A conversation with Simone Russo
Cattive Produzioni's blog is a platform for delving into the short films in the distribution catalog. A conversation between the company's CEO, Marco Mingolla, and the authors, to share reflections, aspirations, and dreams.
1. "Let's start from the spark. How did Daisy Bullet come about, and why did you decide to produce it? Were you inspired by the global political situation, current events, or did you begin with a personal reflection on war?
To be completely honest, Daisy Bullet initially originated as a project for one of those festivals where, in a short period of about two weeks, you have to try to complete a short film. However, the reality is that just before that time, the war between Russia and Ukraine had broken out, sparking various thoughts and memories in me, as well as in many others. As a child and teenager, I had participated as an actor in several theatrical performances dealing with the theme of war and/or the Holocaust. So, I have always asked many questions on the subject, and despite its distance from me, I often found myself delving into it emotionally.
So, I would say the answer lies in between; the political context of our times guided me in choosing the theme and rekindled a sensitivity to it. My personal experience, on the other hand, wrote the story. Seeing those images of young people at war made me feel personally involved, and I couldn't help but think that in another life, I could have been one of them, and indeed, not long ago, their families were ours. Consequently, when it came to writing the script for this short film with my great friend (almost a brother) Alberto, it was challenging to accept the idea of rushing and producing something of lower quality than we had envisioned just to participate in a 'competition.' We decided that what we could do with more time and dedication had more potential, and we would think about festivals only after completing the work, if it succeeded.
2. Looking at your short film, it seems that in the end, the nationality of the protagonists is not so important. It's not a war between the English and the Germans, but a narrative about how people, in war in general, are capable of dehumanizing themselves. However, you decided to conclude the film leaving room for a very faint hope, or am I mistaken? Why?
Absolutely true, nationality is not important at all. Indeed, during the writing process, it was one of the aspects that concerned me the most, as I feared it could centralize the audience's thoughts too much. Instead, it was essential to focus on their gazes. Despite the uniforms, they were human beings, each facing a difficult situation in their own way, attempting to survive. The overarching theme for me has always been that of fear. The fear that what I see could happen to me, and what are we willing to do (and become) to avoid it. For this reason, I find it challenging to call it hope. While acknowledging that the truth lies in the eyes of the viewer, for me, it's more of an awareness. Certainly, awareness can lead to changes, but in that ending, hope may arise in the viewer, and I believe the protagonist has more of a realization about the reality surrounding him.
3. I greatly appreciated your choice not to subtitle the German. It made me empathize with the tension experienced by the protagonist. I would like to know: how did you build the atmosphere of this film? Where did you start? Did you have any references?
Thank you very much; that was the intention from the beginning. Even in the script, we were sure that the dialogues would not be subtitled because I was certain that this short film would be entirely from the protagonist's point of view, visually speaking. The camera is always at his eye level, and we always see only what he can see, not what remains hidden from him. The only few exceptions are deliberately related to the German boy in the finale, with whom it was important to empathize differently, just to give the feeling that he and the protagonist were more alike, even from a camera perspective. Regarding the atmosphere, Atonement by Joe Wright was undoubtedly a significant influence, and partly also 1917 by Sam Mendes.
Right from the start with Mattia (DOP), we wanted to distance ourselves from the classic look of war films with desaturated colors. On the contrary, we were convinced that the contrast between the serene peace of nature and the atrocity of some scenes would amplify the sense of horror in certain moments, transforming even the sun, from a symbol of life, into a scorching beacon that sheds light on reality.
Furthermore, it is not a given that horror must always be faced in a dark context; certain things happen regardless of the atmosphere.
4. The film appears to be a productionally complex project, yet it all started with crowdfunding. Essentially, you self-produced it. Besides directing it, you also took care of the music (and worked on special effects). What are the main challenges for someone who wants to produce such an ambitious short film today in Italy, in your opinion? Is it useful to be able to do many things?
Yes, initially, I would have had to produce the short film entirely from an economic point of view, but then I had to accept that I would need a little help to complete all post-production. Thus, our robust campaign on Indiegogo was born! But regardless of everything, I want to say that defining this work only as "self-produced" or realized through "crowdfunding" would be wrong. One of the most significant investments in this short film was made by the people who participated, and I truly mean it. Without the time, professionalism, trust, and passion put in by everyone who helped me, there would be no capital I could have invested in making this short film. Perhaps the most significant difficulty for me was the limited real set time to shoot everything, which was four days. But I must also honestly say that my great fortune was (and is) to have such a serious and devoted group in which I trust so much, and for which there is a great shared affection that allows us to continually push the limits we consider our own.
Being very versatile certainly helps in communicating among all departments, aids in being more creative together, helps in having external income that finances your projects, helps in cutting some costs because you take care of them yourself (such as VFX), helps to have many arrows in your quiver to find solutions to problems that obviously arise constantly on set, but it doesn't help in delegating, which, in my opinion, is fundamental to overcoming some limits. In this regard, the trust I have in the people I work with has been very helpful. Personally, I don't think I have enough experience to outline the difficulties that our country poses to young directors in realizing a project of this kind since until now, I have worked in a self-built bubble, and the difficulties we faced were not only associated with producing it in Italy. I am certainly aware of the problems that can be encountered in our country in finding funds for such projects, and that is why, until now, I have avoided all this, but I realize that in the near future, it will no longer be possible.
I just hope to face the new challenges that will come with at least some of the people I have mentioned.
5) We decided to promote this incredible work of yours in a section inspired by Fabrizio De André. As you know, Daisy Bullet reminded me a lot of "La guerra di Piero." What message do you want to convey with this short film? Are there connections with the timeless classic of Italian song?
I realize that finding connections is inevitable, even just for how the ending of the short film is staged. However, I admit that during the writing process, finding ourselves in a situation similar to the end of De André's song, we deliberately distanced ourselves. The reason is simple; I find it challenging to say that there is a message I want to send with this short film. The truth is that each of us may have solid reasons to see war in different ways that contrast with each other. What I always try to achieve when writing something is to put the viewer in someone else's shoes. Don't give them an answer, at most make them ask questions. That's why the ending has wounded instead of dead. They are commas, not periods. I genuinely believe this; in fact, if I have to reveal a message I try to convey with this short film, it wouldn't be just for this but probably also for the future, and it would translate to: it's all much more complicated than it seems. Trying to live it, you will see that at least for a moment, you will feel uneasy, not knowing what to do. Then, of course, saying what from here, for me becomes impossible. I think the power of reflection is much stronger and more exciting than the power of a solution. We are beings capable of thinking and empathizing with anyone; it's just that the world we live in often does everything to prevent us from doing so.
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