Juha Seitajärvi utilizes social media to uncover filming locations in Finland

Juha Seitajärvi, a researcher at the National Audiovisual Institute, is utilizing social media to gather information about filming locations and creators of movies shot in Finland. His focus is primarily on narrative films that lack adequate documentation. Collaborating with local experts, he has gained valuable insights from cities like Pori and Turku.

One film of particular interest to Seitajärvi is “Killer Seconds,” a sports movie filmed in Turku during the 1980s. The script was reportedly located with the lead actor, adding to its historical significance. Seitajärvi uses social media groups to share images from films and engage with users to identify potential filming sites. The responses he receives are genuine and essential to his research.

While some filming schedules are available, they are often incomplete due to last-minute changes that occur during production. Therefore, Seitajärvi turns to social media experts to provide accurate location details. For example, he successfully compiled locations for director Visa Mäkinen’s films, as well as for the “Vares” movie shot in Pori.

Inquiries in Helsinki’s Facebook groups have led to mixed results, often resulting in humorous misidentifications. Seitajärvi aims to compile thorough filmographies, searching for production agreements, scripts, and stills to preserve the local history captured in these films. Notably, he hopes to clarify details about actors with speaking roles.

A significant project for the institute involves restoring historical films and documenting local histories valuable for historians and documentarians. The restoration process includes cleaning, scanning, and manually correcting frames to ensure a high-quality digital master is produced for online distribution.