Together in lifting Bergen – since 1845.

As the largest membership organisation for business in the Bergen region, Bergen Chamber of Commerce represents over 6,000 members across 1,200 companies. With a history stretching all the way back to 1845, they came to Sølvrev with a wish to create an anniversary film to open their prestigious annual conference. The film was to highlight something of their rich history, while also showcasing who they are today and offering a glimpse towards the future.

• One of Bergen Chamber of Commerce's wishes was to make use of some of their visual archive material stored at ArkiVest, including some old film reels whose contents were not entirely known. A large part of the preparation work therefore involved going through this material to select and digitise what we wanted to use. An incredibly enjoyable task for someone who is interested in both history and physical photography and film, says account manager Mariann Lunde.

• "Mariann and I have been sitting in the archive working our way through the history of Bergen Chamber of Commerce to shape the narrative – a process that has been quite different from how we normally work, but very exciting," director William Glandberger adds. "ArkiVest also helped us digitise a large number of photographs, and Antonio Stasi handled the digitisation of both 8mm films and VHS," he continues.

In addition to material from ArkiVest, Sølvrev received assistance from the Special Collections at the University of Bergen – Marcus, the National Library, MAD Architects and the aforementioned Antonio Stasi Classic Camera.

A world that has turned 180 degrees

But it is not only archival material that features in the film. In addition to the historical sequences, Sølvrev has been out filming the present day to show how the city landscape, its development and the everyday lives of Bergen's residents have turned 180 degrees since the beginning in 1845.

• "Our wish with this film was not to make a classic anniversary film following a linear history, but rather to show what changes in society Bergen Chamber of Commerce has been part of and contributed to. Because history always plays a role in shaping the future – whether it is the buildings Bergen Chamber of Commerce helped construct that are now being renovated, or the foundations of new technology," Lunde explains.

• "We have worked actively to create transitions between old and new. We even tracked down Bergen Chamber of Commerce's old boardroom table to photograph the current board around it, having noticed it recurring throughout the archive," Lunde continues. "It was also important for us to show other aspects of society that have changed, such as the gender balance among members and on the board, and attitudes towards the environment – with a twinkle in the eye and a touch of self-irony. It cannot be denied that the historical material showed a significant shift in this regard. Bergen Chamber of Commerce has been committed to being true to the history, while being open to using a little self-irony and Bergen humour – which I think is fantastic," she adds.

AI an important tool for bringing history to life

To weave the new and old together into a cohesive story and bring the history to life, AI has played a particularly important role in the production. "In the film we have used AI to upscale old, low-quality images that would not normally be suitable for film, but also to create movement and life in still images, making the film feel more 'fluid'. AI has also been used in the special effects work, where we have created surprising transitions between old and new," Glandberger explains. "Overall this has been one of those projects where we have been given the freedom and opportunity to experiment a little more, so all credit to Bergen Chamber of Commerce for trusting our advice and believing in the vision throughout," he concludes.

• "It seemed like an impossible task to sum up our 180-year history in a short anniversary film, but Sølvrev accomplished it admirably," says Monica Mæland, CEO of Bergen Chamber of Commerce. "We are very pleased with our anniversary film and feel it captures both Bergen Chamber of Commerce and the development of Bergen as a city very well. The film premiered at our Annual Conference on Friday 14 November, and the feedback has been entirely positive," she continues.