Max Seeck and Joonas Pajunen realised their youthful dream by directing a film together. Seeck’s reputation as a successful writer helped in the financing negotiations.
A newcomer has entered the domestic horror genre. Or actually, there are two.
In their early forties, Seeck and Pajunen have dreamed of making a film since they were in high school.
– I can say with all my heart that directing a film has been a dream and a dream since I was a little boy,” says Seeck.
Pajunen says that the corona pandemic made the friends’ dream come true.
– We had been talking about making a film for probably 15 years, but we never seemed to find the right moment for it. Then the pandemic emptied the calendars, and we decided to strike, says Pajunen.
“We have friends who got interested right away”
Seeck and Pajunen are visibly excited about their first film. Its birth is quite an exception in the domestic film field.
*Knopping* was made with a \”normal domestic film budget\ i.e. around 1.5 million euros. The film has been sold in more than 70 countries.
Seeck admits that his status as a commercially successful detective writer helped in selling the project to financiers.
– Of course it fuels interest when it has been positively exposed through books and one’s own work, says Seeck.
He reminds that both he and Pajunen have been involved with the business world for a long time before the *Knock* movie.
Seeck has worked as a banker and consultant, and Pajunen runs a Helsinki-based company specializing in video communication. Success as a writer, in particular, increased Seeck’s self-confidence in negotiations.
– It is not completely impossible for us to sit down and ask business representatives if anyone wants to join the project. We have a lot of guys who were interested right away, says Seeck.
The unspoken family at the heart of the film
At the heart of the movie *Knock* is tension, which turns into horror towards the end. Horror is typically a genre that has its own fans. A bit like metal music.
– The main thing about the film is to evoke emotions, and horror is a really fascinating genre for me, says Pajunen.
The choice of horror was also influenced by the original mini-budget.
– Great horror films like *Blair Witch Project* have been made around the world with a small budget. If we had set out to make an action movie with a shoestring budget, it would pale in comparison to a movie with a budget of three million, says Pajunen.
The story of the *Knock* is told through the family. The film begins with a suspected murder, the motives of which are revealed as the film progresses.
The story unfolds through a broken, silent family.
– It certainly resonates with quite a few people precisely because of that, says Seeck.
He says that the choice came about through his own life experience, understanding and the stories he heard.
– Such somewhat distant relationships between family members and not speaking are quite a typical structure, says Seeck.
Keltanoks as mentors
The *Koputus* film has been a special project because Seeck and Pajuse had no prior experience in directing film actors.
– I’ve been told many times that filmmaking is a competitive industry. Making a film is frankly quite difficult. Long training or experience will certainly make it easier to work on set, Seeck thinks.
According to his own words, he and Pajunen jumped right into the deep end while making the film.
– We had no division of labor. We always took a little time for a joint conversation after the shot and then went to work, says Pajunen.
The inexperience of the pair of filmmakers was reflected in the production in many ways, and Pajunen believes that those involved in the making of the film took on more responsibility during filming than usual.
According to Pajunen, the inexperience of the directors was both a challenge and an opportunity for the actors.
– My first feeling was that the Actors found the situation interesting. If in a situation like this one could find a completely new, free approach, Pajunen states.
The duration of the film is an hour and a half, and according to Seeck, it set a limit to what characters can be told in the film.
– It’s a fairly short period of time, which forces you to make certain decisions. The story is the most important and it must move forward, says Seeck.
Hollywood interested in Seeck
In Finland, the film gathered around 14,000 viewers in cinemas during the corona period, but that does not say anything about the film’s international interest. *Evil graves* have been sold in more than 70 countries.
In any case, the filmmakers’ interest in horror is interesting in itself, and an exception in the domestic mainstream.
Max Seeck and Joonas Pajunen have already planned their next film, and horror is also included in it.
– The world of the upcoming film is exciting and there are also big themes in it, but Lajitypti is probably somewhere between sci-fi and horror, says Pajunen.
Joonas Pajunen continues to run his video company after *Koputus*, but Seeck’s plans are open.
He has published seven suspense novels in seven years, and the author feels right now that \”some circle has closed\”.
However, Seeck has an unrealized project pending in Hollywood.
American production company Stampede Vent bought the option of Seeck’s Jessica Niemi book series in 2019, and it may lead to a TV series.
– I was told right from the start that this kind of idea-to-fabric project takes an average of six years in the Yankees. In other words, the series could be seen in 2025. I have mentally prepared for it, and that’s what it looks like, says Seeck.
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