Some Selected Projects
Here are some of the great creations from Qvisten’s 23 years of production!
Who says that commercials can’t have feature film quality? We put the team from Knutsen & Ludvigsen on the case, and the result is 6 charming spots that Gjensidige could use on various social media. We loved bringing back the iconic characters from the beloved film series of Olsenbanden, and we are pleased to see that the generel public approved.
See the full selection of films by clicking here.
The stop-motion freature film Hakkebakkeskogen aka “In the Forest of Huckbucky” had its premiere the 25th of December 2016.
Based on Thorbjørn Egner’s beloved classic from 1952, the film features recompositions by the band Katzenjammer of the original songs by Egner & Hartmann. This is our 3rd puppet movie animated here in Norway, and we’ve already started working on our fourth. We are very proud of reinvigorating this amazing technique in Norway, and we’re so inspired by all the wonderful talent we’re accruing at our studio at Grini, Bærum, Norway.
This short is a mix of CG characters and classical hand-drawn animation. The truly cute and quirky characters and story, were first envisioned by Norwegian illustrator Lisa Aisato. Qvisten acted as the hub of the production, with Kristin Ulseth from Maipo film directing, and Sparkle Animation in Portugal supplying the 2D-animation.
Lisa took on drawing the backgrounds herself, only later did she discover the scale of her undertaking!
The movie is currently touring the festival-circuit (Stuttgart, Berlinale etc.), and won best animated short at the Tribeca film festival, curated by Whoopi Goldberg.
Our 2nd feature about the famous trio from Flåklypa.
The last cheese race between Flåklypa and Slidre was a draw. When the traditional rivalry between them flares up again after years, two teams of three set out to defend their villages’ honour. Whichever team manages to tow a wheel of cheese to the finish line first wins. But for Solan the magpie, hedgehog Ludvig and Reodor, there’s more at stake – they’re competing to save house and home. And the race proceeds at an unexpectedly tearing pace. In this action-packed stop-motion animated feature by Rasmus A. Sivertsen, the figures whirling across the screen are not just cartoons, but downright loveable characters. Even the secondary characters are designed with great detail. The hedgehog who can’t deal with life, the wild great ape, the drowsy TV reporter – they’re characters that will stick with audiences, young and old. “The Big Cheese Race” is a children’s film that will appeal to adults as well.
The movie premiered in Oslo on the 25th of December 2015.
Amnesty works to prevent human rights violations. To illustrate such horrific actions, and distance the viewers enough, so they still will be able to take action. We chose to mix live-action footage of sets and add motion-captured actors on top. The CG-models are well integrated, so even though we are watching stick-figures, the action and message clearly translates.
Knutsen & Ludvigsen are two small guys who live in a tunnel, with a badger in the ceiling. They sing, play and argue the days away, until a young lady in peril, Amanda suddenly fall off the train – inside their tunnel! Amandas father has been kidnapped and our brave heroes, Knutsen and Ludvigsen valiantly offers to help.
The quest takes the trio through Norwegian landscape all the way to Bergen, where the battle for world domination will stand. It is a perilous and amazing journey where they encounter among others: an unfortunate pig, three fast-talking rats, and a ghost from the deep Norwegian woods.
Will they save the professor in time? Can you play on the piano tie? And what really happens when you flush a badger down the toilet?
The movie premiered 25th of September 2015.
Animation doesn’t have to be for Kids! And we surely proved this with our collaboration with artist and comic-book writer Christopher Nielsen. Based on a short comic by Nielsen, this short follows naked characters trapped in a an Escalator eternally travelling downwards, into the unknown Abyss.
No one knows what lies at the top, or the bottom, but surely it must be better at the top, not at the bottom with the losers.
If you want to watch the whole movie you can purchase it on vimeo by following this link:
https://vimeo.com/104870703
Showing off all terrains sports-chain XXL sells equipment for, we pressed them into a single stadium. This short clip was used in many combinations with tag-ons etc.
Production Company Monster wanted a new look for their intros/outros. The character designs they handled themselves, but when they wanted them to move they came to us. All 5 characters got their own “mini-movies” which we also merged together in different versions. The logo itself also got animated related to its differing designs, like the hairy and slime-versions.
The films about Twigson tells the story of Junior, a quick-witted boy who moved from the city to the country side and needed to make new friends. One day he finds the wooden twig “TWIGSON” and the imaginary, but very good friendship begins….Together they embark on small adventures.
Tough? Yes. Brave? Yes. A twig? Yes. Ordinary? Never! Because twigs like Twigson don’t grow on trees.
Gore Tex emphasises its textile’s excellency by arranging a mountain trip everyone can sign up for. The guide is Edurne Pasaban, the world’s most famous female climber. The theme is called “history tours” and the route is the same as Lucy Walker took in 1864. This story is read by the tour guide, and we’ve told it wholly in Gore Tex. This is an ancient form of Photoshop, where the layers are glass tables stacked in a rack. We’ve cut and glued and placed elements on these surfaces to create depth, then the pieces have painstakingly been moved, frame by frame, to give life to this story only by using Gore Tex.
