nffc North Finland Film Commission

The film Backwood Philosopher (Havukka-ahon ajattelija) was shot between June and August in the woodlands of Kainuu region, at the easternmost edge of the NFFC operating area.

To find out more about his work in film productions NFFC had Hantte Oivo from Mediakaari for a short Q&A.

Q: What kind of services does your company offer?

A: Mediakaari provides productions with set building services. At the moment I don't have any permanent staff besides myself, but when needed I assemble a group of builders. My company has also provided various vehicles for productions. The company was established in 1999. In the beginning we also produced radio and TV commercials as well as corporate videos. Since 2003 the company has focused on set building.

Q: What was your role in the film Backwood Pholosopher?

A: I worked as the set constructor under Markku Pätilä, the set designer. My responsibility was to build the sets and manage the construction team.

Q: What was build for the production?

A: The film is set in the beginning of the 1950's and some existing buildings were altered to match that period. The biggest individual construction was covering modern roofs with sheet metal roofs. We also transferred an old log sauna from one place to another and built a few interiors, fencing and a boat that was used to transfer hay.

Q: How was filming in the Kainuu region?

A: The filming went well. Some changes considering the locations and schedules had to be made due to changes in weather.

Q: How is it to work outdoors in North Finland?

A: One great thing with the summertime in the North is the light, so you can work even in the middle of the night if you like. The Finnish winter can be challenging from the set building point of view. Low temperature, snow, ice and rain can cause problems. These things require good preparation. Luckily my team and other local people working in productions have experience in working in such conditions and problems rarely occur. In addition when working in the nature one has to take in to consideration many things, such as electricity, water and logistics.

Q: What kind of productions have you worked in?

A: I've worked as a set constructor of set builder in feature films such as Valo, the Mystery of the Wold, The Matriarch, Dark Floors, Sisters Apart and Mannerheim. I've also worked in three TV productions and done set constructing work in a theatre in Oulu called Rio.

Q: Mention some unforgettable productions from your career:

A: The most unforgettable must be the Lordi motion picture Dark Floors. It was shot in Oulu and for the production we build 1000 m2 hospital interior. That is the largest studio set ever build in Finland, and I think it will stay that way for a long time. 50 builders, painters and technicians were involved in the process and work was done around the clock for four moths. Another interesting project was Mannerheim in which I got to work in a really big production. Unfortunately the project is put on hold for the time being. The battlefield with saps and foxholes exists and is ready for the project if it someday proceeds to production.

The contact information for Hantte Oivo from Mediakaari can be found at the NFFC services database: http://www.nffc.fi/index.php?action=search&page=services&q=mediakaari&x=23&y=11