On My Radar: Eivind Holmboe

B-REEL director Eivind Holmboe is a big fan of the new and now, and takes time out from his shooting schedule to dig deeper into the things that make him tick in the interview below.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

IKEA Beds is pretty darn nice. I guess it’s not a campaign, but it’s classy and pretty, and still unpretentious. A perfect blend of writing and direction. The concept is sharp and true, while tonally it makes you feel like you are tossing and turning. Hats off to everyone involved!

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

My computer is about 80 per cent typewriter, alternating between treatments and screenplays. The internet helps to give me ideas as to how to explain myself. For treatments I spend time on the likes of Nowness, Pinterest & Filmgrab. For screenwriting – Thesaurus baby!

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I got a fitband from Garmin. I guess I’m pretty fanatical about working out, and my activity level on different days is so varied, whether I’m shooting, writing or travelling. I kind of wanted to get an idea of what it looks like in numbers. It’s an interesting exercise, I think lots of people should try it.

Facebook or Twitter?

Hmm… Well, I find Facebook is super useful as an address book to make sure you don’t lose touch with anyone. And you can spy on people and take comfort in old friends’ triumphs - or failures as case may have it. Twitter seems like an awful waste of time. No? Unless you’re peddling something.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

I like Flipboard. It’s better on the iPad, but even on a phone it’s a great place to read up on stuff, once you’ve set it up right. I also check the snow levels in the mountains way too often.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Last season was a good one with the arrival of Fargo and True Detective. Especially the latter got it exceptionally right. The universe created in TV is super important. People need to come back to that world again and again. True Detective made a very smart move by keeping the same director/DP team through to the end.

They kept fine-tuning their universe through the season until you could practically smell it. In many other shows the opposite is true. They shoot the pilot with some hot shot and then hire a bunch of others to recreate what she/he did.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

12 Angy Men (the original), a lesson in less is more. There’s so much tension and not a single ice cream truck blown to pieces. It really helps remind us that character and storytelling is more important than the big bangs. For a more recent favourite – Whiplash, for all the same reasons.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Probably in front of the computer. In my case, inspiration is not a random act of charity from the sky. I gotta work for it. Sit down and do it, and it will happen.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The digital cameras of course. I think it gave a few talented filmmakers a chance to make really special things, which was great. On another hand it gave a lot of clients the idea that this means massive savings, which was not so great.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

20s. In reality they should be written as long 10s, but usually they are written as short 30s, which are usually short 60s. You get the drift. It doesn’t work.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

There was a time in my very early 20s where I discovered “creative professions” – learned that there was a place for people with big ideas and authority complexes. This was a revelation for me. Luckily I didn’t realise at the time how hard it is, or I never would have started.