
A longtime collaborator with different Italian directors, cinematographer Gian Filippo Corticelli renewed his partnership with Renato De Maria for the Netflix film Robbing Mussolini. The heist movie is set in 1945, when a Milanese entrepreneur recruits a crew for an elaborate robbery of a legendary treasure belonging to Benito Mussolini. The film is structured into four worlds, linked to four characters and four situations, explains DP Corticelli in our interview about the twelve weeks on set in Italy. Talking to ARRI about HDR grading, colorist Andrea Red Baracca explains how he brought the colors of this nuanced project to life.
Copyright Netflix
Cinematographer Gian Filippo Corticelli created distinctive aesthetic worlds in Robbing Mussolini
Interview with DP Gian Filippo Corticelli In which locations was Robbing Mussolini filmed?
In total, filming lasted twelve weeks. The first half of the movie was shot in and around Rome: at Italo Balbos office at the Ministry of Aeronautics in Castro Pretorio, at Snia, or in the Soratte bunker. In Largo Preneste, there is an old abandoned industrial structure that, with the addition of some rubble, looked like a war zone. Then the set moved to a castle in the Viterbo area and other locations around there, before we advanced to Trieste, where we shot a rather long part in a location called the Black Zone within the film. For this, we recreated a suburb of Milan in the old port of Trieste, where the scene of the theft of Mussolinis treasure, the heart of the film, takes place. The last scenes were captured in Tarvisio, where the final chase ends. Additional sequences were shot in Turin.
What guidance did you receive from the director on the visual style of the film?
Renato De Maria gave me precise recommendations, and he did the same for the costume and set design departments. He divided the film into four worlds, related to four situations and four characters. The first was Cabiria, a nightclub where the protagonist Yvonne works. The nightclub is frequented by fascists, Nazis and partisans: a diverse humanity that comes together in a place where one forgets the war for a while. For this world De Maria thought of the color red, evoking blood and the flow of life. Then there is the world of fascist protagonist Borsalino, Mussolini's right-hand man in the film. His is a cold world of ice and marble, marked by a somewhat aseptic white light and buildings with marble stairways. Then there is the world of Isola, the male protagonist, a world linked to the war and its scars, made of gutted buildings and rubble, in which the dominant colors are rust, brown, and green. Finally, there is the Black Zone, in which the central scene of the film, the robbery, takes place. It is a dark, shadowy world, a super-guarded zone, illuminated only by control lights that scan the darkness for possible raiders. It is an almost black-and-white situation, with less color and more light and shadow.
Copyright Netflix
Director Renato de Maria gave precise directions to the crew about the visual style of Robbing Mussolini
What specific references did you have in mind for Robbing Mussolini ?
I was mainly interested in having different chromatic characteristics mixing in the frame: mainly cold and warm light. With Renato we thought of Peaky Blinders, Inglourious Basterds, and 1917. The rust of the trenches seemed like a good reference to evoke the world of Isola and the war situation. We also wanted a bit of graphic novel light, so I deviated from my commandment, saying: Always make a real, natural light!
You used the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF. How did the choice come about?
We had three cameras: two ALEXA Mini LFs and one ALEXA XT as a third camera, with ARRI Signature Prime lenses. Of course, I have personal preferences on lenses and sensors, but I try to approach each film from scratch and figure out what system might be best for that individual film. Kind of like when you leave the house and you have to decide what shoes to put on: if you go jogging, you dont put on your boots. When I start a project, I like to do tests by comparing different sensors and lenses. Then, I discuss it with the director and find the right look. In this case, I tried other sensors, but ARRI seemed the most suitable for a period film set in 1945, as it has a certain roundness. Plus, wanting to use different chromatic characteristics within the frame, it seemed to me that the ARRI sensor better separated the warm color from the cold, while the others all tended to flatten a bit. Robbing Mussolini is a Netflix project, it had to be shot in native 4K. So I opted for wide format, also to experiment with the different depth of field compared to Super 35.
