Electriclime°

“In all my work I want to find the humanity in every story
and I approach every idea with a lot of energy”

Renowned filmmaker Henrik Rostrup joins electriclime° director roster for representation in the APAC and MENA regions.

The Norwegian filmmaker, currently based in Sweden, is a visionary filmmaker known for his distinctive storytelling style, impeccable cinematography, and a portfolio that spans across various genres.

Starting in the early 2000s in the heyday of action-sport videos, Henrik honed his craft both as a director and a cinematographer working with outdoor brands and agencies on a lot of campaigns as a creative.

As his portfolio has grown over the past two decades, he has worked with several high-end brands including Vodafone, Montblanc, Reebok, Visit Saudi and many more.

His work has also seen him link up with a-list celebrities as part of his commercials, including Hugh Jackman and Argentina legend Lionel Messi.

electriclime° are delighted to welcome Henrik to their roster and join the ever-growing filmmaker talent.

Check out our Q&A with Henrik below…

How did you get started in the industry?

I grew up in the heyday of actionsport videos in the early 2000s. Being a failed athlete and all, I picked up a 16mm camera and started travelling the world. Most of my friends at that time were either professional athletes, team managers, photographers and so on. These people became my family in a way and we spent a lot of time on the road. Proper adventures with a lot of ups and downs. For the next 10-12 years I made quite a few ski films and also worked as a cinematographer for other films. I had so many good experiences from those days. Everything was purely passion-driven. We’d have the inside line of how athlete progress is made, how trends are built and spending time with a lot of people with big personalities.

From doing these core films, I moved onto working with outdoor brands (Helly Hansen, Oakley etc.) and agencies on a lot of campaigns as a creative. Online campaigns were still in their infancy but many of these companies created a lot of content themselves back and it was a great ad school in many ways being on the brand side of things.

Fast forward to today, there’s never been a clear line in my current career as a film director and I love that.

What’s your favourite part of the filmmaking process?

Problem solving, research, logistics, writing from the core (character) emotion of the story, connecting things that might unlock opportunities, getting great people together so we can go on a journey and make great things. Being part of an experience…I mean there are so many things to filmmaking that are wonderful and life-giving.

But besides the above, the most important thing to me is to create value for everyone. It can be a beautiful film. A great experience, or walking away having learned something from the process. There are so many variables at play whenever we’re part of a project and I try to look at the process holistically.

What do you find most challenging/difficult about the filmmaking process?

I don’t. I love it all.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I was definitely an emotional kid when I grew up, but with a big zest for life. I love classic storytelling and I get emotionally attached to all my films and characters. Films have always made me dream, taught me about music, relationships, human drive and so on. Those things inspire me the most.

Is there a particular moment or film in your directorial career that you are most proud of?

There are so many, but it has nothing to do with the final product or the final frame. My most proud moments usually come from seeing other people succeed, or getting lucky with a plan

we’ve all made – that ‘I can’t believe we did it’ feeling. Whether we’re chasing a sunset, spending that extra bit of time researching locations, cast or whatever we feel is needed, I’m all for it and I love working with like-minded people. Sometimes making a film is a sprint, and sometimes it truly is a marathon.

Your body of work contains a variety of genres, is there one in particular you are drawn to and what elements of a script sets one apart from the other?

I love the classic hero’s journey that we portrayed in the Vodafone spot. Not only does the genre work, but it’s incredibly fun to make. Once we have a hook in the story, there’s so much research and details we can pour into it and it becomes very logical to the client as-well.

What sets it apart to me, was that this script was not intended to be such an elaborate film. But together with the agency we found the heart of the story, where a lot of the ideas came from the pre-scout before the final PPM with the client. We knew the locations we had could push the story further and we had a lot of creative trust. Sometimes small scripts can turn into big stories. Great team!

Why are you looking forward to joining the electriclime° team?

I love the vibe and energy at EL and look forward to working with people who can keep that passion throughout any stage of filmmaking.

Describe your filmmaking style…

In all my work I want to find the humanity in every story and I approach every idea with a lot of energy.