Bringing Ideas to Life: An Interview with Andreas Maciocci, Ticinese Film Director
Italian is one of Switzerland’s four national languages, and though native Italian speakers make up less than 10% of the population, the language plays an important role in Switzerland’s cultural life. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Week of Italian Language in the World (la Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo). In celebration of this year’s theme, “Italian Between Words and Images: Graffiti, Illustrations, Comics,” the Embassy of Switzerland in the U.S. screened the film Learning the Ropes (I segreti del mestiere). The film tells the story of introverted teenager, Samuel, who expresses his emotions through drawings which come to life, as he goes on a journey to uncover a secret from his past. As a continuation of our celebration of the week, we asked the film’s director, Andreas Maciocci, to tell us a bit more about the film and his work.
Andreas Maciocci was born and raised in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. He obtained his Diploma in directing and film production from CISA (the International Conservatory of Audiovisual Sciences) in Lugano in 2013. Since 2014, he has been working as a writer and director in Ticino, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland.
You are both the director and co-writer of Learning the Ropes. Can you tell us a little bit more about how the project came to be, and about the specificities of directing a film for which you have also written the script?
In the beginning the project was intended to be a web series. However, the first feedback from the television station was that they were interested, but only in a movie, and they also wanted it to be directed by a young director. For this reason, the producer called me and asked me if I wanted to be part of the project. I then started working on it with the two screen writers (Natalie Signorini and Alberto Nucci). Being a part of the writing was really important for me: it gave me the possibility to give my point of view on each scene. During the writing process, I was able to already envision how I wanted to direct it.
The relationship between father and son plays an important role in the film. What drew you to this kind of story?
The father and son relationship was the first point I was interested in because it reminded me of my relationship with my father. I’m really different from him: he is more a manager type person, whereas I’m more of an artist. And this difference created a lot of contrast in our family. Despite this difference, though, we are really close. The movie gave me the possibility to face and talk about this.
The film was shot around Mendrisio in Ticino, close to the border with Italy. How did you choose the location and why do you think it was fitting for the film?
We shot almost the entire movie in Chiasso, about a couple of kilometers from Mendrisio. At the beginning we considered Lugano for the shooting, but in the end I didn’t want to show the bright side of Ticino. I wanted something more real. Lugano is a wonderful city with beautiful places, I needed something more urban. And secondly, I grew up in Chiasso, I know the city and I wanted to use some places of my past.
Massimiliano Motta, who plays Samuel, delivers a strong performance, especially considering this was his first film. How do you conceive your role as a director and how do you work with the actors?
Massimiliano was really professional. As soon as I met him I knew he had the potential to be my perfect “Samuel.” I spent a bit of time with him, and we immediately became friends. He immediately understood the character and, via his passion for acting, he started to get involved in the character. For me, the most important thing is that the actor becomes a part of the process and gives his point of view. I may have other points of view. I wrote the characters but the actors are going to play them: it has to be a two-way creation.
Samuel, the protagonist, expresses himself through his drawings in the film. They were made by Antoine Deprez, and were animated by Gaston Dupuy and Miljana Milikovic. As a team, how did you work on integrating these drawings to the film? Did you add the animations once the film had been shot or did you develop the two projects in parallel?
The animations were already in the screenwriting and their position didn’t change during the filming. From the beginning I wanted them to be placed in specific moments. From the start of the filming I always wanted them to be “rough,” so I rejected all the digital looking styles. Then, Milly suggested the paper cut animation. She gave me what I needed. I was looking for something where you can feel the hand drawing. During the shoot, I only had Antoine’s drawings (which are great) and we started the animation process in post-production.
A couple of scenes use “voice over” (between Samuel and Giulia, and between Samuel and Drago). Did you immediately think about using this technique for these “key” moments of the movie?
The “voice over” idea came at the beginning of the shooting. I didn’t know if it would work. As soon as I got to the post-production phase, I tried it out and fell in love with it. The voice over creates a really intimate connection between the characters. The editor and I started putting them in many scenes. Once we arrived at the end we decided where it was important to have it and where it was not. We ended up using it for at least one scene with each main character.
You and some actors presented Learning the Ropes to schools. How did the students react? What struck you during these encounters?
The presentation of the movie to the schools was really frightening for me. Kids can be really hard… they speak what they think without holding back, which is great, but can be painful… During the screening I was outside the theatre and I heard them cheering for Samuel, and once the movie ended they were really nice and made some interesting and beautiful comments on the movie. For me and the actors it was a really nice moment. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity.
We’re celebrating the Settimana della lingua Italiana, the Week of Italian Language in the World. Could you please tell us a little bit about what makes the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, Ticino, special for you? What is the storytelling and filmmaking landscape like there?
I love Ticino because it is a really quiet place. I like to be on my own. I’m not a party man. I spend most of my time with my girlfriend and sculpting. I like to create with my hands. You can check out my sculptures on my Instagram account (@vincent.clay82).The filmmaking in Ticino has a good side and a harder side. Since it is a small place you have the possibility to work in a friendly environment. On the other side, we have fewer opportunities to develop our projects.
Don’t miss the Swiss Film Club discussion with Andreas Maciocci and his team!
Learn more about the film here.
