On My Radar: Torstein Bjørklund

What is the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently? 

McCann New Zealand recently invited me to direct a commercial that I thought had a really clever creative. It’s for yoghurt, and the line they’d cooked up was 'so thick you can eat it with a fork'. 

First thing I did when touching down in New Zealand was to head to the supermarket, buy the yoghurt and try it for myself. Because, can you really? Like the infamous ‘it’s toasted’ line from Mad Men, it sparks curiosity. And now I’m like; who would pick the yoghurt you need a spoon to eat?!

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

Boring answer, but YouTube. After going premium, I can now watch cool ads without having to endure shitty ads in between. Peak life for me. 

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

A really, really big power bank. I fly small airplanes in my spare time, and believe it or not, we love to use an iPad (fully charged!) for navigation up there.

What product could you not live without? 

My steam iron. Had my current one for 15 years, still going strong. I iron all my clothes, plus the sheets. It’s my 'me-time', and after I started ironing my girlfriend’s clothes too, she respects it.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

Train Dreams. I love a slow-paced yet precisely told story.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Honestly, Titanic - on the big screen. I choose it because I’ve met people recently who haven’t seen it at all, which prompts a public service announcement from me. And I refuse to be embarrassed! To me it’s one of the Wonders of the World, like a maximalistic fresco painting, a baroque opus saying something about who we humans are, and what we can achieve if armed with 24 images per second. 

Maybe it’s because I was too little to be allowed into the cinema in 1997, but when I saw it screened recently in 70mm, I cried when Rose exits the car at the docks. Her gloved hand is the first we see of her, before the giant hat fills the lens, motivating the jib down for her starlet close-up. It’s peak cinema, and you’re wrong if you say otherwise.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

None of them. Does anybody still like social media?

What’s your favourite TV show?

I prefer watching movies!

What’s your favourite podcast?

Scriptnotes, by John August and Craig Mazin. A gem for anyone up for a good old, nerdy chat about anything screenwriting.

What have you been most inspired by recently?

How Norwegians came together this summer, both celebrating how far we got in the World Cup and for mourning the passing of our beloved King. Us Norwegians are still pretty darn good at unifying, and that is comforting and inspiring to me!

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?

This one is easy; Radiohead! Do people answer with anything else?

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

Less fear! When an edit is about to be approved, it can sometimes feel as if the aim is to not be noticed, to not stick your head out. Needless to say, it’s the opposite that sells the product, and it surprises me how easily this simple truth can be forgotten. You gotta risk being noticed to be noticed!