Copyright Netflix
Being a Netflix project, Robbing Mussolini was shot in native 4K
What added value did ARRI Signature Prime lenses bring?
While I have my favorite ARRI series, I approach each project by conducting trials to find the best look for the specific film. Again, I tested with three or four types of lenses, and everything was leading me in the direction of ARRI Signature Prime. Robbing Mussolini is a war film, so I could explore vintage, raw tones to reproduce the year 1945. The round sharpness of these lenses was perfect for the purpose, a mean but delicate sharpness in a look with rust and green tones. In addition, there are some ever-present elements in this film: smoke, water, and blur. Blur is a feature I really love in anamorphic lenses, where it emerges more magical than spherical. However, the ARRI Signature Prime lenses have a very fascinating blur with the aperture all open. They are spherical lenses with a short depth of field, especially in wide fields, which is a special feature of large formats. Last but not least, I really appreciated the lightness of these lenses. Working with Roni
Most recent headlines
02/07/2023
Our robust, comparable data provides trusted insights and gives media owners, buyers and planners the power to trade confidently.
ABC members and data subscrib...
02/07/2023
We'll be releasing The next set of ABC audited consumer media data covering the period January to December 2022 on Tuesday 21st February at noon.
When rele...
02/07/2023
We'll be releasing The next set of ABC audited consumer media data covering the period January to December 2022 on Tuesday 21st February at noon.
When rele...
01/05/2023
Our Chief Executive Simon Redlich was recently invited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) to share his views on what 2023 might hold. Read what Simon and other...
25/03/2023
MELBOURNE, Australia Atomos today announced its Cloud Studio, a suite of cloud-based video production services, is now available....
25/03/2023
MultiDyne Addresses Convergent Fiber and IP Production Workflows with New NIA920...
25/03/2023
TAG to Introduce Enhancements to Realtime Media Performance Platform at NAB that...
25/03/2023
The Rebel Fleet Envisions Powerful Video Assist, DIT, and Dailies Workflows with...
25/03/2023
FOR-A Strengthens System Offerings through Partnership with Alfalite
Brie Clayton March 24, 2023
0 Comments
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast techn...
25/03/2023
Soo Kim, managing partner of Standard General, took to the online op-ed pages of...
25/03/2023
Ad-tech company GumGum said it made a deal with Amagi to make its patented overlay ads available across Amagi's Thunderstorm broadcast inventory....
25/03/2023
Looking to grab a foothold in a shifting television measurement multiverse, MarketCast said it was expanding its Brand Effect product into the fast-growing conn...
25/03/2023
Fox's streaming platform Tubi announced integrations with VideoAmp, LiveRamp and Comscore at its pre-upfront Tubi Connect event Thursday....
25/03/2023
Starz said the season three premiere of Power Book II: Ghost drew 5.8 million mu...
25/03/2023
Rob Mariano, host of Boston Rob Does Beantown on Hearst Television's Very Lo...
25/03/2023
Smash, a decade-old musical drama that was on NBC, about a group of singers and dancers hustling to get a Marilyn Monroe musical on stage, is headed to Broadway...
25/03/2023
Fox has renewed the mid-season dramas Accused and Alert: Missing Persons Unit. The shows' sophomore seasons will air in 2023-2024....
25/03/2023
Bob Halloran, sports anchor at WCVB Boston, will retire from the SportsCenter 5 team effective May 31. He has spent 38 years in journalism in the New England re...
25/03/2023
Tamron Hall hosts the special Our America: Women on a Roll on the ABC Owned Television Stations and ABC Localish starting March 25 and continuing over the next ...
25/03/2023
African Proverb of the day: 25 March 2023A proverb reflects and reveals a community's culture that provides a glimpse into its value systems, beliefs, and a...
25/03/2023
Daily devotion: Your bible verse and prayer for 25 March 2023GOOD MORNING! Here's your daily bible verse and prayer to get you ready and excited about your ...
