The movie is being produced by a small team lead by Samuli Torssonen, supported by a large group of both amateur and professional volunteers interested in the project. As the production team is self taught, In the Pirkinning could be called an amateur movie - but we are aiming at professional standards in all aspects of the production (except acting, even though we do our best it is more or less impossible to find a cast of experienced actors for a project of this size and budget).

 

The root of all evil. He began making Star Wreck films as early as 1992, but had no idea back then what it would lead to over the next decade. In In the Pirkinning, Samuli was responsible for both editing and visual effects, as well as funding and keeping the team together. Oh, and he was also one of the primary screenwriters, together with Rudi. At the moment, the Tampere-born producer/CEO/3D wizard is working on his new film, Iron Sky.

Email: samuli.torssonen@starwreck.com IRC: Pirk

Timo is a film director from Tampere. Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning was his first feature-length film, before which he had visited various amateur films both as an actor and a director. His interest in directing and visual expression was sparked sometime in his tender teenage years, and he was added to the Wreck crew roster in the summer of 1996, when the first live-action Star Wreck film needed a “tall and loud guy” to play the part of Dwarf. After Star Wreck, Timo is continuing with the same team, working on his next film Iron Sky, again as director.

Email: timo.vuorensola@starwreck.com IRC: LeonBlank

Atte says: "It has been a pleasure to watch Star Wreck progress from a garage production to an impressive science fiction epic. Timo asked me to play a minor character in In the Pirkinning sometime in 1999. Nowadays I'm involved with pretty much everything in this project. Although I don't have formal training in moviemaking, I have noticed that believing in what you do can take you far. The sixth episode in this series will show what a small group can achieve with modern technology and determination."

Email: atte.joutsen@starwreck.com IRC: Yo-zen

Sami is the guy bearing the burden in this project - quite literally. When filming, the camera can usually be found on either a tripod or on Sami's shoulders and after shooting ten-hours on location even a modern DV camera can start to feel quite heavy. Outside work, Sami is pretty mysterious but it is rumoured he is an avid film enthusiast.

For Esa, music has always been a part of life. "During elementary school I went to a music school, where I learnt the fundamentals of musical theory and especially classical music. Later on I caught the club music fever, and I started producing it on a computer myself once I got my first soundcard in the mid-90s. I went through a phase of hard techno/goa, but these days my own production is mainly house music with soul and jazz influences, in addition to the movie soundtrack of course. I think music must have soul and depth."

Tapani began playing guitar at the age of seven, at the Seinäjoki music school. That period lasted for eight years, and at the same time, he developed an interest in composing. Tapani was introduced to Star Wreck as an extra in one of the many sessions at the Festia building of the Tampere University of Technology; after which his interest in film music led him to compose much of the soundtrack. In the field of film music, Tapani’s idol of sorts is Hans Zimmer, and his taste in music also includes classical and metal. At the moment, Tapani works at the sound studio he founded with his musician friends in Tampere, Adamantium Studios, as producer and composer. He – together with the rest of the Adamantium crew – have a part in creating the music for Energia’s next film, Iron Sky.

Email: tapani@adamantiumstudios.com WWW: www.adamantiumstudios.com

Rudi is a veteran writer of the Star Wreck series, being responsible for the storylines and poor excuses for humour in almost all the films so far (the exceptions being Star Wreck 1 and 4½). He wrote parts of In the Pirkinning all the way from England, although he also ended up working on the script on a number of visits to Finland. Rudi has especially fond memories of the occasion when he happened to be enjoying a quiet pint or ten down the pub with some friends while Timo & co. were filming. Our esteemed director decided he wanted some changes to the scene being shot, so Rudi had to quickly come up with new lines for the actors over a mobile phone...

Jarmo joined the Star Wreck team when Samuli was looking for a fresh angle to the script, early in the production of In the Pirkinning. Jarmo has ever since played an active part in creating the script, brainstorming, commenting, fine-tuning, complaining and writing. In addition, he is in a large part responsible for the functioning, or lack thereof, of these pages. The next feature film of Energia Productions, Iron Sky, is based on an original idea by Jarmo Puskala, and he is also actively involved in the screenwriting team for the film.

Email: jarmo.puskala@starwreck.com IRC: Rigi

Eki has been involved in the project as an advisor in 3D graphics and postproduction. He also modelled the original Kickstart bridge. Eki's craft can be seen in several Finnish TV programmes, such as Hockey Night and the Formula 1 intro on MTV3.

WWW: http://www.kolumbus.fi/erkki.halkka/