“LAMB” Director Valdimir Johansson The most important thing in movies is “sound” [Director’s Interview Vol.239]

Everyone believed in this work

Q: It may be a luxurious work in the sense that it took a long time to shoot, but the actual filming took place on a minimal site with only 35 people, a very small cast, and the setting was only in the mountains, so I imagine it was a production with a low budget. However, the vast nature, natural light, weather such as fog and rain, and the animals all create rich and luxurious images on the screen. Was the technique of making it look rich even with a low budget something that you were conscious of from the planning and scripting stages?

Johansson: Thank you. That's exactly what I was aiming for. I wanted to make sure that the parts that cost money were felt on the screen, and that's what I was talking about with the producers from the beginning. In fact, all the staff on this production know each other. We were working with only our families and familiar staff, and we all helped out in different departments and did everything we could.

The success of this project is thanks to everyone believing in this work. I always had friends behind me who saved me. That gave me a great sense of security. The story was a risky project, so if we had made one wrong move it could have been a failure. But we still wanted to do this work. To do that, we all needed to give it our all.

Q: What specifically did you feel was risky?

Johansson: It had to be Ada. If Ada hadn't come to fruition, it might have become a comedy (laughs).

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Q: It is also interesting that while working on art and special effects for Hollywood blockbusters, you also took film classes from director Tarr Béla (who is executive producer of this film). Hollywood blockbusters and Tarr Béla's films seem to have opposing styles at first glance, but what did you learn from each of them?

Johansson: Hollywood blockbuster crews often come to Iceland, and by having the opportunity to work on such projects I was able to learn a lot about the filmmaking process and what is possible on set.

I also spent a lot of time with Tarr Béla. He always said, "Be 100% honest with yourself," "Make what you believe in," and "Make what you believe in." I learned a lot just by listening to his advice, and I am truly grateful.

It's great to be excited about talking about movies.