Presented at the Venice Festival, Gianni Amelio‘s latest film, Campo di battaglia, is now in cinemas, featuring Alessandro Borghi, Gabriel Montesi, and Federica Rosellini. The film is loosely based on the 2018 novel La sfida by Carlo Patriarca. Collettivo Chiaroscuro met with the cinematographer, Luan Amelio.
Interview by Antonio Mascoli.
Watch the trailer
The title Campo di battaglia evokes images of battlefields, but the film offers the viewer a different perspective. What kind of cinematography did this story require?
Seemingly, it’s a simple film, the cinematography had to serve the story. There are no battles in the strict sense, so the cinematography shouldn’t be intrusive. In films like this, set entirely in the intimate space of a hospital for soldiers, the cinematography shouldn’t be “visible.” The lighting needed to feel natural, not drawing attention to itself, allowing the narrative to take centre stage.
It’s a film made of glances more than dialogue. From a cinematographic perspective, how did you translate this kind of suspension and understanding between the characters?
Let’s talk about the opening shot: a long circular camera movement around a pile of corpses, from which the hand of a still-living soldier emerges. How was this highly symbolic scene shot and lit?”
It was shot with a single light source and a 24 mm lens. We used the Alexa 35, an exceptional camera. Gianni and I decided not to fragment the scene with cuts, as that would have weakened its visual impact. The scene is a long take —or, as we jokingly call it, a “crying” take [in Italian, there is a play on words due to the assonance between “piano sequenza” and “pianto sequenza”] — because it can be difficult to execute, but in this case, it was the right choice to engage the audience. The long take allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the scene. When you interrupt with too many cuts, the emotion drops. With handheld camera work, you also maintain continuity and rhythm for the actors, without breaking their concentration.
How did you choose the locations for the film?
Locations are crucial for the credibility of the story. We filmed between Friuli and Trentino, areas historically linked to the First World War. Some of the exteriors were actual fortresses, and, for the interiors, we also sought authenticity. We didn’t use studio sets; everything was filmed in real locations.
Let’s talk about colour. What choices did you make?
We didn’t want to exaggerate the “look” of the era, such as black and white or overly artificial colours. We wanted the film to be set in 1918 but also to feel contemporary. Cinematography needed to be subtle without taking centre stage, as I mentioned earlier.
Is there a particular day on set that you remember vividly?
Every day on set was special; working with Gianni is truly about making cinema in the truest sense of the word. Nowadays, people tend to make films, but making cinema is something entirely different. Today, technology simplifies many aspects, but sometimes we forget the importance of the process and the care that went into working with film.
Speaking about cinema, is there something you would like to discuss?
I could talk about cinema endlessly; it’s my passion — too dangerous!
