AIC, 1988 - AIC Associazione Italiana Autori della Fotografia ...

AIC
confidenze, a volte non troppo
benigne verso i loro colleghi.
Ho già parlato di Abati, che
primo conobbi. Seguirono i
fratelli Filippini. Tre
"mattacchioni", squisitamente
disponibili all'amicizia. Ciò che
più mi ha colpito nel loro
atteggiamento è la naturalezza
con la quale prendevano il
lavoro pur in modo faceto (ho
già detto che erano dei
"mattacchioni"), ma da veri
professionisti.
In trent'anni di lavoro nel
cinema, credo aver incontrato
tutti i vari direttori di fotografia.
Da Rotunno a Tonino Delli
Colli, che tutti, o per un motivo
0 per l'altro, hanno ciascuno a
suo modo un diverso sistema di
dialogare con noi, tecnici delle
macchine da presa.
Tonino Delli Colli è veramente
un "personaggio". Ha il pregio di
sdrammatizzare qualunque cosa.
Quando gli si appresta
l'attrezzatura per le riprese,
sembra per lui non ci siano
problemi. "Quel che conta sono
1 provini che faccio prima
dell'inizio del lavoro..." ti dice
con semplicità. Ed è sufficiente
per metterti a tuo agio col darti
piena fiducia.
Un altro direttore di fotografia
del quale desidero parlare è Gigi
Kuveiller.
Ho conosciuto Gigi molti anni
fa. Un bonaccione che, a prima
vista, ti dà la sensazione di non
aver alcun interesse al lavoro
che sta facendo. Dopo sistemate
le luci, cascasse il mondo, dà
l'impressione di non interessarsi
più di nulla. Ma è solo una
impressione. Un giorno, durante
la lavorazione di non so quale
film, mi recai sul suo set, e lo
trovai seduto in un angolo che,
forse mi sbaglio, stava dormendo.
Gli passai vicino, e
inaspettatamente mi salutò.
Rimasi perplesso, poiché fra me e
me avevo detto: Come farà Gigi
a lavorare bene se dorme?
Quando gli riferii ciò che avevo
pensato, Kuveiller mi replicò:
"Quando si è sicuri del fatto
proprio, quando si ha la
coscienza di aver fatto bene il
proprio lavoro, allora
sopravviene un momento di
rilassamento. Ma pur
riposandomi, sono sempre
vigile." Questa dichiarazione è
stata per me stupefacente.
Un altro direttore di fotografia
che conosco personalmente è
Peppino Rotunno. Tutti lo
considerano uno dei migliori
nostri operatori, quantunque per
noi tecnici appaia un
"personaggio" un pochino
scomodo. E oltremodo
meticoloso, cura ogni cosa fin
nei minimi particolari, ma a
volte irrita col suo modo di fare
senza mezzi termini.
Considerando bene le cose
tuttavia, si finisce sempre per
riconoscere che ha veramente
ragione, e i prodotti che sforna
parlano per lui.
Ancora voglio parlare di
Armando Nannuzzi, bravissimo.
Mi piace perché mai l'ho sentito
redarguire i suoi collaboratori,
operatore di macchina e
assistente. Si presenta sempre col
sorriso sulle labbra, modesto.
Quando chiede le cose sembra
quasi scusarsi, e questo rende più
facile il compito a noi destinati a
mettergli a punto le cineprese. In
fin fine, è veramente un piacere
lavorare per lui.
Simile a Nannuzzi, per me
addirittura la fotocopia, è
Cristiano Pogani. Sempre
disponibile con tutti, un vero
signore. Un direttore che a volte
non ha scrupoli a chiederti
qualche consiglio per la buona
riuscita del suo lavoro.
Quanti sono i direttori di
fotografia? Moltissimi.
Impossibile sarebbe parlare di
tutti. Ripeto, alcuni fanno lavori
importanti, altri meno solo dal
punto di vista del guadagno:
perché per il resto tutti hanno la
loro bravura dal punto di vista
fotografico.
Ecco, non ho in questo lungo
elenco citato Vittorio Storaro,
perché lo conosco poco. E
parlare di una persona che non si
conosce può portare a degli
errori di valutazione.
Dopotutto posso notare una
cosa: egli è un direttore di
fotografia che ha vinto tre
Oscar. È tutto dire. E, a mio
parere, col suo successo ha dato
prestigio al 100% a tutta la
categoria cui appartiene.
Talking about the various Director of
Photography is something of a
problem, as you never quite know
they're going to take what you say.
However, I'm going to try and tell you
about them, or some of them, at least,
being as objective as possible.
In order to describe these professionals
who, for me, are real personalities (and
you'll understand why as I go along) I
must begin at the beginning, from the
time 1 first set foot in a camera repair
workshop.
