Interview with Davide Melini, screenwriter and director of the award-winning short films The Puzzle and The sweet hand of the White Rose. Melini talks about his experience in filmmaking, his films and his new project, Deep Shock, a tribute to the Italian giallo that will see the light of day in 2015.
L: Hi Davide, thank you for your availability! Please make a brief introduction of yourself.
Q: Thank you very much for the welcome. My name is Davide Melini and I am a screenwriter and director from Rome who has been living in Spain for seven years. In my young career I took part in the making of the Anglo-American series "Rome" and the films "Baciami Piccina" (by Roberto Cimpanelli) and "La Terza Madre" (by Dario Argento). I have also directed four short films: "Extreme Love" (2006), "The Screenplay" (2006), "The Puzzle" (2008) and "The Sweet Hand of the White Rose" (2010). I am currently in pre-production of my new short film "Deep Shock," which will be released in 2015.
L: How did your passion for filmmaking come about? What made you choose this path?
Q: You could say that I grew up in the film environment, as I have an uncle who has been working in this world for some 30 years. I would often visit him when he was working; whenever I did, I was fascinated. It was a world that attracted me in an incredible way. It was natural that, subsequently, I chose this path.
L: What were and are your film influences?
Q: I really don't know. I love all cinema in general, from early silent films to sound films, from Charlie Chaplin to Laurel and Hardy, from black and white to color films... all genres, from all eras! Dedicating myself, however, to thriller/horror themes, obviously the Mae-stro par excellence remains Alfred Hitchcock, and immediately following suit comes an endless list of other great directors I adore. So let's say that every film has influenced me (both good and bad).
L: You are the director of award-winning short films. How do you experience these successes?
Q: I am happy for about ten minutes and then I turn the page. I don't like to stop in the mirror to see how good I am, because the truth is that I am aware of my limitations. I know that I have to learn and grow a lot more. I can quote you, if you like, a title of a film that fits me like a glove. It is a feature film directed by Sergio Corbucci in 1960 and starring the very great Totò/Peppino De Filippo couple: "He who stops is lost." There is no time to stop but just work, work and more work.
L: Can you tell us briefly about your first short films "Extreme Love" and "The Screenplay"?
D: "Extreme Love" is the first short film I made in 2006 (the cast includes, among others, the names of Michela Bruni and Leonardo Pace). I am sincere if I state that it is an amateur and immature work, which, however, was very useful to make me realize all the difficulties there are from the writing-video transition. For the first time I managed to finish a whole short film, and that was the thing that really mattered. After a few months of reflection, useful to analyze all the mistakes well, I shot "The script" (Matteo Pianezzi and Claudia Nicosia are the leads), a purely horror short film that gave me the opportunity to enter the festival world for the first time. This short, although imperfect, was quite different from the previous one, so much so that I won a festival in Spain and had two more nominations. "Extreme Love" represents my debut behind the camera, while "The script" I consider it my first "almost" professional film.
L: "The Puzzle" (starring Cachito Noguera and Alessandro Fornari) is an evocative and effective short film, despite its very short duration. What were you inspired by?
Q: It is a long story. After I moved to Spain in June 2007, I was contacted in December by Pierfrancesco Campanella, director and head of the production company "Bell Film," because he had seen "The script" and he was very impressed. So he proposed that I direct a real film, based on one of his screenplays. It was a feature-length thriller with a budget of more than one million euros, entitled "Evil Within." Together we had to submit the project to the Ministry of Culture in Rome, and another newer short film had to be made, to be included in the film dossier. I managed to contact Ezekiel Montes, producer of "73140323 Producciones Cinematográficas" in Malaga, but he could only give me one day for shooting. What could I come up with, knowing how little time I would have? Certainly not much. So, after a few subjects written and then thrown in the trash, I wrote this story. "The Puzzle" is a film-flash, shot in one night, in which I based everything on rhythm. It was the only thing I could do.
L: "The Sweet Hand of the White Rose" (cast Carlos Bahos and Natasha Machuca) is another short that mixes real horror with the supernatural. Where did the need to direct a film with these themes come from? Can you tell us about it?
Q: It was a screenplay I had written in 2007 and I strongly wanted to shoot it in Rome, before my move to Spain. Unfortunately, however, the Italian mentality (I've seen so many!) precluded me from this possibility. I waited three years to be able to make this story. The intention was to create a film that was somehow different, capable of touching the sensibility of the audience, but made by a horror director. The end result was yes a dramatic short film but one that had strong purely fantastical points.
L: A very good result I would say... The final sequence shot at the cemetery and the family grave turns out to be quite gloomy. A play of light and wonderful cinematography transform those moments into gloomy pictorial images. Am I wrong, or do you tend toward a not inconsiderable taste for the macabre?
