The blog for aspiring & established filmmakers of independent films. by ted hope.

Filmmaking with a Crew of One: Paolo Benetazzo’s Study

By Paolo Benetazzo

Push  The  Boundaries  of  Your  Creativity: How I Made the Film Study

Filmmaking  is  my  day-long  obsession,  joy  and  torment

When  you  can’t  see  the  line  between  fiction  and  reality,  filmmaking  becomes  your  lifestyle.

I  was  a  psychology  student  when  I  came  up  with  the  concept  behind  my  feature  film  directorial  debut  Study.  During  my  final   year   at   university   I   was   involved   in   a   number   of   film   projects,   including   short   films   and   documentaries.   I   didn’t   have   full   artistic  control.  I  had  to  compromise  my  vision  for  the  sake  of  the  team  and  that  was  the  only  way  to  get  it  done.

still1

When  you  don’t  want  to  share  your  vision  with  others  I  think  you’re  ready  to  make  your  full-­length  film,  no  matter  what  your   budget  is.  I  would rather  make  a  low  budget  film  instead  of  collecting  short  films  or  waiting  for  the  great  opportunity  that  might never  come.  It’s  going  to  be  risky,  painful  and  insane  but  that’s  how  real  indie  films  are  made.

I’m  a  self‐taught  filmmaker,  I’ve  never  attended  a  film  school.  Watching  films  along  with  real  life  experience  represents  the  film   school  par  excellence  in  my  opinion.  Films  are  the  greatest  teachers  of  all;  they  are  an  endless  source  of  learning.

The  Open  Screenplay     

Fascinated  by  the  study  of  psychology  and  its  impact  on  modern  life,  I  decided  to  explore  my  studies  in  a  feature  film.  Once  I graduated  in  Psychology,  I  moved  to  Ireland  where  I  started  writing  the  script  in  English.  I  was  discouraged  by  the  Italian  film   industry.  There’s  no  such  a  thing  as  independent  cinema  in  Italy.  All  you  can  see  is  the  same  old  industry  made  by  the   same  filmmakers  and  actors.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  rare  cases,  Italian  producers  don’t  usually  invest  in  new  ideas  and   don’t  really  believe  in  new  ways  of  making  cinema.

I  left  the  screenplay  open  for  the  entire  production.  That  was  essential  for  my  film.  It  gave  me  the  chance  to  improvise  during   the  shots,  fix  bad  acting  and  rewrite  scenes  that  would  have  been  too  expensive  to  film.

Scientific  journals,  experiments  and  researches  used  in  the  film  are  all  fictional.  I  created  them  from  scratch  to  avoid  copyright   issues. The   story   and   the   characters   are   also   original.   It’s   getting   really   tough   these   days   for   an   indie   filmmaker:   the   competition  is  just  shocking,  so  writing  something  original  was  extremely  important  to  me.  I  don’t  know  if  I  did,  but  I  badly   wanted  to  make  a  film  distinguished  by  a  unique  expression  of  creativity.

Synopsis

still2Study   is   a   psychological   thriller   drama   film,   which   follows   a   psychology   student   in   the   last   week   before   his   final   exam,   discovering   his   life   and   exploring   his   mind.   Starting   on   Monday,   in   the   middle   of   his   room,   the   student   tries   to   study   surrounded   by   his   past   and   his   present,   obsessed   by   the   concept   of   life   and   death,   and   tortured   by   the   eternal   struggle   between  science  and  religion.  As  the  days  go  by,  unexpected  characters  and  situations  interfere  with  the  student,  turning  what   was  meant  to  be  a  regular  week  of  study  into  a  complete  nightmare.

Shooting  Without  a  Film  Crew   

I  worked  in  a  clothing  store  at  the  time  I  was  writing  the  script.  Working  full  time  and  writing  during  the  night  was  ok,  but   when  it  came  to  shooting  I  had  to  quit  my  job  and  invest  all  my  savings.  The  film  was  produced  on  a  budget  of  approximately   $10,000.  Since  rent  and  bills  were  the  first  obstacles,  I  got  all  the  shots  I  needed  in  Ireland  and  right  after  I  moved  back  to  my   house  in  Italy.

It  took  me  almost  a  year  to  build  the  main  set  in  the  mansard  roof.  It  was  the  study  room  in  the  film.  Most  shots  were  taken   there.   I   literally   lived,   slept   and   created   on   that   set.   Even   the   film   score   was   composed   there.   I   made   two   wall   paintings   symbolizing   two   eyes.   They   appear   in   several   scenes,   including   the   theatrical   trailer.   The   study   room   was   big   enough   for   steadicam  and  dolly  shots.

