Italian director, screenwriter and filmmaker Alessio Della Valle chatted about his daily motivations, defining moments, and being a part of the digital age.
What inspires you each day as a director and filmmaker?
Art inspires me a lot. I started writing a movie about art. Because looking at the world, I realized that everything that we have from anyone that has ever lived before us is actually art in the widest sense of the term. Meaning the buildings are architecture, the books, the music.
Just look at the world, the sculptures, the paintings, they are art and it is all that we have left from anyone who has ever lived before us on this planet. So I thought, art is like an invisible chain that connects us with mankind.
Can you tell us about ‘American Night’?
The plot of “American Night” revolves around the stealing of an artwork. I chose the “Pink Marilyn” by Andy Warhol, which is one of the most iconic paintings in history. I started thinking what is iconic and what is an icon? So Andy Warhol took Marilyn Monroe, who was an icon in cinema. He took her picture and turned it into something else. He made an icon out of an icon.
She was an icon of popular culture, pop culture, and he made her into an icon of pop art. So when writing this story, in terms of characters, I chose the style of noir. I love noir, plus, in noir movies, all the characters are double characters. And on top of that they’re all double crossing each other.
For example, the hero is not just a hero, he’s an anti-hero, which means he does the right thing, but for the wrong reason. So I thought, let’s create a world. For example, in film theory, they say any story is a story of a hero who is on a journey. He faces challenges and then at the end he gets the magic potion, the treasure, the girl, and he learns a lesson and he’s changed.
Now, I don’t think this is true in life. Looking at people, people never really change unless they really want to and put the effort.
So I thought, let’s write a story about characters who in the end will accept who they are, will accept who they were at the beginning. In other words, they will accept their true nature, hence will accept themselves.
This is why Michael Rubino (Emile Hirsch) tells the story of “the scorpion and the frog” and he has a scorpion tattoo on his head too.
Now, of course, this doesn’t apply to any movie, but it does to this movie because I wanted to create a world.
And when you create a world, you give it rules. For example, with the Composer, Oscar nominee Marco Beltrami, we took the “Ave Maria” by Schubert, which is a very iconic piece of music. And we turned it into something else. Which is not doing a cover. It’s actually taking an icon and make it into something else. Just like Warhol did.
The same with costumes. I told the Costume Designer, yes, in film theory, on the next day the character will change clothes, but we’re not going to do that.
They will wear always the same clothes because there’s very few, but very iconic movies in which the characters do not change clothes, such as “Blade Runner” where Harrison Ford is always wearing the same raincoat; or the Sergio Leone’s westerns, where Clint Eastwood is always wearing the same poncho, hat and cigar for weeks; or “Clockwork Orange” to say a few. And by not changing clothes this makes them even more iconic and, in a way, more “real”.
I did the same with Cinematography. I told the Cinematographer: “we’re not just going to point the camera and get any color. Let’s use colors as a storytelling device. So you only have three colors. You have the three primary colors: you have red, blue and yellow. That’s it.
Unless something happens in the characters’ lives, in the character’s story. Then we see green, then we see purple, then we see other colors.”
None does that. So it was a challenge a first but a success at last.
I did this with the writing. I took an Arthur Rimbaud’s poem and I put it in, I changed it, and I put it into the story. The poem is called “Asleep in the Valley.”
It’s about a beautiful sunlight valley in spring, where a soldier sleeps amongst flowers and a beautiful scene of nature, only to realizes at the end of the poem that he’s dead, he has been shot.
So there is a scene in the film in which the character of Shaky (Fortunato Cerlino) gets dragged into Michael Rubino’s (Emile Hirsch) house.
First we see a sunlight beautiful scene were a boy sleeps on a floating bed in a pool, only to realize at the end of the scene that he is actually dead, he has been shot.
I did this in Production Design. I told the Production Designer: “mix paint with aluminum powder before you paint the walls, so that the walls would actually reflect, and by reflecting the characters, it will create doubles.”
