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Interview with Indie Filmmaker Fulvio Risuleo

Photo: www.lastampa.it
Fulvio Risuleo is a young Roman director that has indie filmmaking down to an art form. Schooled at Rome’s legendary Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Risuleo’s unique style and talent for lighting has earned him coveted spots at the last two editions of the Cannes Film Festival.

I became familiar with his work a few months ago when his latest short film, Varicella (Chickenpox) was being shown at Cannes. I found the trailer to be so random and fascinating, I just had to know more about the film. Contacting Risuleo and seeing more of his work just raised more questions for me. He really thinks and works outside the box, so I wanted to know more about his vision and from where he gets his inspiration.
Our interview was done in Italian, so below is the original along with an English translation.

Claudio Spadaro and Federica Zacchia in a scene from Therein
Your work is very unique. The atmosphere of your films has a dark feel to it. I’ve seen you in interviews, in particular during the Cannes film festival, say that this is something you try to achieve. Describe your style and your vision to me.. Why do you like to shoot with this dark atmosphere?
It's not something that I am really conscious of. The gloomy atmosphere exits because maybe there is something dark inside of me. I like the oddities of life, which often turn out to be comical. I have to admit that with this gloomy atmosphere, there is always the funniest ideas. Often, fascination can be found in a noir atmosphere. What we cannot see well, located in the shadows, stimulates the imagination. 
Il tuo lavoro è molto singolare. L'atmosfera dei tuoi film hanno un aspetto noir (dark). Ti ho sentito in alcune interviste, in partic olare modo durante il festival di Cannes, dove spiegavi che questo genere è un qualcosa che si tenta di realizzare. Descrivi il tuo stile e la tua visione.. Perché ti piace girare con questa atmosfera noir?
Non è qualcosa che faccio in maniera calcolata a priori. L'atmosfera cupa esce perchè forse c'è qualcosa cupo dentro di me. A me piacciono le stranezze della vita, spesso anche comiche, però in effetti devo ammettere che l'atmosfera cupa c'è sempre anche nelle idee più divertenti. Spesso il fascino passa attravero l'atmosfera noir. Ciò che non possiamo vedere bene, che si trova nell'ombra, stimola l'immaginazione facendola viaggiare; e io sono un adepto della Dea Immaginazione.

Let's talk first about your student film, Theremin. It's an outstanding debut film. I have a few questions about it. First- what is the significance of the title?

The Theremin is a tool that can not be touched with the hands, yet it produces sound. It came into use during the early twentieth century, producing a type of electronic music. It seemed symbolically appropriate to just assign it to a contemporary King Midas.

Ho visto Theremin. E' sorprendente per un primo film. Ho alcune domande a riguardo. Qual’è il significato del titolo?
Il Theremin è quello strumento che non si tocca con le mani, eppure produce suono. E' uno dei primi sturmenti con cui già dai primi del novecento si faceva musica elettronica. Mi sembrava simbolicamente giusto assegnarlo a un Re Mida contemporaneo.



Where was the film shot? Where is that beautiful apartment building located?
The film was shot entirely in the Garbatella district of Rome. So, the building that you’re referring to is in that neighborhood. In working with the Director of Photography, Juri Fantigrossi, we invented what we call the “inquadrtura”, which was made with the camera held vertically, shooting five different angles that were then fused together in post-production. There wasn’t enough space to shoot the building full, and I wanted a strong image, which would make the building seem like more of a castle. And this was the only way possible to capture that kind of image.


Dove è stato girato? Dove si trova questo bel palazzo? 
Il corto è girato interamente nel quartiere Garbatella. Quel palazzo a cui fai riferimento si trova lì, all'interno di uno dei lotti popolari. Per filmarlo insieme a Juri Fantigrossi (il direttore della fotografia) ci siamo inventati un'inquadrtura fatta da cinque riprese verticali fuse tra loro in post-produzione: c'era troppo poco spazio per filmarlo per intero e io volevo un'immagine forte, che facesse semprare quel palazzo una sorta di castello e quindi biaognava vederlo a tutto schermo. Solo in questo modo è stato possibile catturare l'immagine.

What did you do to achieve the warm, atmospheric lighting? Was that done in post-production or while you were shooting?
We decided on the warm tones before shooting, and we also wanted to accent with some gold tones. So, we used a chocolate filter.

