I always had the drive to move to a different country. I felt that at the time the Italian film industry had become stagnant. Moreover, I found that the education opportunities to become a filmmaker were relatively scarce in Italy. For these reasons I decided to move to the UK where open mindedness is at the base of education and work opportunities. My experience was great, I struggled but probably for the best. I was extremely motivated by my peers and their dreams, so much It gave me incredible self confidence in my own skills.
We know that the more you study, the more you improve and specialise in your field. How do you describe your experience at Metfilm in one word and why?
I’d describe my experience at MetFilm as professional. Only by finishing that Master’s degree I could feel the confidence to put myself out there and start selling myself as a Dop.
How do you approach the work on a script as a DOP?
When I work on a script I find necessary to understand as many “whys” as possible. I love helping the director to dissect the intentions of the story and find patterns in it. Only like that the cinematographer can shape the visual language of the film finding the rules and unique vision to apply to the film.
What is the work you are most proud of and why?
My proudest work is definitely “Just One Last Thing”. It’s the first feature film I’ve worked on as a Cinematographer. It was the first project I worked on for more than three months and it required extreme dedication, consistency and hard work. I was able to adopt my method of working on a larger scale film and was rewarded with something I’m extremely proud of. The film is now winning awards all over the Festival circuit and hopefully will get the distribution it deserves.
Now, as you are a juror, what moved you to be a part of the Make A Wish Film Festival?
I believe that as a filmmaker you have to constantly watch and learn from other people’s work. At the end of the day we all started loving films by being spectators, so refining the skill that allows you to find what you like and why is crucial to grow. For this reason I decided to take on the challenge of being a juror.
As you are evaluating the projects, what are the aspects that make a project stand out according to you? and even a Director of Photography?
I believe that what stands out for me in a project is consistency, awareness of the array of tools that can be used to tell that story and choosing the right one. As a director of photography the other things that are extremely important are mood and the sense of place. The budget used to make the film doesn’t matter, as a matter of fact restrictions can lead to intuitive creative choices unique to a project.
The festival's winners will be announced online on September 30th for the following categories: Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Best Photography, Best Sound, and Best Screenplay.
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