Q – How did you find out about the Terre di Cinema CineCampus?
On one of my rare Instagram checks I happened to catch a post by @kodak_shootfilm. I was sure by then that the program would be filled, but took a chance and applied anyway and was so lucky there was one spot remaining.

Q – How would you describe your participation at the TDC22 CineCampus? Were you in Camera or Cinematography Dept? Tell us about it
I was already a working cinematographer in commercials but was wanting to pivot back to narrative, where I first worked in the film industry. I had just been accepted into the ASC Vision mentorship program and was excited to take more meaningful steps in growing my career. I have family in Sicily, and my grandfather wrote the movie that would start his own career while reconnecting with those relatives. It felt only natural that I would begin a new chapter in my own journey right back where it all began at the TDC CineCampus in Catania.

The cinematography track at TDC was very close to the real world experience of filmmaking, starting with the pitch process. It wasn’t something I previously gave much thought, but selling one’s creative vision and finding collaborative common ground with a director is the first—and most important—step in landing a job. It was a stressful and anxious experience, but I took more life lessons away from that first day than perhaps any other part of the process.

Q – What was your experience with shooting on film before attending the TDC CineCampus?
I had shot two commercials and a short film on 16mm and 35mm, so I felt good about the basics. Because I was self-taught up to that point I knew there was (and still is!) a lot more left to learn.

Q – How did your participation to the TDC CineCampus change your approach to filmmaking?
In the commercial world the emphasis is often on working quickly to deliver whatever meets the client’s goals. By contrast, TDC really gave us the opportunity to completely devote our combined tools and talents toward telling a good story.

On all my projects now I make sure to set aside quality time with the director to really perfect our visual language and shot list. I used to operate the camera—it’s fun, after all!—but I learned how powerful it can be to see the world through another artist’s eyes, and since TDC have preferred working with a camera operator to plan and frame shots. Leaning on our fellow crew member’s expertise and trusting them is really where the magic happens, as everyone’s creative fingerprint contributes to the final film.

Q – Have you kept shooting on film after your participation at the TDC CineCampus? Tell us about your film project please
Following TDC I completed two 35mm short films with an extremely talented writer/director. I’m currently shooting my own 35mm short, This Chain of Life, based on a letter I found after my dad unexpectedly died. He was a talented screenwriter himself, and, in a way, through this project we can still collaborate and tell beautiful stories together.

Q – What would be your advice to the participants to the upcoming TDC25 CineCampus?
What’s so special about TDC is that it manages to concentrate the entire filmmaking experience into one short but intense period. There will be moments of frustration, but even the biggest budget projects run into limitations with equipment, locations, or crew politics. It falls on our creativity and vision as a team to work around those realities and find solutions that serve the story—and when all the pieces come together just right, the feeling is extraordinary.

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