In the vibrant tapestry of contemporary filmmaking, there exists a luminary whose work defies the constraints of time and trends. Rolf Lindblom, a visionary filmmaker, draws from the wellsprings of cinematic mastery crafted by the greats of yesteryears. As we immerse ourselves in Lindblom’s world, we are transported to a realm where storytelling transcends mere entertainment, delving deep into the recesses of philosophy and psychology. Join us on a journey of introspection and discovery as we unravel the enigmatic brilliance of Rolf Lindblom’s cinematic oeuvre.

What genres and styles of films do you enjoy and create?

I’m a  big fan of “old school” movies – and by old school I mean Fellini, Kubric, Tarkovski etc.

And that is because those movies/directors had a profound understanding of psychological and philosophical layers in their storytelling – that seems to be absent in the modern way of filmmaking. I love the kind of movies that open up questions in the viewer’s mind and make You “think”. I don’t like the way modern films force feed You Rights and Wrongs and politics in a way that the film studios feel more like propaganda machines than places for art. I know there is demand for these kinds of movies and from time to time I find myself looking at these myself – but I try to keep politics and “rights” and “wrongs” out of my films and concentrate on the psyche and big picture of the human mind and raise questions. If You see a political agenda in my movies it’s You, not my movie.

Can you share your creative process and how it has transformed over time?

The more You get rid of Your EGO – better films will come from “You”. Forget about making money and concentrate on making Yourself a better filmmaker. By better You I don’t mean You sell more or make more money. But You are better You than You were Yesterday. Sure many people are looking for a job in the film industry but that’s a job – a job is never art and can never be. While I’m transforming every day means that I’m becoming more alienated from mainstream filmmaking and fewer people will understand what I’m making – and that’s the whole beauty of it! First You have to satisfy Yourself and then if somebody else likes what You do it’s a +.

My creative transformation is going on all the time and if I get stuck on believing that now I got it – I know something is wrong. I try to keep my mind open and fresh and do arts in many mediums,not just film. I think it’s better to be a Jack of all trades and a master of none.

What has been the most challenging film you’ve directed, and how did you navigate the obstacles during its production?

I think it is my First Feature film Without Songs and Singers. The first obstacle in my films is always money and time. I fund my films doing other jobs so it might take a while before I can start the production – I don’t (haven’t and never will) apply for funds from national film foundations. They are old government systems that support only people who know how to apply and the decisions are made by politicians who never made any films themselves. But the biggest obstacle is my own laziness. My first film Without Songs and Singers was filmed in one year with a chronological order with seasons etc. So I had to “pick myself up” and find the enthusiasm again and again… Thank God for Beer.

How do you develop a visual narrative arc for your films?

Great locations of course.

I’m a big fan of Natural light and as much as possible I try to shoot everything with natural light. Sometimes it’s not possible and I use some really simple lightning scenarios, mainly practicals. Natural light gives You a really nice feel of authenticity. I also like to stay on the wider side with lenses (25 -35 max). They give a nice “big” look. In editing I have fallen in love with Filmconvert and I always use it on my films. Lately I have also added some really nice rainbow filters to my camera to get a nice “Streaky” feeling. I really like the feel of “old” film and grain and it gives me a feeling of realism – I’m old school.

What techniques do you use to achieve the desired visual style in your films?

First of all I allways to to work with a good camera that has a high dynamic range.

I shoot with a RED DRAGON camera and Schneider lenses – so I’m basically covered with the technical camera side. It is very important when You are making films on your own. And I mean ON YOUR OWN) 90% percent of the time (in my 3 movies out of 4) I’m the only one present. I put the camera on and I move to the other side and perform. This is the way I like to do my movies. It’s not Your movie, if You have 50 people working on the production and 10 more in the post (then it is a collective output). It’s like when I paint a painting, I choose the canvas, colors, brush, theme, etc. – and not somebody else. But this is just my opinion and my way of making films… the visual style comes from having all the strings in Your own hands…

Can you discuss your approach to directing actors and eliciting authentic performances?

How I approach and direct actors? I don’t tell them anything before they arrive at the scene. I don’t want them to start “going” in to the character because it probably is not what I’m looking for. This is not a problem with good actors but I can’t afford good actors. I use people that I know and are not actors. I choose them because they already are personalities that I’m looking for – they basically don’t have to act. Just be themselves. And I like, and it fits my style, that they are always a little nervous and not “present”. I also give them their lines just before we shoot – I mean like 1 minute before. Don’t look for actors but authentic personalities is my motto.

How does the story evolve during production, and in what ways does it influence the final edited version of your film?

I don’t do scripts. I have the whole story in my head and how I want it to play out. I do have some notes so that I won’t forget some key aspects. The whole film is a living thing that keeps evolving even in the edit.

Basically I make my films like I paint my paintings. I have a general idea of what I want to make and then it starts to have a life of its own. If You don’t restrict Yourself too much with tight schedules and scripts and go for it with an open mind – some beautiful things start to emerge. Even in the editing You start to see more layers in the story that You could not have written – well, at least not me.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I’m finishing the last shots for Diamonds, Diamonds From The Sky mystery/sci-fi feature film. Rest of the year I will be editing my previous film Birch/Birth and hopefully start editing with Diamonds. So next year I will have 2 new films for festivals and a couple more in the pipeline.

What advantages does AI offer for independent low-budget filmmaking?

From my point of view as a one man filmmaker, AI picture generators have helped me a lot.good example is that not only a few years ago if I wanted some intricate and imaginative sci fi backgrounds for my films I had to contact a concept artist that was very expensive and time consuming. Now I can prompt words and descriptions into the AI program and it gives me what I want. It’s realistic and almost every time it surprises me in a positive way. Only good experiences. So if the AI saves me money, time and the outcome is superb I’m all in!

How do you envision the future of AI in the film industry? Where is it heading? 

AI script writing and picture generators are already here, but in the near future we will see better video creating AI’s first with the possibility to make animations. This is something that I’m going to wait for. I have a lot of ideas for animations that would be quite expensive to do now.

My future predictions is that in 10 years we will have platforms that offer You to prompt in genre, actors, length etc. and after a while You have a live action movie that’s made just for You. The AI learns from Your preferences and gets better all the time. So many new opportunities will come with this technology.

Like all new technologies some jobs will be gone and some new created – go with it, learn with it and good things will come Your way.