24/03/2023
When I started out as an investigative journalist, there were few practising journalists in Kenya to learn from or manuals that I could read to sharpen my skill...
24/03/2023
Chelsea Christensen (right) greets a Festival volunteer at the Park City building that houses official merchandise for the Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Jut...
24/03/2023
Each year when we publish Spotify's Equity and Impact Report, we have the opportunity to reflect on our efforts toward creating a more equitable and sustain...
24/03/2023
No Brasil, o ver o aquele per odo para aproveitar o calor e as altas temperaturas, mas n o s isso. De dezembro a mar o, a poca para celebrar grandes feria...
24/03/2023
Mark March 30 on your calendars. That's when RapCaviar Presents arrives on H...
24/03/2023
NAB 2023: Actus Digital Unveils OTT StreamWatch and v9.0 Enhancements to Intelli...
24/03/2023
Aircraft tractors or tugs help planes back up and away from gates. Learn how pushback training simulators can assist in training tug operators more effectively....
24/03/2023
Pro Tools 2023.3 screenshot...
24/03/2023
On Wednesday, March 29, TV Tech will be holding its Spring TV Tech Summit, a series of keynote conversations, panel discussions and case studies covering the la...
24/03/2023
THAMES DITTON, England Imagine Communications has announced that it recently helped one of Europe's largest media companies, the Antenna Group, quickly move...
24/03/2023
LAS VEGAS Miller Tripods will be showing its new SkyX 8 fluid head at the 2023 NAB Show on Booth C4221. Designed for outdoor broadcast and studio productions, t...
24/03/2023
ROCHESTER, N.Y. Four broadcast television stations serving the Rochester television market have begun offering NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals....
24/03/2023
Lawo announced the creation of a CTO Office as part of a larger customer-centric strategy of providing innovative and markable solutions for a rapidly changin...
24/03/2023
The company has established the new CTO Office to drive innovation and deliver on its strategic goals
By TVBEurope Staff
Published: March 24, 2023
The co...
24/03/2023
Kindai University Employs ATEM Switcher Workflow for its Esports Facility
Brie Clayton March 23, 2023
0 Comments
Kindai University, one of the largest ...
24/03/2023
Justify Lighting The Secret of professional Color Grading Colour Theory in D...
24/03/2023
MwareTV offers a one-stop Managed IPTV Service at NAB
Brie Clayton March 23, 2023
0 Comments
MwareTV, a leading cloud-based multi-tenant platform provi...
24/03/2023
Adobe Creative Cloud tools power top films at SXSW 2023
Meagan Keane March 23, 2023
0 Comments
The 2023 South by Southwest Festival just wrapped, and A...
24/03/2023
Corp's Na'Tasia Robinson helps represent Capitol Broadcasting at a Career Fair at St. Augustine's University near downtown Raleigh on Wednesday, Mar...
24/03/2023
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Someone has sights on a former beauty queen and Obed is n...
24/03/2023
SKEEM SAAM: Tonight's episode, 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Skeem Saam soapie right he...
24/03/2023
HOUSE OF ZWIDE: Episode for 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of House of Zwide? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of House of Zwide soapie right h...
24/03/2023
SCANDAL: Tonight's episode, 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Scandal ? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Scandal soapie right here. Don&...
24/03/2023
GENERATIONS: Tonight's episode, 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Generation The Legacy? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Generation The...
24/03/2023
UZALO: Tonight's episode, 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of uzalo? No problem! Just watch all the latest episodes of uzalo soapie right here, don...
24/03/2023
MUVHANGO: Tonight's episode, 24 March 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Muvhango? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Muvhango soapie right here, do...
24/03/2023
SVG On Demand: Madison Square Garden's Matt Coy on the Power of On-Ice/On-Co...
24/03/2023
ESPN Streamlines Operations in Covering NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament For the first time, there are just two Regional Sites for the Sweet Sixteen and E...
24/03/2023
Published On: March 23rd, 2023
data-orig-src=https://www.sgo.es/wp-content/upl...