David Lynch is currently, as we know, preparing his surprise return to Twin Peaks. But as if to demonstrate that Lynch doesn't have the monopoly on episodic oddity, Aleksander Nordaas, the Norwegian director of the excellent Thale (tah-lay), is launching his own web series, Made In Mosjøen. Thale's stars Silje Reinåmo and Jon Sigve Skard are among the cast. See what you make of the extended teaser trailer below...
Speaking to Empire, Nordaas explains that releasing a free series is "sort of my personal tryout and response to what happened with Thale. After the release, I was absolutely thrilled by the growing interest among the international audience, but I wasn't equally thrilled about the numerous pirate-versions appearing all over. I decided to initiate a dialogue with the filesharers, and what I thought was going to be a major 'screw you' response actually turned out quite informative.
"Releasing Made In Mosjøen for free is not me giving into piracy and throwing more traditional release models overboard. As this is my personal project, it's a chance for me to actually try to play a bit of ball with the filesharers and gain some audience insight, which I believe is vital knowledge to be able to survive as a filmmaker in the rapid evolving market. As far as I'm concerned, not being flexible means eventually breaking.
"I'm now investing a whole lot of time, money and energy in trying to create an appealing first season, with the aim of releasing it simultaneously with a crowdfunding campaign, trying to hook backers for the follow-up season while the first one is still hot. So if all goes well, the free release and the crowdfunding combined creates a 'circle of life' for Made in Mosjøen."
The series is currently in post-production and will appear in full online sometime in the autumn. You can follow its progress on its Facebook page.
Nordaas has also begun development and pre-production on a Thale sequel. "The folklore is rich and full of action-horror potential," he tells us, " but we want to take the proper time needed getting the story balanced before jumping into production..."