Believe Media has extended its commercial representation for director Fredrik Bäckar to the U.S. market. Bäckar joined Believe Media’s U.K roster in 2020 for representation; there the accomplished cinematographer made his directorial debut, teaming with U.K. executive producer James Covill to create a series of spots for Amazon Prime. .
“Fred and I worked together many years before and when this Amazon project came along, he was the perfect fit,” noted Covill. “He tethered the story together with beautiful imagery and these wonderfully clever vignettes of all the luxuries Prime puts at our fingertips.”
Bäckar shared, “I enjoy the full artistic journey working as a director. When we’re venturing into the scripts and treatment process, we’re focused on every detail to make the story work best. How it looks doesn’t matter if the story doesn’t matter.”
Bäckar is perhaps best known for his iconic frozen moment technique and his landmark spot as director of photography for Philips’ “Carousel,” directed by Adam Berg. Through the years, Bäckar has enjoyed close collaborations on commercial projects with directors Fredrik Bond, Andreas Nilsson, Jeff Lowe, Traktor, and the Pelorian Brothers to name a few.
“Undeniably Fred’s frozen moment techniques have been his calling card across the industry,” said Marc Benardout, Believe Media executive producer for U.S. territories. “The intricacies and precision of his technical methods have nurtured Fred’s craft for many years and has positioned him resolutely as one of the best visually compelling storytellers in the business. We’re honored to represent him in both territories and continue to grow his influence across the advertising landscape.”
Native to Sweden, Bäckar first worked at the start-up of a local television station which opened many opportunities for him to shoot. He then made the move to Los Angeles where he attended film classes and watched every film released in the cinema for the next two years. Returning to Sweden, Bäckar worked as a photography assistant and eventually back to London where he completed his filmmaking degree at London International Film School. There, he crossed paths with Max Jacoby, whom gave Bäckar his first feature film (Dust) as director of photography.
While his feature credits as DP include work alongside director David Fincher on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (for additional cinematogaphy; Jeff Cronenweth earned an Oscar nomination as the film’s DP) and actor Anthony Hopkins on Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, Bäckar has also enjoyed a breadth of acclaimed work in the commercial world as a cinematographer for Coca-Cola’s 2019 Clio shortlisted “Take it Lightly,” and ‘Dadsong’ from Old Spice’s “Smellcome to Manhood” campaign. Bäckar has cultivated work with agencies Grey London, Ingo, Publicis UK, and Wieden+Kennedy and spots with global brands Gillette, Jeep, Old Spice, Pepsi, and Sony, among others.
“My partnership with Believe thus far has been an exciting creative endeavor,” concludes Bäckar. “We have a fantastic shorthand, and I look forward to recreating that with the team in North America.”
