On the occasion of Carlo Di Palma's upcoming retrospective hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, I am republishing an article I wrote for Fra Noi Magazine in 2007. The interview is with Jon Fortunato, a former colleague from my video editing days at CBS News in New York. He worked as an assistant director and the two of us would talk for hours on end about his early days in the film industry. He had some great stories about filmmakers like Di Palma, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Roberto De Niro that I wanted to share with our readers. We still keep in touch, so he gave me a few updates to add to our interview.
Jon Fortunato grew up in Bensonhurst, an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. His grandmother was one of 13 children. He was always surrounded by "family,
pastries and cannoli." Most of his
family members lived within in a five block radius and he saw them often. Fortunato always loved cinema and remembers as a
boy, sitting on his father's lap watching movies. One day in 1963, the magic of the big screen
came right down to earth. Fortunato was in
Manhattan with his father. They were
walking through the old market district on 14th Street and 10th Avenue when
they passed a film being shot. As they
weren't in any hurry, he and his father stopped to watch the filming. The movie being shot was Love with a Proper Stranger starring Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen. The director, Robert Mulligan, spotted
the father and son and invited them onto the set and allowed the young Fortunato to stand
behind the camera. He was so mesmerized
by what he saw, he knew that one day, he'd be the one looking into the lens.
Fast
forward about 20 years later. Fortunato moved
out west to begin his career in film but found people illusive and contacts
hard to make. It seemed that unless you
knew someone, it was nearly impossible to break into the business. So he moved back to New York and before
long, found himself working with the best filmmakers in the business. During our countless conversations, he shared memories of that exciting time in his life.
So how does one become a
camera operator for feature films?
With Assistant Director Jon Fortunato and Producer Jennifer Niejadlik at CBS in New York |
Well,
I first volunteered at Panavision in New York. Panavision is where film companies rent camera equipment. I volunteered there twice a week for two
years, learned the equipment inside and out. Then I took the union test, IATSE 600, which is very involved. The test is divided into two parts: a written
test, which has to do with set etiquette and a practical hands-on test, which
lasts for about 12 hours. When you pass
the test, you pay an initiation fee, which back in 1991 was $4,000. Then, you enter a trainee program.
The trainee program was where you had your
first brushes with Italian filmmakers?
Yes,
I worked on Woody Allen's film, Husbands and Wives. Carlo Di Palma was the director of
photography.
What was he like?
Carlo
Di Palma was very intense, very quiet. I
worked with him twice, also on Manhattan
Murder Mystery. He was very intent
on the movie having a certain look while also doing what the director
wanted. He collaborated closely with
Woody Allen. He was a nice man. I wasn't intimidated or scared around
him. I also remember that he liked to
have a little paper cup of red wine while lighting his sets. He would always say "Porco Dio" when
things weren't going well. I saw him on Broadway a year or so before he died. He was walking, deep in thought but I was too shy to go up to him to say hello. So sorry
I didn't.
After the two Woody Allen films, you worked
on The Age of Innocence... What was it like working with Martin Scorsese on
that film?
Carlo Di Palma and Woody Allen |
Martin
Scorsese was super professional. He
always knew exactly what he wanted. He
did 5 to 10 takes on every scene. He
would say that every scene was great but always wanted to shoot another because
he felt that he could get one more better take out of his actors. It was clear to me that family is very
important to him. He always had his mom
and dad on the set and his daughter worked as a production assistant.
Although you didn't technically work with
him, tell me about your experience with Frances Ford Coppola on the set of The
Godfather III.
I
just had to deliver equipment to the set, but Frances Ford Coppola invited us
to stay while they were filming a scene. It was the scene in The Godfather
III, which takes place in Little Italy. They closed one street there and recreated the San Gennaro
Festival. I remember Frances Ford
Coppola directing from his 13-inch screen while eating from a plate of zeppole
and Italian pastries.
Tell me about your work on A Bronx Tale and
what made that experience so special.
Robert
De Niro was the director on A Bronx Tale. There were eight cameras for that shoot and I
was working on camera D. Robert De Niro
came over to check the shot. He looked
into the eye piece of the camera, then to us, the assistants and cameraman. He introduced himself and wanted to know our
names. So, we each said our name; Dick
Mingalone, camera operator, Mike Caracciolo, first assistant and Jon
Fortunato, second assistant. He
laughed. It was obvious he was pleased
that a bunch of Italians were operating his camera! I love and respect his work, so meeting him
was really special. It was the greatest
moment of my career.
Now, you work as an assistant director for
network news and programs. Why did you
leave the film industry?
Robert De Niro on the set of A Bronx Tale (Photo: Savoy Pictures/Phillip Caruso) |
Well,
I had a young family and my son was born with a rare lung affliction, so I
needed something more steady and secure. Today, I get a nice feeling when I watch the credits of a film and I
recognize the names of people I trained who are now at the top of their
field. Who knows what the future
holds... I still have a love for
film. I still have my union card and I
still pay dues!
Perhaps Jon Fortunato will one day return to film. But in the meantime, he is watching the next generation bloom as his daughter Francesca is picking up where he left off. She recently worked on the new Woody Allen film starring Justin Timberlake, and her proud dad couldn't be happier. "The
really neat thing is that she's working with a lot of the folks I worked with
years ago. They all remember me and have really taken her under their
wing!"
"Shot by Carlo Di Palma, From Rome to New York" begins July 28 at Lincoln Center.
Click here for more information.
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