Q: Turning inside a cemetery at night has always been one of my dreams! And then to be able to do it in the famous Monumental Cemetery of San Sebástian (in Casabermeja) was something fantastic. "The sweet hand of the White Rose" is a film that is divided into two parts: the first is purely descriptive, useful for analyzing the various characters and their stories. The camera moves slowly, even using various long shots; the music is descriptive and gently accompanies the images. There is nothing mysterious; everything takes place under the sunlight.
The second part, on the other hand, is quite the opposite: first, the pace picks up dramatically, giving a jolt to the viewer who had settled on the descriptive images of the first part. The large spaces become increasingly narrow and cramped; from the beautiful sunlight we move to the darkness of an ugly night of rain, wind and fog, where in every dark corner of the cemetery evil can hide. The music also decisively changes register, even becoming metal.
L: In addition to the awards, both films received so many positive reviews from around the world. What do you think of them?
Q: I'm really pleased about that. It is certainly gratifying that critics appreciate your work.
L: Are you fully satisfied with your films, or would you intervene on any flaws?
Q: You have to be able to accept one of your products for what it is. I keep them as they are, with their merits and their flaws. Too easy, once the product is made, to be professors. The only thing I would change are some of the people on the crew. This I can say without any problem. I wasted a lot of time, especially with "The sweet hand of the White Rose" due to the unprofessionalism of some elements who are only good at words.
L: "Deep Shock" is the title of your new short film. What can you tell us about this project?
Q: After "The sweet hand of the White Rose" I felt the need to change genres again and return to the real thriller. I searched through the many screenplays I had written and dwelt on this story, which was elaborated in 2005. I set to work, rewriting it from scratch and keeping only a few basic points of the old story unchanged. This is how "Deep Shock". With this short I want to pay homage to the Italian giallo, and in particular to the two directors who consecrated the genre: Dario Argento and Mario Bava. It is no coincidence that the title of the short is a combination of "Profondo Rosso" ("Deep Red") and "Shock."
L: The short recently opened a crowdfunding campaign...
Q: That is true. We would like to reach the sum of € 3.000, which will be used for the making of the film, starring Laura Toledo ("La que se avecina" - Spanish TV Series), Francesc Pagès ("Darkness," by Jaume Balagueró), Paco Roma ("Las hijas de Danao" by Fran Kapilla), Estela Fernández ("Amar en tiempos revueltos" - Spanish TV Series), Erica Prior ("The Birthday," by Eugenio Mira) and Luis Fernández de Eribe ("Bajo un manto de estrellas," by Óscar Parra).
I invite all people to help us out, because we are still a long way from the goal. Here is the direct link.
Even if you don't want to donate, you can still help by liking the Facebook page and sharing the news--that's all!
L: Since this is an homage to the Italian giallo, what do you think are the best Italian films that best represent the genre, leaving out of course "Profondo Rosso" and "Shock"?
Q: If I named them all I would run the risk of running out... I think, however, that two films in particular were really the most important: "Six Women for the Murderer" directed by Mario Bava (1964) and Dario Argento's "The Bird with the Crystal Feathers" (1970). The former because it invented the genre (presenting for the first time the faceless murderer dressed in a raincoat, hat and black gloves); the latter because it brutally struck at the subconscious of the audience, reaching out to touch people's hidden fears. After "The Bird with the Crystal Feathers," in fact, countless films were released that took their cues, ideas and situations from Argento's film. Moreover, the presence of an animal in the headline had become almost a "must."
L: Your favorite horror movies instead? The first titles that come to mind...
Q: Again, I cannot make a list. If I have to choose one I say "Psycho" by Master Alfred Hitchcock.
L: What are your plans for the future? Is there a possibility of seeing you at work with a feature film?
Q: In this regard, I have very clear ideas: the circle opened with "The Puzzle", continued with "The sweet hand of the White Rose" and I hope to close it with "Deep Shock". After this last title, I would like to make a real feature film. However, right now, in my head there is only "Deep Shock" and nothing else. On this project, which by the way is very difficult, I must devote body and soul. Then we will have time to talk about the future.
L: What do you think about the current situation of independent horror cinema in Italy?
Q: There are many filmmakers who have important things to say and who, I'm sure, could also do very well directing an actual feature film. The undergrowth of independent productions is very dense, and truly remarkable products are made there. Unfortunately, however, we all know the Italian mentality ... and I who live in Spain can also add "Mediterranean mentality" ... But never throw in the towel, absolutely! If a person has talent, humility and a desire to grow and rock the world, it can only do good. So, as I always say: full ahead confidently, despite this rotten world!