Come hai raggiunto la caldo atmosfera?
È stato creato in post-produzione o mentre si girava la scena della sparatoria?I toni caldi sono stati decisi prima di girare, volevamo un corto che avesse i toni dell'oro. Abbiamo usato un filtro chocolate.
Orfeo Orlando in a scene from Theremin






How has your work evolved since that first film?
My work is definitely evolving and I think I’ve changed a lot from that first short. In a way, it’s almost unrecognizable. I still work with the basic fundamentals but now I try to write stories that are more character-driven, that bring out the dynamics between people. However, I remain very attached to certain places and the possibility to create new ones through the medium of film.

Come si è evoluto il tuo lavoro da quel primo film?
Il mio lavoro si sta evolvendo e credo che da quel corto io sia molto cambiato...quasi non lo riconosco più e lo riguardo con molta fatica. Le idee di fondo mi continuano a piacere ma adesso cerco di fare storie che possano far emergere di più i personaggi e le dinamiche tra le persone. Rimango comunque molto legato ai luoghi e alla possibilità di crearne dei nuovi con il mezzo cinematografico.

You’ve had two films at the Cannes Film Festival. One about sourdough found in a piano and the other about parents discussing whether they should expose their child to chickenpox. What was your inspiration behind these stories with very different themes?
Although it seems strange, my inspiration is always reality. For Il lievito madre, I was inspired by my sister who made this dough and treated it like a human being, and for the story of chickenpox, I tried to put together some conversations that I overheard and use them to create a conflict between a couple. I find everything that makes reality a little closer to non-reality very inspiring.

Hai avuto due film al Festival di Cannes. Uno raccontava come si muove la pasta madre al suono del pianoforte e il secondo con i genitori che si trovano a discutere se è giusto o sbagliato esporre il loro bambino al contagio dalla varicella. Qual è stata la tua ispirazione dietro queste storie con temi più diversi?
Anche se sembra strano, l'ispirazione è sempre la realtà. Per Il lievito madre mi sono ispirato a mia sorella che lo usava e lo trattava come un vero essere umano e per la storia della varicella ho cercato di mettere insieme alcuni discorsi che mi era capitato di ascoltare e usarli per creare un conflitto in una coppia. Per me è di grande ispirazione tutto ciò che rende la realtà un po' vicina alla non-realtà.

You presented your film, Varicella, this year at the Cannes Film Festival. What did you think about the strong Italian presence this year of Garrone, Moretti and Sorrentino?
There were many Italians in Cannes this year. Those three are among our most important directors right now, but the one that I really admire most is Matteo Garrone.

Hai presentato il tuo film quest'anno al Festival di Cannes. Cosa ne pensi della forte presenza italiana come Garrone, Moretti e Sorrentino?

In effetti c'erano tanti italiani a Cannes. Loro tre sono tra i registi più importanti che ha adesso il nostro paese ma quello che stimo di più è sicuramente Matteo Garrone.

Your style is definitely outside the realm of commercial films. Are you open in the future to make feature films with big budgets.. or do you prefer to remain an independent filmmaker?
My hope is to work with a lot of resources while maintaining full artistic freedom as it often happens to the great European writers.

Il tuo stile è decisamente fuori dallo standard dei film commerciali. Nel futuro sarai aperto a girare film con grandi risorse.. o preferisci restare un regista indipendente?
Spero in futuro di riuscire a girare con grandi risorse mantenendo la piena libertà artistica come succede ai grandi autori europei.

What are your thoughts on contemporary Italian cinema?
I really didn't care for the films that I grew up with and even now, I can count the Italian films I like on both hands, but I am confident for the future.
Quali sono i tuoi pensieri sul cinema italiano di oggi?
Sono nato e cresciuto in un cinema italiano che non mi piaceva. Adesso ancora i film italiani contemporanei che mi piacciono si contano sulle dita di due mani, ma sono fiducioso per il future.
Have you thought about your next project?
Now, I'm working on a film called Look up (Guarda in alto) which will be shot in 2016. It's a feature-length film, so I can finally put into play all of the thoughts and experiences that have accrued over the years.

Hai pensato al tuo prossimo progetto?

Ora sto lavorando a un film che si chiama Guarda in alto che sarà girato nel 2016. Finalmente posso confrontarmi con il formato lungo e mettere a frutto tutti i pensieri maturati su di esso.

We'll keep you posted on Fulvio Risuleo's upcoming feature-length film. In the meantime, most of his work is available on YouTube and Vimeo.
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