The task was to give McDonalds attention for their use of products from Norwegian farmers, but quite many producers are communicating the same thing… We decided to hand-make marionettes, and accompany them with music by Ronan Keating, to show the love between the norwegian farmes and McDonalds.
The famous blue cow represents the Norwegian classic chocolate “Stratos”. This time Qvisten and Nidar teamed up with the band Madcon, to create the music for this commercial and add the band members as their own characters.
Guri and Gursjan are two lonely punk rockers in the big city. They both try their best to be rebels, but that’s not easy when the world around them wants everyone to be the same. At the very least, it would be nice if they could meet and stop being lonely. But how?
Qvisten was tasked by NRK to create a new intro for “Barne-TV” in 2002.
After several incarnations, Fantorangen was one of the creatures which emerged from this process, and he has later become a staple of NRKSuper.
Since his inception, Qvisten has done some changes, like chopping down his trunk and making his universe more tactile.
Qvisten is proud of having created Fantorangen, and that he has become an icon for all the nation’s children, and is one of our most well-known entertainment-products.
2015’s campaign-film for Operation Day’s Work (ODW) is based on illustrations by Magnus Voll Mathiassen. Qvisten has developed the look into a motion-graphics film.
This year’s campaign was for the benefit of Amnesty Norway’s work for sexual and reproductive rights in Chile, Peru and Argentina. The Campaign was named #medlikrett (#withequalrights), and the goal of the film was to awaken youth’s curiosity and play on feelings that are mutual for most, independent of nationality.
We have made two features about Ploddy the Police Car.
“Ploddy the Police Car on the case” won the Amanda for Best Children’s Film in 2012.
When the beautiful nature reserve Eagle Park is opened, keeping its precious eagles safe becomes Ploddy the Police Car’s number one job. After the eagle and many other animals go missing, Ploddy needs the help of his funny otter friend, Doris, to track the disappearances. With a newly hatched baby eagle riding along under his hood, Ploddy and Doris investigate some mysterious campers in the park and crack the case!
“Ploddy the Police Car makes a splash” is a 3d animated film.
A powerful autumn storm cuts the power lines providing the small Norwegian town of Bodø with electricity. Ploddy the Police Car heroically pulls a new cable across the mountain and against the wind so the town can have light and heating back again. After finishing the job, Ploddy accidentally touches a live electric cable and is jolted by a powerful shock. Everyone in Bodø fears that the strain was too much for little Ploddy, but something wonderful happens and Ploddy returns better than ever as an electric car. Full of pure energy, Ploddy investigates the town’s missing water supply and the attempt by the Badger brothers to get rich selling bottled water during the crisis.
We constantly have great people working with us on particular projects, often for a long time. In fact, we often forget that they aren’t with us permanently. So here’s a big thank you, you all know who you are!
Ove Heiborg
Producer/Owner
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
Director/Owner
Fredrik Kiøsterud
General Manager
Lise Osvoll
Director
William Ashurst
Animation Director
Are Austnes
Production Designer
William Eckbo Avgerinos
CG Animator
David Beer
CG Animator
Carl Corneil
Technical Animator
Irene Sødal Dietrichson
Producer
Georg Barlindhaug Ellingsen
Studio Manager (Paternity Leave)
Steven Elvesæter
VFX Supervisor
Ingvild Evjemo
Producer
Alexander Edvard Fusdahl
CG Generalist
Espen Netland Jakobsen
Modeller
Todor Iliev
Director of Animation
Eva K. Jansson
Graphic Designer
Jo Jürgens
Pipeline TD
Kristian Karijord
Compositor
Cecilie Koller
CFO & Administration
Raymond Kreppene
Render / Comp. Supervisor
Henrik Linnes
Modeller
Álvaro Alonso Lomba
Head of Stop-Motion VFX Department
Frode Mohrsen
Character TD
Yaprak Morali
Animation Supervisor
Arnfinn Moseng
Line Producer
Anja Nicolas
Producer (Maternity Leave)
Torbjørn Nymark
Lighting & Comp
Elisabeth Opdal
Producer (Maternity Leave)
Vibeke Cleaverley Rodriguez
Animator
Alexander Rydberg
IT-Manager
Emma Rydberg
Office Coordinator (Maternity Leave)
Heidi Sandberg
Producer
Eirik Smidesang Slåen
Producer – Feature
Anne-Grethe Thillesen
Accounting manager
Randi Vedeld
Modelling Supervisor
Borja Veganzones
Senior Lighting TD
Svein Otto Vesteng
Modeller
Ola Haldor Solvik Voll
CG Artist
Morten Øverlie
Animation Supervisor (Paternity Leave)
