How Martin de Thurah helmed a Viking voyage

What was the brief like for this project? Can you tell us about the creative process for crafting a story of this magnitude?

It was a commissioned project from the National Museum of Denmark. There was an initial idea, based on the writings about the original raid. Since none of the Vikings kept a diary on the raids, the nature of the project of course entailed a portion of creative freedom. We had many talks about the viking era, the stories where we needed to be precise, and where we could take liberties. 

I wanted to steer away from the tonality and plot-orientation of already well-known shows like Games of Thrones, Vikings etc.

This particular raid is one of the most well-documented voyages of the Vikings. That said, since it’s so long ago, which means we have to make many assumptions. For me, I wanted to make the film in an impressionistic and open way. It would serve as a kind of time machine, which would take the audience out of their ordinary life while entering the exhibition and open their minds to a different time.

Were there any films or directors who particularly inspired your creative vision for The Raid?

Not exactly, but I wanted to steer away from the tonality and plot-orientation of already well-known shows like Games of Thrones, Vikings etc.

Since none of the vikings kept a diary on the raids, the nature of the project of course entailed a portion of creative freedom.

Where was the film shot? How did you decide on the location? 

We had a limited budget, so we were able to rent one viking ship. We shot in the Roskilde Fjord and in an open-air viking museum in North Zealand in Denmark. It was a five day shoot, and we were lucky to have many talented and dedicated people on the team. From my Bacon family who produced the film to the entire cast and crew including the many viking enthusiasts who stepped up as extras. 

Above: The Raid was set in North Zealand and Roskilde Fjord, Denmark

What led to the decision for some scenes to be black and white, and others in colour? 

We wanted to break the expectations of the language of the film, and changed from black and white to colour as felt needed. 

We had historians on set, and sometimes we needed to redo a scene, because a sword turned out to be wrong. 

To what degree was VFX involved? 

There was quite a lot of VFX, which BaconX executed to a tee. Just look at all the ships in the final film. But also we made a lot of in-camera trickery whenever possible. 

Above: The Raid switches between colour and monochrome scenes

The soundtrack is completely enchanting, it really immerses us in the story  - how was it composed, and why did you choose to also have a narration running throughout the film? 

Yes, the brilliant composer Ida Duelund (who worked alongside Maria Jagd) and I met many times. We listened to music and made a library of sounds and mood ideas. I then wrote little story narratives for Ida to compose from. This was an incredibly fruitful collaboration. Duelund also did a lot of free improvisations with Maria, which echo throughout the whole piece. I am so very thankful for this collaboration, because it somehow carries the most significant identity for the film. 

At the end of the film where we see the rune stone, a light would turn on in the exhibition and the audience realised that they were standing right next to the actual stone.

For the narration, we got singer Kira Skov to speak, which added a lot of feeling. This element is of course also a practical element to convey some of the historical facts. 

Above: The Raid playing in situ at the Museum of Denmark

As well as the story, elements such as costumes, weapons, and interior design needed to be historically accurate to feel authentic - was there a lot of communication between the creatives and historians? 

The commissioner Jeanette Varberg and the whole team of historians working at the museum were available throughout the whole process. We had many discussions about where we were going with the story. 

We also had historians on set, and sometimes we needed to redo a scene, because a sword turned out to be wrong. It is of course a different challenge to work with the constraints of trying to be as historically accurate as possible, so close dialogue was important.

 It took both creativity and hard work for everyone on the team to make it happen, and somehow we still managed to have fun in the process.

Do you feel having the film situated within arms’ reach of real Viking artefacts changed the experience of viewing it in any way? 

At the end of the film where we see the rune stone, a light would turn on in the exhibition and the audience realised that they were standing right next to the actual stone. This is of course the kind of fun immersive experience that is impossible to recreate when people watch it from home.