The Hocus Focus crew/

Ove Kenneth Nilsen

Senior editor
The most experienced editor at Hocus Focus. Started up as an editor assistant back in the days and has cut his way towards being one of the best. Ove Kenneth has edited piles of commercials, music videos, trailers, short films and TV series in addition to feature films like ”Max Manus” (2008) and ”The Beautiful Country” (2004). Ove dive into his projects with indefatigable engagement. He is more than happy to work with the director in pre-production and with VFX already in the cutting, using After Effects. Awarded with a range of distinctions. The prestigious D&AD Yellow Pencil award for the Hydro Train commercial is one of them. His latest productions includes the feature film trailer of “Olsenbanden Jr.” (2010) and he also co-edited “En helt vanlig dag på jobben” (2009). Ove Kenneth has a long list of achievements, especially of music videos including artists like Paperboys, Warlocks, Morten Abel, Magne Furuholmen, Emperor, Bertine zetlitz, Maria Mena, Lauren Savoy and Madcon. Some of his latest work includes Calvin Harris, Kano and The Black Sheeps.

Thomas Løvig

Editor
Educated editor from Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio (NISS) and worked a couple of years as a freelancer before settling down at Hocus Focus. Thomas has cut lots and lots of commercials. Actually, so many that he is Hocus Focus’ number one editor of commercials in 2009. Humour is a keyword and the strength of both person and work. Our first employee is strong minded and he knows how a story is to be told most efficiently. For that capacity and many others, Thomas has edited commercials awarded Gullfisken for the best film of the year. Not once (2007), but twice (2008). Thomas has also a special eye for those short films and he has lately focused on “Biltur” (2009), “Lysthus” (2009) and “Lasses Lodd i Livet” (2009). However, Thomas has also got his hands on TV-series and music videos, like Maria Mena’s version of “I was made for loving you baby” (2009) directed by Magnus Martens.

Martin Stoltz Olsen

Editor
Boundless of experience and knowledge, founded on the editing of more than 40 music videos. Educated at the Norwegian Film School, Martin is an editor with an aptitude for music, who love to do sound design on the commercials he cuts. There is therefore no surprise that he is constantly experimenting and moving boundaries between editing and sound. Martin is a versatile kind of guy, working with everything from short film, documentary, concert film, commercials, music videos, art films, TV series and feature films. ”Død Snø/Dead Snow” (2009) was nominated in impressively four categories at this years Scream Award. Work in progress: The documentary feature film of BigBang in concert, reaching the cinema screens by the turn of 2010.

Haavard Albertsen

Senior Mistika operator
Colour grading/ VFX
One of the world’s leading Mistika operators, with more than 10 years of experience and with the accumulated knowledge of more than 15 years in the media business. Haavard thinks and breaths images around the clock and loves his work. He is an educated photographer and editor from Idefagskolen and worked as an editor at TV2 before specialising on Mistika work. Mainly working with colour grading, but combines it with compositing and VFX. For that capacity, Haavard is a popular operator amongst the directors. Hundreds of commercials, TV-series, short films and music videos have run through his advanced and knowledgeable hands. Honoured with SGO Mistika’s Award of Excellence for innovative work. Being one of the founders and partners of Hocus Focus, Haavard is making sure that the company always stays ahead technically to further strengthen creative possibilities. His latest work includes colour grading on several music videos as Yogafire with “Superkul med kniv”, Kano’s “Rock N Roller”, Tone Damli Aaberge’s “Butterflies” and Donkeyboy with “Ambitions”.

Bengt Ove Sannes

Mistika operator/ Technical Manager
Compositing/ VFX
An experienced and competent Mistika operator, focusing on compositing and visual effects. Started up at Hocus Focus as a young trainee with a huge potential and performs accordingly. Bengt Ove has already worked with a great number of commercials, TV-series, documentaries, drama productions and lately focused on music videos. He is also technical manager at Hocus Focus, responsible for our technical workflow, making sure to provide all our customers with the best possible service. Among Bengt Oves’s latest work are colour grading and online on commercials from the highly acclaimed Swedish director Roy Andersson, La Grande Bouffe from another Swedish director, Erik Liss, and the short feature films “The Time in Between” (2009) and “Pigs” (2009). He has also graded “Blod og Ære” which was awarded an Amanda for the Best Norwegian Documentary film of 2008.

Mathias Theissen

Mistika operator/ Colour grading
One of the new members of the Hocus Focus crew. Educated at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Maidstone, with lots of experience as both editor and colourist. Mathias has worked with both commercials and drama production and was responsible for online, colour grading and visual effects on awarded projects like the documentaries “Moderne slaveri/Modern Slavery” (2009) and USA vs. AL-ARIAN (2007). Additionally, our expert user of Final Cut and colour is also and up and coming Mistika operator. He is getting seriously into this grading tool and is currently working with editing and grading on the art film “Abyss”, directed by Knut Åsdam and produced by Filmhuset for an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London.