The  film  was  entirely  shot  without  any  film  crew.  When  I  really  needed  someone  behind  the  camera  I  called  my  mother  or  a   friend,  otherwise  I  was  always  on  my  own.  The  standard  procedure  included  countless  tests  with  me  in  the  frame.  I  performed   in  front  of  the  camera  and  right  away  I  checked  the  shot  behind  the  camera.  I  didn’t  have  a  monitor  on  the  set;  I  could  properly   view  the  footage  only  in  my  editing  suite.  Many  times  I  had  to  reshoot  the  whole  scene  because  of  the  blur  or  problems  that  I   couldn’t  notice  during  the  shot.  That  was  extremely  painful  and  frustrating.  You  spend  a  large  amount  of  time  shooting  a  scene,   you’re  satisfied  with  performance  and  camera  angle,  but  when  you  watch  it  on  a  23’’  screen  you  discover  things  that  ruin  the   shot.  As  it  wasn’t  enough,  at  that  time  I  was  shooting  in  HD  on  an  8  minutes  P2  card  with  the  Panasonic  AG-­‐HVX200.  I  was   forced  to  stop  filming  and  downloading  the  card  every  8  minutes  of  footage.

behind the scenes1

I  shot  my  extreme  close ups  and  body  movements  wearing  a  steadicam  vest,  while  I  used  a  wheelchair  for  the  dolly  shots.  The   camera  was  mounted  on  the  wheelchair  and  was  usually  pushed  by  my  mother.  She  was  in  her  60’s,  but  she  achieved  some   really  smooth  shots  at  the  end.  When  you  can’t  afford  professionals,  it’s  all  about  continuing to try  until  you  get  the  good  shot.  You   need  time  though,  you  can’t  think  of  making  a  feature  film  in  a  few  months  under  these  circumstances.  Study  comes  from  a   long  introspective  and  experimental  work  developed  over  a  period  of  five  years  (development-­post-­production).

Influenced   by   unconventional   filmmaking   techniques,   I   used   unknown   actors,   friends   and   family   in   the   cast.   I   found   great   outdoor  locations  such  as  Trinity  College  and  Garden  of  Remembrance  in  Dublin,  where  I  shot  with  a  film  permit  at  zero  cost.   Making   this   movie   was   like   living   a   dream   in   hell:   the   budget   was   ridiculous,   the   film   crew   was   nonexistent   and   I   had   no   connections  whatsoever.  The  experience  was  so  extreme  that  I  thought  about  quitting  on  several  occasions.  However,  in  an  era   of   independent   films   made   on   high   budgets   with   hundreds   of   people,   my   film   is   distinguished   by   a   profound   cinematic   individualism  with  one  person  behind  it.  Study  is  a  true  independent  film.

Music  Plays  a  Vital  Role  in  Study   

Study   does   not   rely   on   traditional   techniques   of   narrative   cinema.   I   wanted   the   film   to   be   a   primarily   visual   and   sound   experience  in  which  music  plays  a  vital  role  in  evoking  specific  atmospheres.

I  spent  a  year  composing  the  music  and  searching  for  the  right  sound.  At  first  I  wanted  to  use  famous  modern  songs,  but  the   cost  was  unaffordable.  It  was  actually  insane,  a minimum  of $60,000  for  less  than  a  minute.  At  that  point  I  decided  to  compose  an   original  score  with  two  friends  of  mine.  They  were  both  musicians  and  one  of  them  owned  a  recording  studio.  Since  composing   the  music  in  the  studio  was  too  expensive,  initially  we  played  and  recorded  in  the  film’s  main  set.  My  friend  played  a  Gibson   Les  Paul  using  a  vintage  Marshall  amp  plus  multi-­effect  pedal  and  I  recorded  into  my  laptop  through  a  cheap  mixer.  I  was  interested  in  a  variety  of  music  genres  including  hard  rock,  psychedelic  rock,  new  age,  funk  rock,  gothic  rock,  trash  metal.  We   later  added  bass,  Rhodes  piano  and  a  number  of  sound  effects  in  the  studio.

The  film  also  features  several  famous  pieces  of  classical  music  including  Un  Sospiro  and  Piano  Concerto  No.  2  by  Liszt,  Funeral   March   and   Nocturne   in   E   Minor,   Op.   72   by   Chopin,   Prélude   à   l’après-­midi   d’un   faune   and   Arabesque   No.   1   by   Debussy,   L’usignuolo   by   Respighi,   Prelude   to   Act   1   Lohengrin   by   Wagner.   Some   pieces   were   as   usual   too   expensive,   so   I   hired   two   pianists   and   recorded   the   versions   I   needed.   That   way   I   owned   the   rights,   I   could   publish   the   music   and   it   was   still   much   cheaper  than  buying  a  synchronization  license  for  each  track.

The  soundtrack  album  was  released  on  iTunes  on  October  1,  2013.

Film  Release   

still3Study   premiered   in   London   on   September   1,   2012.   The   film   has   been   screened   and   awarded   at   several   international   film   festivals  including  the  California  Film  Awards,  Portobello  Film  Festival,  Indie  Fest,  Accolade  Competition,  Los  Angeles  Movie   Awards,   SoCal   Film   Festival.  Study   has   since   developed   a   cult   following,   due   to   underground   popularity   (over   16k   fans   on   Facebook  and  Twitter).

As  of  2014,  the  film  is  still  screening  at  film  festivals  worldwide.

External  links

Movie  Site,  Trailer  and  Awards: www.studythemovie.com

Facebook :   www.facebook.com/studythemovie

Twitter :   twitter.com/studythemovie  

Soundtrack  album  on  iTunes:   itunes.apple.com/us/album/study-­‐original-­‐motion-­‐picture/id720983425  

Film  production  company  and  filmmaker  site:   www.arttouchesart.com 

 

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