Collection 4 THE NORTH

MATS UDD Mats Udd is a really special young director
from Sweden. There is no way you
haven‘t come across one of his really
breathtaking music videos that are
taking youtube by storm. Coming from
a small town in the heart of Sweden he
has been traveling and filming in all
possible continents creating a world
full of mysticism and wonder, full of
blood and magic, strange shapes
and all things surreal. A man with a vision, that is all
his own, he talks to us about what he really wants to
create and how it is coming from Sweden.
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Photo by Ole Kirchmeier
Interview by
Amanda M Jansson and Emma E K Jones
www.vimeo.com/matsudd
KALTBLUT: You make lots of different videos. What kind of
video do you really prefer making though?
Mats: I‘ve always been a fan of storytelling, and I can do funny videos
and videos with no point at all and even though it‘s great to do different things
I really prefer to find my self in some sureallistic world where everything is possible. To put
characters in strange situations, play with animal masks, make something different. The Susanne Sundfør
video White Foxes is a good example of a video of a combination of a somehow beautiful and un-natural world where
you actually can have a brain tumor shaped as a foster of a fox. That‘s the kind of world I belong in.
KALTBLUT: Are there any places in Sweden that you really love shooting at? Why is that so? What opportunities does Sweden offer in terms of
location?
Mats: Every year I find Sweden more and more exotic. We have great nature and it‘s probably where I get most of my inspiration from. We also have a
long time of tradition where you can find the soul of Sweden. There is something very sad about these good years now turning into bad times. People
moving away from small towns. Shops closing down etc. I won‘t say I like it but I find something in it which is very sad, but also touching and beautiful.
The countryside of Sweden will always be in my heart.
KALTBLUT: Where does your fascination with blood and the macabre come from?
Mats: Don‘t know where it started but during my teenage years I always looked after the most extreme stuff on videos that you could get. I always had
a great interest in serial killers, occult stuff and just very bizarre kind of movies. I guess I‘m fascinated to experience how much stuff I could handle,
and also to lose the limit of what you could show to an audience. If there is someone saying „oh you can‘t show so much blood“ that won‘t be me. I
guess I also have a feeling for showing things that the audience didn‘t know that they wanted to see.
KALTBLUT: What was your toughest, bad luck situation that happened to you while filming, and how did you deal with it?
Mats: One time we did this video which was all about the artist on a delivery trike, the problem was just that the trike‘s breaks stopped working during
the shot and we were driving so fast down a hill and I was so glad he didn‘t drive off the road or into another car. I‘m sure he would have died. I‘m
sure the video would had some more views on youtube… but still.
KALTBLUT: Have you ever worked with an artist you always admired? How was it?
Mats: Yeah, I actually have worked a few times with bands and artists I really admired years before I got the opportunity to make their videos. Joel
Alme is a great example of that. I loved his first album and on his second album I got to do the video. It‘s a bit surreal but fun.
KALTBLUT: You are traveling a lot. How does this change your perspective of things, how do you see the world differently, and how does Sweden and
Stockholm change in your eyes?
Mats: I‘ve been visiting the biggest cities in the world, but I also visited very poor areas in Asia and India which gives me a perspective and I can see
how good Sweden really is. Therefore I try to take every opportunity I can to fight the rascism in Sweden. Most people in Sweden live a very healthy
and rich life and and they should obviously be helping other people.