The Art of Genre-Bending: Q&A with Naive
- Henrik Friberg
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Next up in our Q&A series, we go behind the scenes with Naive, a studio that defines itself by being "bold-hearted and genre-bending."
We sat down to chat with Oskar Gullstrand (Founder & Director), William Colling (3D Lead) and Jonas Lindman (Art Director & Animation) to discover what makes Naive a rare hybrid in the industry, their deep commitment to character and story, and more!
Henrik: "Hi guys, thanks for taking the time today! Let's jump right into it!
Naive operates as a unique hybrid, housing visionary live-action directors alongside a full in-house VFX and animation studio. When an agency brings you a brief, how does having both of those worlds under one roof change the creative process from day one?"
Oskar: "Having both skillsets under one roof gives us a real creative advantage. It removes limitations when shaping or refining an idea, allowing us to approach every brief with complete creative freedom.
Our directors, VFX artists, and animators collaborate from day one, exploring ideas through R&D, concept development, and hands-on experimentation.
At its core, this allows us to push ideas further and confidently present a direction we truly believe in."
Henrik: "Your portfolio is very diverse, tackling everything from gritty video game cinematics for Raw Fury to commercial campaigns for Lidl and Sellpy. You describe your own work as "Genre-Bending". How do you maintain a Naive signature across such wildly different visual styles?"
Jonas: "For us, the Naive signature is not defined by a single visual style, but by a consistent standard of quality in the work and a never-ending curiosity to explore different tools, styles, and art direction.
We like to believe there is a playful quality to everything we do, and we always want to infuse the work with a strong storytelling element. And even though we use a lot of digital tools, we always want the human side of the work to shine through."
Henrik: "Looking at your character animation work, it is clear you're masters at making digital creations feel alive. Creating characters that audiences actually connect with is notoriously difficult. What is your secret to injecting soul and personality into a 3D or 2D design?"
William: "Yes, there’s something truly magical about seeing a character come to life :) There’s no real secret, we just love it. We put in the time, and work with really talented people who care about the craft as much as we do."
Henrik: "As a studio built to realize ambitious ideas and complex productions, what is one crucial piece of advice you would give to a Creative Director when they are first pitching a wild, out-of-the-box concept to you?"
Oskar: "Call us early in the process, before you present too much to the client, because things can get boxed in quite quickly.
There is nothing more sad than a great idea being watered down because its greatness was not properly explained. We can help refine it, push it further, and get it approved for production.
If that means making some previz, R&D, design tests, or calculating an early estimate, we’ll do whatever is needed to get people on board."
Henrik: "You have created magic for a huge variety of clients. As a key part of the SweetSpot roster, and looking at the year ahead, what specific type of project, visual challenge, or industry are you most hungry to dive into next?"
Jonas: "We’re really keen to dive even deeper into the pool of hybrid craft. There are so many new and fun tools out there to play with, and we want to use them all!
We’d love to do more projects where we get to play with our full skillset at the same time: our storytelling and technical skills, combined with some really out-there live action and crafty animation."
Henrik: "Thank you for the insights, Naive! Your approach to injecting real soul into digital characters and bridging the gap between live-action and animation is exactly what makes your work so memorable. We are beyond proud to have your powerhouse team on the SweetSpot roster!"
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