic. Here I could play more with the timing and placement of plot points. We tried for three or four years to get funding, before we finally got some. The film is quite underfunded, so it was made more in spite of, then because of. Farce was made in classical cut-out technique, using paper, gouache paint, a glass table, and a Canon 5D MarkII camera. An old vacant toilet, all covered in black molton, was my studio during the six months shoot. I drew and painted the characters and backgrounds as I went along. This resulted in an organic design, changing from shot to shot, but that was my intention. I wanted it to look a bit messy.

This certainly comes across as a labour of love, with yourself as director, writer and animator. As a filmmaker, how does having complete control over all those aspects influence your final work?

That's a good question. In a way it was quite comfortable, because I knew exactly how I wanted to do it. On the other hand, you need someone who can ask the difficult questions. To do it all alone, you have to trust yourself. That is hard, but things also go faster that way. I don't need to explain what, for example, a meat grinder should look like. Or a door handle. I just draw it myself. Therefore, the storyboard and animatic were also simply drawn. I didn't have to deal with any other animators. I don't know what the movie would look like if I had someone to design and animate it. I would probably have seen other possibilities and utilized their knowledge and artistic abilities.

These visuals are spectacular, with the incorporation of real photography a particular standout. What was the idea behind the decision to incorporate these shots?

I wanted to create a dark and filthy film that portrays poverty and prosperity in a grotesque but entertaining way. A kick in the gut against the rich and wealthy who get away with almost anything. Therefore, I wanted to gradually make The film nastier the further into the action we got. By using real images (pixelation) – strongly influenced by Svankmayer – I wanted to make the individuals that I portray become real; to get closer to those I want to criticize. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I think it works.

You also chose to forgo the use of dialogue in the film. Why the self-imposed restriction?

I don't quite remember why I made this decision, but I think I realized - during the script process - that I didn't need to. It would be much more effective if it was just told as a visual story. Like a silent film. And, of course, since I was going to animate everything myself, I didn't want to create a lot of extra work. I mean talking puppets...? Ah, It is boring and tiring work.

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?

Money. Lack of money.

What projects are coming next for you in the future?

I am always working on stuff, but there have been so many projects that have ended up in nothing, so until it`s funded and actually in production I don't feel like sharing too much. All I can say is that the project that I am working on now, is an animated documentary that revolves around some of the same themes as Farce.

Any message to our Melbourne audience?

I hope you have a wonderful festival! I would love to come to Melbourne sometime!