We had a chat with director, VFX artist, and videographer Mathias Toven — almost ten years in the game, sharpening his focus and chasing a long list of passion projects. We talked about his Houdini-heavy VFX work on a BI commercial that had both his computers rendering until his bedroom overheated, his dark and dreamlike visual style rooted in late-night street photography, and why he believes reality is more flawed than we like to think.

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Mathias Toven, and I’m a director, VFX artist, and videographer. I mainly work within commercials and social media, but I’ve explored most areas of the industry over the past ten years.

My motto is that anything is possible if you have enough passion, time, and hard work. Right now, I’m trying to sharpen my focus and find a more sustainable balance between work and passion, while making time to develop my own projects.

What is the latest project you worked on that you are proud of?

Last year, I worked on VFX for a commercial for BI with Aparent.

It involved a lot of work and a lot of rendering. At one point, I was rendering simultaneously on both my work computer and my home setup. My bedroom was running so hot from the render load that it was uncomfortable for nearly a month.

Seeing the commercial play in a cinema before a film made it all worth it.

If your work could give the audience one feeling, what would it be?

When I think about my style, I often go back to a hobby I had in my early 20s. I used to walk through the city at night, searching for images and small stories to capture.

Those dark streets felt like a space somewhere between reality and a dream. That sense of mystery and visual darkness has stayed with me and continues to influence my work.

Who in Oslo should get the spotlight next, and why?

I think you should interview Ask Sunde. He’s one of the wild cards of the industry in Oslo, a bit of a mad genius.I used to work with him at "hugefilm", and he took me on some pretty wild adventures. At one point, we dismantled a stationary computer, packed it into a suitcase, traveled to Los Angeles, and worked out of Airbnbs for a month. We were so focused on work that we barely saw the city, but it’s a memory that has stayed with me.

CONTACT:

IG: @mathiastoven