Interview by Michele Brandstetter CCS
Gianluca, complimenti per il lavoro per La gioia, mi ha davvero colpito l’eleganza nel raccontare e reinterpretare quei fatti di cronaca. Come è nata questa collaborazione con il regista Nicolangelo Gelormini?
We have known each other for several years; we collaborated on advertising projects, most notably the Roger Vivier campaigns, which had a strong aesthetic impact. They drew on the visual world of the 1970s, and all the references came from cinema. Those were important projects — for his path as much as for mine. Then we found ourselves sharing the experience of La Gioia, starring Valeria Golino and Saul Nanni. It was a formative experience because
Nicolangelo is very creative and has a clear vision. In preparation we carried out substantial work on the choice of camera and lenses, as well as on the look and the search for references, and also on the production design and costumes. During pre-production we carried out many lens tests because Nicolangelo wanted a look that would evoke the late ’70s and early ’80s, so we tested a number of vintage lenses. Together with my DIT Federico Allegretta we researched films that had used this type of lens and arrived at the Canon K35 and the Zeiss B-Speed. We carried out many technical and creative tests with the support of D-Vision Movie People and with my assistant Francesca La Mura, and together with Nicolangelo we eventually chose the Zeiss lenses, because we particularly liked the way they render bright highlights. These are lenses that Martin Scorsese has used extensively; they can be recognised by their triangular diaphragm. As for the camera, we used an ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, but in Super 35 mode. Nicolangelo is a great enthusiast of zoom lenses, and the zoom most suitable for working with the B-Speed lenses was a 1970s Cooke 25–250.
Hai usato anche dei filtri per arrivare al look del film?
We used Black Pearlescent filters, which add softness without being too intrusive — natural, not artificial. With the zoom lenses, however, any filter would have destroyed the image; they are such old lenses that they needed no additional softness.
Did you shoot with one or two cameras?
We shot the entire film with two cameras. Managing to convey the atmosphere and one’s own vision while working with two cameras is quite complex, but I think the result was excellent and I am very happy with it. For production reasons we shot the exteriors in Turin and the interiors in Rome. The greatest difficulty for me was matching the atmosphere of the winter exteriors in Turin — we shot in November and December — with the atmosphere of the interiors filmed in Rome. I carried out a thorough study of Turin’s winter light, which is much closer to the light of Northern Europe than to the Italian light I am used to. I found it quite easy to create expressive and aesthetically interesting exterior shots, because at that time of year the sun remains very low and we were able to render Turin’s sombre atmosphere very effectively. For the interiors I tried to use cold lights (HMI and LED) that would connect well with the exteriors, filtering them heavily to achieve the softness of the outdoor world. In Alessio’s house we needed to see the exteriors through the windows, and thanks to the gaffer Daniele Fonassi, we boxed cinema projectors inside the decorative ceiling lamps built by the production design department; in this way we lit the interiors quite strongly in order to balance the exposure with the exteriors. Being able to see outside the windows helped make the film more credible and realistic. Alessio’s house fortunately had many openings with balconies where we were able to mount very powerful fixtures (M90s) to help balance the exposure.
For Gioia’s house, on the other hand, we were not interested in seeing outside, and thanks also to the key grip Roberto Fulci, we achieved a great deal of softness by using materials that were not necessarily cinematic to filter the incoming light. It was also very interesting to light the school in a sombre and soft way, and I would like to thank Michele Nisiti from D-Vision Movie People, who advised me on the right fixture for that kind of situation. At the rental house we simulated the conditions and found the right solution. Sometimes the relationship with the rental facility becomes crucial in this regard as well.
The film is very sombre — how did you approach achieving these images?
Seeing the interiors and the spaces of Turin helped me understand the atmosphere the film should have. For instance, the bar – a historic venue – is very dark, yet the actors’ skin tones are clearly visible; I have location photos that are almost identical to the final footage. The basic idea was to preserve that almost magical realism typical of Turin. In the woods we used a Steadicam both following and preceding the actors, while on the other camera we had the 25–250, which carries with it a whole world of out-of-focus areas that blends well with the Plan B, creating a rather magical atmosphere, suitable for leading us into the most romantic and intense scene of the film, the one at the tree. In the tree sequence we faced some difficulties in finding the right tree and in setting up the VFX: the texture of the forest was difficult to replicate. Rudi Migliari and Chromatica did significant work already in pre-production, and an excellent result was achieved in removing cables and rigging. One of the most technically challenging scenes was the one at the airport. Turin airport is a glass cube, so it is almost like shooting outdoors: you have the exterior backgrounds, but not the light on the subject, which makes it quite complicated. Thanks to the grip team we installed metres and metres of ND gel on the windows to gain more control over the background exposure. We also had to plan the schedule carefully in order to set things up while we were shooting.
Is there a scene you prefer, or one you feel particularly attached to?
I am particularly fond of the rabbit scene, thanks to the sunlight filtering through the clouds, and to the colourist (Red), who managed to bring out a golden sheen from the surfaces that I had never achieved before.
How did you manage the colour palette? Did you use LUTs?
After the tests I created some LUTs with Red; I want what I see during shooting to be what we will see in the final film. For my way of working, the LUT is fundamental. In colour grading we then worked a great deal on the grain, but the tones are the same ones we saw on set.
Speaking of less technical aspects, how did you try to convey the emotions of the story through the camera?
As for the framing, Nicolangelo had a very clear idea. We worked with camera A (operated by Simone D’Onofrio) leading the scene, while camera B (operated by Pietro Comini) supported the performances with tighter shots. We worked to give the actors as much freedom as possible, while keeping the cameras on tripods for most of the film. The camera was thus used in an ‘observational’ way, leaving the actors free to shape the composition through their movements.