I started work as a camera technician
way back in 1958, in a workshop
where cameras were both repaired and
built, which carried the name of its
owner: Vittorio Benedetti. I'm sure all
the Directors of Photography who've
been in the business longer will
remember this famous name. At that
time, Benedetti was the only person
who built and repaired cameras:
forbidding, cantakerous and inevitably
moody, he has certainly not the easiest
of people to get along with, but he
knew his profession better than
anyone!
It was working for Benedetti, that I
had my first contacts with the Directors
of Photography. After a while, some of
them took me into their confidence and
it was thus that I came to be able to
divide them into two different
categories: those who belonged to Class
"A", shall we say, and those who
belonged to Class "B". It was not that
Class "A" were the better
photographers, they were just better at
public relations and, therefore, always
succedeed in working on the more
prestigious films.
The first Director of Photography 1
met was Vittorio Abati Esq. I've put
that "esquire" after his name, because
I considered him a real gentleman. He
was somebody you could talk to,
discuss all those little problems you
have at sixteen, like I did. Abati
always listened. And sometimes, he
would even come up with a piece of
advice.
Ac. the years passed, I gained more
experience and established a more
profound rapport with the Directors of
Photography, really getting to know
them. Slowly, I began to get into their
good graces, and they took me into
their confidence. And I must admit,
sometimes they didn't have very kind
things to say about their colleagues.
I've already mentioned Abati. Next,
there were the Filippini brothers, all
great jokers, and real friendly types.
What struck me so, was how naturally
the work came to them, even though
they were never serious for a minute (I
did say they were jokers); however,
underneath it all they were true
professionals.
During my thirty years in the cinema,
I think I've met just about all the
Directors of Photography, from
Rotunno to Tonino Delli Colli, and
each of them, for whatever reason, has
him own way of talking to us, the
camera technicians.
Tonino Delli Colli is a real
"personality". He has that wonderful
gift of taking everything in his stride.
When you're getting his equipment
ready, he just lets you get on with it.
"It's the tests I do before we start
filming that are important ' he will
say,,simply. He makes you feel that he
has confidence in you, arid this allows
you to relax.
Next, l'd like to tell you a bit about
Gigi Kuveiller. I met Gigi many years
ago. He's a good-hearted man who,
strangely enough, when you first meet
him, seems to care very little about his
work. As soon as he has the lighting
set up, that's it the world could come
to an end, and it wouldn't make any
difference to him! However, it's just the
impression he gives!
One day, during the shooting of I can't
remember which film, I went to the set
where Gigi was working, and found
him setting in a comer, apparently
asleep. I couldn't believe it! Then while
I was tiptoeing past him, he suddenly
said "Hi!". I really didn't know what
to make of it, as 1 found myself
thinking: "How can Gigi do his work
properly if he's always falling asleep...".
When 1 mentionedjo Kuveiller what
has passed through my mind, he told
me: "When you know what your
capacities are, and you know you've
done a good job, then you suddenly
unwind. Even though 1 may appear to
be asleep, I'm still very much awake." 1
was absolutely flabbergasted by what
he said
Peppino Rotunno is another Director
of Photography I know personally.
Everyone considers him to be one of
our best "cameraman", but I must say
we technicians sometimes find him a
little difficult. He is extremely
meticulous and attentive to the tiniest
detail, but sometimes his very direct
manner can be a bit much.
All things considered though, he is
inevitably right, and the films he turns
out are proof of this!
I'd also like to mention Armando
Nannuzzi, a great Director of
Photography! What I really like about
him is that 1 have never once heard
him reproach his colleagues, his
cameraman or assistant. He always
has a smile for everyone and is
extremely modest. Whenever he asks
you to do something, he does it so
nicely, that getting the cameras ready
for him is a real pleasure. In fact, it's a
pleasure working for him from the
minute he first steps into the
workshop!
Cristiano Pogani is very like Nannuzzi
— a carbon copy, in fact! He's real
gentleman, and always has time for
everyone. Abo, he's not too proud to
ask your advice every so often, so that
he might do a better job.
How many Directors of Photography
are there! Thousands. It's obviously
impossible to mention them all, but 1
would repeat that some of them work
on more important films, earn more
money, but that's the only difference:
they each have their particular
photographic talent.
I know I haven't as yet mentioned
Vittorio Storaro, but this is because I
don't know him that well. And when
you don't really know somebody,
you're not really equipped to make a
judgment.
One thing I do know though, is that
he is a Director of Photography who
has won three Oscars! And that says it
all. In my opinion, his success has
augmented the prestige of Italian
Directors of Photography 100%!