Peter Harton: A Few Of My Favourite Things
Moxie Pictures' Danish comedy director talks us through some nifty stamps, a photo in a photo and... ahem... an expressive prop from his TV show Rytteriet.
One of Denmark’s most celebrated and awarded comedy directors, Peter Harton certainly has a cheeky take on the items he keeps to maintain his creativity.
With a career in commercials since 2004, during which he has picked up Cannes Lions, Clio, Epica, Ciclope, D&AD, and Creative Circle Awards, the Moxie Pictures director's unique comedic sensibilities and cinematic storytelling make for a hilarious body of work.
From hanging in a hammock to an awkward autograph exchange, Harton shares the anecdotes and accounts behind the items that keep him inspired.
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The Hammock
This is my office hammock.
I cherish my hammock.
I spend a lot of time here.
Never confuse inactivity with laziness.
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The Poster
A poster from a Fassbinder exhibition in Berlin years back.
Fassbinder managed to do 40 feature films, 24 plays, television series, and a bunch of other stuff before he died at age 37.
I am 47.
I have done one play and am still working on my debut feature film.
JETZT means now, so when I (quite often) plunge into a wormhole of procrastination, I glance at the poster and get my ass back into gear.
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The Books
Chris Ware’s work blows me away.
It started with Jimmy Corrigan - The Smartest Kid On Earth. After reading that, I started collecting.
His work is irresistibly beautiful, both simple and complex.
His characters are present, real, and loveable.
He masters a very fine line between tragedy and comedy.
The Prop
This is an artefact from the first season of Rytteriet [Harton's Danish TV series] where we meet Stripper Jens: a young man growing up in the countryside with his parents and sister.
Jens wants to be a stripper, which his father does not appreciate.
He always ends up being sent to the shed, where he carves wooden penises inspired by Astrid Lindgren’s character Emil.
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The Photo Photo
This is an image of Michael Gira (Swans) holding a photo of me as a 5-year-old.
My wife, who is an artist, was doing some portraits of him after a show in Berlin, and I managed to sneak this one in.
I am a huge fan of Michael Gira.
He is a true artist who never gives in to compromise.
Swans and his other projects are an endless source of inspiration to me.
I like to listen to his music when I write.
The photo hangs proudly in the office toilet, so I get to look at it every time I pee.
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The Stamps
I got these stamps from my DOP friend Jens Maasbøl.
I use them when breaking down a scene.
Super helpful, so consider this a high recommendation.
Thanks, Jens!
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The Record
I was at a Q&A after a screening of a documentary about Matt Johnson of The The.
He was there, and I had brought one of my favourite albums for him to sign.
I was not the only one, and I intentionally got in the back of the line, so I was last and could have a brief and pleasant conversation with him.
When it became my turn, I got starstruck, and my brain turned into guacamole instantly. I could only grunt some very awkward sounds, and I think I scared him.
Once he had signed the record, he hurried off, so if anyone reading this knows him, please apologize on my behalf.