Interview with Timo Vuorensola

I’m Timo Vuorensola, a filmmaker from (and still based in) Finland. I made few shorts, commercials and music videos, directed a sci-fi parody Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning in 2005 releasing it for free on the Internet, and it soon became the most viewed film from Finland ever with over 10 million downloads. After that, I started to work on Iron Sky in 2006, a scifi comedy about Nazis from the Dark Side of the Moon, and released it for worldwide theatrical distribution in 2012 at Berlinale. In addition to this, I’m a vocalist in a noise industrial band Älymystö (“Intelligentsia”).

How would you describe your work as a director
I’m interested in freakish ideas, large scale concepts and something that somehow rocks my world. I like science fiction and tend to gravitate towards topics of that nature.

How did you get into directing
I got the spark at college when we were asked to do a short film. It grew into a 45 minute epic art piece. After that, I found myself more and more interested in filmmaking as the form of storytelling; I’ve been a storyteller more or less all my life, playing and creating role playing- and live-role playing games, computer games, writing fiction and lyrics, and filmmaking seemed to be the best way to accompany all the details.

How do you choose a project to direct
If it has space ships, I’m in.

Briefly describe in a few words wrong impressions actors, writers,and directors have about directing
That you have to fight to be able to follow your vision. Instead, you have to sell your vision to people around you, and then you are completely free to do whatever you want. As long as you’ve done good job marketing your concept.

Do you take courses to increase you craft
Never. Didn’t even go to a film school.

What books do you read
Mostly fantasy and sci-fi, but find myself interested in various other topics as well.

Why will you choose an actor, writer or producer. What do you look for
Integrity.

Briefly explain your latest work
Iron Sky is a scifi comedy about Nazis from the Dark Side of the Moon. A lot of scifi action, visual effects and rivetingly hilarious storyline.

What thing or situation helps you during a production
Usually the lack of resources. When you realize you can’t do things the way you want to do because of the lack of resources, the real artistic part of your brain is ignited and you begin creating.

Explain a creative choice you took on set on a recent production
Timo: I think every choice is a creative choice. Most of the most creative choices are choices you have to do in order to realize something everybody else is telling you being inproduceable.

How do you advice directors to find projects
Don’t wait. Nobody is coming out to hand you a project, or money to do it. First project you have to be prepared to invest one to five years of your own time, energy and money to make it. And you have to make it damn good. Only after that you’ve proven to yourself, financiers and others that you can be trusted with an outside project.

How can filmmakers finance projects
In addition for traditional financing sources, Internet is a fantastic way to finance a film. Iron Sky gathered more than 1 million from Internet to finance the production, which was an important part of the 8 million budget of the film. Internet funding – crowd-funding and crowd investing – can be a powerful tool when used the right way.

What do you want from an actor in production
I want to create a relationship that’s based on trust, not just on artistic, but also on a bit deeper level – I want to have the feeling when working with the actors that both entities trust each other, can talk to each other and find solutions together, instead of everyone trying to fight for their own goal.

How do you prefer to work with a producer during a production
Depends a lot on the producer. My producing partner Tero Kaukomaa relies completely on artistic and storytelling decisions on me, and I rely on him completely when it comes to productional issues. It’s another trust-based relationship, when trust is established, every problem becomes a situation solved together for common better goal.

What do you think a director can do to get into the film industry
He/she has to prove to him/herself and the world around him that he/she is capable of carrying out a finished production, preferably a feature film. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the best work he/she is going to do in her’s/his’ career, but there are only two kinds of major changes in filmmaker’s life – life and understanding of filmmaking before first feature (or major short) and life after. The ones who know what it means to do a film, and have gone through it, are much more reliable for projects and financing than otherwise promising filmmakers who don’t really know the hardships a film can be. But more than that, it’s also important to prove yourself you are able to survive a film production, because nobody wants you breaking down in a multi-million set and not being able to finish a major feature.

Who is your favorite director
Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, David Lynch and John Cameron Mitchell.

WHY IS THIS DIRECTOR YOUR FAVORITE
Ridley Scott, when he is at his best, is a killer storyteller. He grabs the viewer by the balls and drags him through the film and there’s absolutely nothing the viewer can do but to fall in love with his work. Spielberg is extremely precise, extremely versatile with timing, pacing and rhythm, which are the most important things in a film. James Cameron is out there always to challenge the given norm, goes against the tide and understands that you can do anything, but you have to be able to sell it. David Lynch is an antithesis of James Cameron in commerciality, but in the attitude towards his films, he’s looking at them in the same way as Cameron – there’s nothing you can’t do, as long as you approximately know what you are doing. And John Cameron Mitchell has a great understanding for human soul.

What advice would you give to directors around the world
The same as with any director – don’t wait around, go and make your first film. Don’t be afraid to fail it, the only true failure is not doing anything.

Briefly write about your career
Started out with a short film “Norwegian Whore” (1998), followed by short acting “career” in Star Wreck V: The Lost Contact (1998), then started directing (acting on the side), finishing Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning in 2005, meanwhile doing few music videos for friends’ bands. After Star Wreck, I started to develop my next feature film Iron Sky, which was finished in 2012. Meanwhile, I directed several commercials and commercial videos and few more music videos. After Iron Sky, I have directed more commercials and am working on my next film Jeremiah Harm and another film called I Killed Adolf Hitler, as well as on a segment for a multi-director film Paris I’ll Kill You. I have also developed a collaborative film production platform Wreckamovie, spoken at several hundred seminars, conferences and similar venues around the world, and been working at Blind Spot Pictures (my production company) as Creative Director.

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