Exclusive Interview: Director John Andreas Andersen Discusses The Burning Sea

Director John Andreas Andersen is leading the next wave of emerging filmmakers ready to make their mark. In his latest film The Burning Sea, an oil platform dramatically goes down on the Norwegian coast. Researchers try to find out what happened when they realize this is the start of something even more serious. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with John about The Burning Sea.

PC: Tell us about The Burning Sea.
John: The Burning Sea is a Norwegian-made action-thriller that takes place in the North Sea. It’s a film where we wanted to see what could happen when you push nature too far and how nature would hit back. That’s the theme of the film.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that it was really important for you as a filmmaker to shoot on location to bring that authenticity. What are some of the challenges of filming on an actual oil rig and on a ship?
John: We shot the whole film on real locations. It was a big challenge to get that access. It’s very hard to get access to an oil rig. It’s difficult in terms of safety, logistics, and all of that. There’s also the political side of it where you’re making a film that is slightly critical of the drilling that’s going on. But the oil industry in Norway really helped us and opened their doors for us. At the end that created that authenticity and it made the process much easier for the actors. When you can stand on an oil rig and you can smell the sea, it’s easier to get invested in the story.

PC: How were you able to create a safe environment on set for the actors to explore, play, and deliver the performances that we see on screen? What was that collaboration like?
John: Every actor is different. They all have different needs. Kristine [Kujath Thorp], who plays the lead in this, is fantastic. She’s a natural, but she has a very different process than other actors that I’ve worked with. I like to call her the lie detector. If anything feels untrue, she can’t do it. In that sense, this was the perfect film for her. She could act on the things happening in front of her and feel it.

I have some tricks that I always use. I always play sounds for the actors and have them react to them. But everything on this set was real, so the actors could react to them. We didn’t use green screens.

PC: The cinematography in this film is absolutely beautiful. Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for audiences to see?
John: Towards the end of the film, we live up to the title of The Burning Sea. There are a lot of cool visuals throughout but especially then. I hope audiences can experience it in the theater and put themselves in a place that many of us will never experience in our daily lives. That’s the allure of this type of film. I was so happy with the cinematography. It has this dirty feel to it but also this realism.

PC: The film has been incredibly well received overseas. What do you think is resonating most with audiences and what do you hope they take away after they see it?
John: First of all, I hope they have a good time at the theater and think it’s thrilling and are entertained. That’s number one. Then I hope that it starts some discussions about the environmental aspects of this film. How long can we keep challenging nature? The North Sea is one of the toughest oceans in the world. The weather there is very, very tough. If you push nature too hard, nature will hit back.

PC: Besides The Burning Sea, what’s next for you?
John: I’ve done my fair share of disaster films. I’ve done two films now. I’m probably going to look into a slightly different genre. I have a couple of projects that I’m developing and hopefully we’ll see them in the future.

To keep up with John, follow him on Instagram. Watch The Burning Sea is in theaters and wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Magnet Releasing