Henrik Berge

Mastering/ Technical assistant
An enthusiastic and competent second year trainee, who assists the operators with completing projects. As important, Henrik is also working as a high-valued assistant for our editors. Henrik makes the everyday life liveable for the producers by handling media workflow in-house as well as outside the house of Hocus Focus. Further, he is making sure all raw material coming in and going out is handled with great care and is well prepared for our operators. Capturing, logging, syncing, mastering, archiving: No file is too small, no bit rate too high and no format unknown – a technical master mind. Henrik has also edited several show reels, as for photographer Marius Gulbrandsen and Dinamo Advertising, and shows a great potential at the editing table.

Lene Cathrine Albertsen

Managing director/ producer
Leading the crew with a firm hand towards the common objective to be a world class post-production company. With an educational background of export marketing from France, she is not afraid to put those big words of aims and objectives out there. With a focus on the clients AND the employees, she is the primus motor of a working environment in which creativity and professionalism are united. Besides running the freeway of daily business, she is a high-profiled post-producer, with tons of experience and knowledge. Lene is also a partner, who’s sales and marketing skills are some of the key factors of success for the expanding Hocus Focus.

Ole-Arild Svendsen

Producer
With a focus on issues of production and technical challenges, Ole-Arild is Hocus Focus’ other high-profiled producer. Educated as a photographer at Idefagskolen, he has operative experience from numerous productions for NRK, TV2 and independent production companies. His hands-on production experience makes him valuable and appreciated by the many producers in the planning of the post-production process. More advanced technical- and long term productions are among his responsibilities. In his fourteenth year in the business of media production, Ole-Arild is also responsible for the department of film scanning, archive film and restoration. One of the founding fathers and partners of Hocus Focus, with a clear and innovative vision for the company.

Eva Kjersti Pettersen

Production manager
Administering and managing, organising and aiding the producers in the many challenges in the everyday life of post-production. Eva is an educated project manager from BI Norwegian School of Management with psychology skills and a high working capacity. A perfect combination to be able to handle a Hocus Focus crew with efficiency. Our clients have appreciated the always smiling Eva for some time already. However, she is now switching hats from administration to production, continuing to seek solutions rather than problems. As the mother of five, she is certainly used to multitasking.

Anne Roksvåg

Front desk
Another newcomer. Anne is making sure that all of our clients and collaborators are received properly, get what they want and are pleased when they leave. Anne is also an up and coming nutritionist, serving fabulous and healthy lunches, making us ready to accomplish everything and anything. Anne is educated within marketing and communication and her skills as project manager will come in handy as she takes care of the administrative tasks as a part of her work in the administration. Get inspired by her all natural site here: www.mygreenfamily.no/

Preben Grieg-Halvorsen

Sound design
One of two responsible of bringing Hocus Focus into the world of sound in 2010. Our musical alibi has until recently worked at Punch Post Production as a sound designer and composer. Prebens musical talent can also be accessed as he is a live-band member of Savoy, in addition to playing with the artist Lucy Swann. He has a long and impressive list of achievements, including sound design and music to hundreds of commercials for directors like Hans Petter Moland, Joachim Trier, Pål Sletaune and Roenberg. This autumn, Preben has worked with the documentary Norwegian Solution by Emil Trier, among other things.

Anders Moberg

Sound design
The other half of our newly established sound department. Anders has for many years been running his own music studio. With a preference for the unpretentious simplicity of sound in composing and arrangements, he seeks out contrasts and genre transgressing. As happy with acoustic violins as the tearing sound of rave. He has produced, composed and been involved in projects with high-profiled artists like D’sound, Paperboys, Maria Arredondo and Alexander With. He has also worked with international artists at different occasions; Take That (UK), Ronan Keating (UK), Natasha Beddingfield (UK), Sophie Allis Baxtor (UK), Carola(S) and Christian Waltz(S), to mention some of them.

About Hocus Focus/

Hocus Focus was founded in 1999 and is today one of the leading post-production companies in Norway, contributing to the best of commercials, music videos, documentaries and drama productions.

We have superior technical equipment, in a warm and friendly environment, and a team of the most talented and passionate individuals within the industry.

Our focus is to give our clients an inspiring, enjoyable and creative post-production process, that together with a professional workflow will ensure the security of delivery.

An important and unique combination!

Our post-production services are full range; Film scanning, Editing, Colour grading, Online/ Finishing, VFX, 3D/CGI and Sound design.