From Germany to Italy. From Italy to Germany. Alessandro is a young freelance video-maker. He is creative, keen on his job field and convinced that practice is the better way to learn.
We had an interesting conversation with him about his life; some of his main works; about technical methods and worldview of current social themes.
I watched some horror movies, and in order not to be too afraid, I imagined where the cameraman and the rest of the team were during the shooting. I think my interest in cinema began at that time.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, please.
I was raised in Italy, Senigallia, the eldest of two siblings. I associate my earliest memories with the movie theater. Since it’s common in many families in Italy to watch tv at dinner, after the news when I was with my father we used to watch the detective series. My mother, on the other hand, didn't watch much television and I was free to watch what I wanted. So, when I felt brave I watched some horror movies, and in order not to be too afraid, I would imagine where the cameraman and the rest of the team were during the shooting. I think my interest in cinema began at that time. I started High School studying math but changed to psychology after a few years. I wasn’t very good at math, science, latin…in anything really. But I started developing interest in psychology and human behaviors, and this made the role of an actor immensely interesting. Spending many hours in front of the PC, but at the same time I loved being outdoors, not so much at the sea where I lived as in the mountains, and this passion comes from my family. My grandfather was an expert climber and he took my mother and his brothers to climb with him already as children, then passing this passion on to his grandchildren. So, my favorite place was my grandparents' house in the mountains, where I started skiing and making the first excursion, even in summer. Sooner or later I will make a film about it.
Have you studied specific subjects for your job or would you like to attend some courses in the future?
I started as an amateur and I am self-taught, but my aim has always been to attend university to study directing. When I moved to Munich, however, I decided to first attend the media academy in Nuremberg for three years, to have adequate technical skills to allow me to start working. I remember someone looking at my first works, filmed with a GoPro of my friend skiing. He said that I had a creative eye, but what I really needed to do, if I wanted to be successful, was to become technical. He said that just about anyone can become technical, but not everyone can be creative. And there are a lot of creative people who never get anywhere because they don’t have technical skills. Part of what makes a person creative is his lack of emphasis on things technical. If you are someone who is already creative and then enhances their technical skills, then you are unstoppable.
How or when did you know that you wanted to be a video maker?
I started filming and editing videos with my friends since I was about 16 and the cinema has always interested me, but it never occurred to me to make a film on my own until I was hired later on in a film studio. At the age of 20, I graduated from high school. At that time, studying wasn't my focus and I ended up losing a few years.
During the last year of high school a lot of things changed, I became more focused about my future and graduated easily. I moved to Munich where I was born and where part of my family lived, and I started working at a small production house that filmed commercials for the airport and the airline companies. That same year, I was hired in a larger film studio where I applied, while filming at their studio with my teammates.
"When planning your first movie, the idea should be so compelling for you that you are willing to sacrifice comfort and stability to make it."
What’s your style?
I don't think I've developed my style yet, I'm in the process of discovering. Certainly, my way of working has been influenced by the films I have seen. When I started going to the cinema or downloading movies on my PC I wanted to see almost everything. It was the bad quality films that spurred me to do something of my own. I kept watching bad films and saying to myself: I don't know much about cinema, but I certainly wouldn't do worse than that.
I would advise any novice director to try making their film. The best film formation is to make a film. Making a movie isn't easy. When planning your first movie, the idea should be so compelling for you that you are willing to sacrifice comfort and stability to make it. There are many specialized trades in filmmaking, such as writing, editing, cinematography, sound design, and fundraising. To be a director you have to wear all these hats and more. It also helped me a lot to study the works of Ken Burns, Werner Herzog, Micheal Moore, and Ron Howard, how they work with the actors and also the excellent book by Blake Snyder, "Save the Cat" with a lot of very interesting material on screenwriting.
Of course, studying at the Nuremberg Media Academy was also very helpful.
In human relationships, we make friends with people we want to know for the rest of our lives. The same sincere commitment is necessary when choosing a film project that can take from months to a year or more to complete.
Let’s talk about Munich. You currently live there, right? How is life in Munich? Does it influence your style of working? Do you work just there or in any other cities too?
I believe Munich has great unexpressed potential. Since I moved here I have had a great time, despite being essentially a quiet city, it offers many opportunities to have fun and certainly, there is no shortage of work. But for cultural and creative activities they could do much more. From this point of view, I see other cities like Berlin much further ahead, also thanks to a multi-ethnic and younger environment, which is positive. From a personal point of view, I have always been fascinated by American, Italian, and Japanese film history, especially the American one which is essentially the industry's lead. I always thought that such a favorable environment could never be with us: we have Homer and Shakespeare, they have Kubrick and Spielberg, this is their story. But on the other hand, I am sure that European cinema will be able to return to the glories of the past, sooner or later.
"As soon as a society stops guaranteeing security, the population ends up becoming restless and risks making extremely irrational choices, tending more towards a severe authority. I don't think people can infinitely tolerate the emotional uncertainty generated by not feeling confident."
What kind of subject do you research for your video?
The first sign that I found the right story is when the idea comes down from inside your head and into your heart. In human relationships, we make friends with people we want to know for the rest of our lives. The same sincere commitment is necessary when choosing a film project that can take from months to a year or more to complete.
If I think about a documentary project I think of recurrent and actual social issues. While in the fictional film the first thing you think of is its quality as a work of art, for a documentary it is different, even if the topics covered may be the same. Let’s think, for example, about the theme of racism and social disorder in America or of public health issues such as during these last months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public order is not a false problem, it is not just an excuse for the right to move further and further to the right. Obviously, it's a problem in big cities where people feel very insecure. One of the things that are expected of society when you give up your personal rights is safety and comfortable material life. As soon as a society stops guaranteeing security, the population ends up becoming restless and risks making extremely irrational choices, tending more towards a severe authority. I don't think people can infinitely tolerate the emotional uncertainty generated by not feeling confident. Trying to show this discomfort through a camera lens is often not easy, but allows you to see the situation even from a different point of view.
In this context, we can also talk about the accusations made towards movies, of fueling violence pushed by acts shown on the screen, accusations that I believe are without foundation. Trying to label art as the responsible for life choices seems to me to be a wrong reversal of the situation.
We are in the midst of a renaissance in documentary storytelling that has been going strong for more than three decades. In both cases, the director's job is to exercise taste: he has to decide if what he sees is interesting, if it is adequate, if it is strong enough, and if it is credible.
How do you work on post-production and editing? How long does it take?
I’ve had the opportunity to work with lots of editing programs: for video editing, the options were Final Cut, Premiere, Avid, and DaVinci. Now, working as a freelancer, I prefer to use Premiere which allows me to take advantage of the complete Adobe package in case I have to do something with after effects for example. Usually how much time it takes depends on the project: I can say that for now, if it takes a little longer than expected to do things well and maybe learn something new in the meantime, it's not a problem.
Editing in the case of a documentary or film may differ in some places but remains substantially the same. When I edit, my only concerns are if what I am using works, if it is necessary and if I can take something away. I look at the material with different eyes and try to reduce everything to the bone, I don't think about how long it took me to get it filmed. When someone is filming he wants to be sure not to miss anything and to capture every detail, as far as time and budget allow, but when he’s editing he only wants to get rid of the superfluous. In the documentary, however, one must be careful not to stray too far from the story, and to remain objective.
There are times, for instance, when the needs of your story can outweigh a strict adherence to literal facts. The tipping point for when such ‘poetic license’ comes into play is an intuitive one, and it is different for every filmmaker.