What is your advice for young and aspiring filmmakers and directors?
My advice is to just do it. Meaning, it doesn’t matter the circumstances, where you come from or the obstacles you are facing: just do the next step. Just get it done.
What separates people who succeed from people who don’t, in any field, is resourcefulness and their capability of taking action and to literally get it done.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent)
It’s both exciting and addictive. I remember traveling to several different libraries, getting get library card, applying for the book I was looking for, waiting for the book to come, then taking a seat in the College Library, in a huge quite room filled with profound silence, sitting next to other quite silent students, just to get the information I was looking for.
Now, you can research just about anything in a few seconds, without leaving the house. So in this sense it’s very exciting.
There is an abundance of knowledge. If you think about it, the average Joe today has access to more information than the King of England did centuries ago. Which is incredible.
There is another side to this, which is the young generations addicted, walking in the streets ignoring the real world due to smartphone addiction. That could become a problem. I hope not.
How do you use technology in your daily routine as a filmmaker?
Technology is essentially a tool. And in a professional sense any tool is for use to the limits it allows you to use it. It’s an extension of the user. So it depends on your capabilities not on the actual tool itself.
After the Venice World Premiere of my film “American Night”, I got an email from the Oscars. The Academy requested a copy of the script of my movie to be studied and preserved, to be a part of the Academy Permanent Core Collection.
After that many people started calling me to fix their scripts. I know how to do it in a short amount of time, but it took many many years to learn how do it in a short amount of time. So it’s not the tool but the level of your expertise with the tool.
Another example, I used to be a photographer in London at some point, so now I like to choose the camera model, the lenses models and the lens sizes myself, instead of delegating it to the Cinematographer.
My experience of the past in writing allows me to really understand screenwriting, just like my experience as a photographer allows me to know exactly which lens to use to get the result I’m looking for.
What was it like working with Jonathan Rhys Meyers?
It was great. Jonathan is exceptionally talented and very generous. He is very focused, and he gives his whole support to the film and to the team. He actually has glimpses of true genius: he understand the character, the story arc, the filming process, and even human interactions, with great accuracy and genius.
A fun anecdote of many I have, was when I was telling him of TV series, a dialogue between Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, it was perhaps season 4 episode 7.
I had just started describing the scene, and Jonathan began telling me the lines of every character in that scene.
He actually remembered back-and-forth the whole dialogue of these two characters, and exactly all of their lines. For minutes! That is just pure genius. I was very impressed.
Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?
Overcoming obstacles. I think I have become an expert at overcoming obstacles and solving problems. No matter what they are. There is always a solution. And usually the solution is inside the problem.
I always told my First Assistant Director (AD): “it doesn’t matter what happens, we must get the things we need inside that rectangle, which is your monitor.”
We cannot put a disclaimer at the beginning of the movies saying that that day we had rain, or the actor was sick, or whatever it is that happened.
We have to achieve what’s written in the script no matter what. In other words: the only thing that matter is what you can put inside that rectangle, which is the screen, the monitor, which you have on set. If it’s not in there it’s not in the movie. So our job is to put it in there.
So, I would say overcoming obstacles first. And then of course, doing the premiere at Venice Film Festival, running for 4 Oscars and being featured at the Golden Globes, these were a true honor and just great, and also career defining moments.
What does the word success mean to you?
I believe truth is multifaceted, like a multifaceted diamond. So there are different levels of truth and they are all true at the same time.
Generally speaking, success is serving. The more people you serve the more success you have. So your film needs to serve as many people as possible.
As a Film Director, you need to work harder than anyone else. You need to push the limits. I think success is also a mind set. And being able to produce results.
We must produce results. While treating everybody in the same way no matter how important they are. And being kind to everyone regarding of their status.
Also, having fun while doing your movie and enjoying every moment of the process, while leading with enthusiasm, with vision, with inspiration, with loving kindness and with humanity.
To learn more about Alessio Della Valle, follow him on Instagram, and visit his official website.
