Statement by Mauro John Capece and Pierpaolo Moio (Screenwriters and Directors) We experienced the same thing. We co-wrote the screenplay in a passionate way, which was possible only thanks to a feeling born in previous collaborations, to a common interest in “good cinema” and the extreme clarity of each character profile. Then came the rational and logical phase which has produced a precise direction code, pertaining to the psyche of the main actor in connection with the other characters. In this movie, according to our idea of cinema, the camera movements, the shot perspective, the white balance, the set arrangement are not necessarily independent aesthetic choices, but they represent functional elements to the story that we want to tell. We are extremely satisfied by the quality of the scenes shot and we really think we have succeeded in a difficult enterprise: a coordinated work of 15 people, 37 actors and over 300 extras, 2 hours of full-length film, with 16 hours of scenes shot in over 54 locations in the Italian regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio (Rome), a video reel of 1.000 Gigabyte (apart from backups)…all done in 60 days of shooting. Technical notes by Mauro John Capece and Pierpaolo Moio (Screenwriters and Directors) We have shot with a really new standard: high definition DvcProHD at 100 Mbps, with 4:2:2 color sampling, by Panasonic which guarantees a very high quality. We have been the first to use a Panasonic Ag-Hvx200 (this camera came out only in late April 2006) for a full-length film in Europe. Together with the director of photography, before the shooting, we did some comparative tests and we even valued further standards and cameras. In the end we decided to use the Panasonic Ag-hvx200 (European version) which seemed to be suitable to “tell” our story, not only for its image quality but also for its real HD signal (not compromised as it was with HDV cameras). This camera is a really handy product with a video signal: We fell in love with it immediately. The Panasonic DvcProHd is a film format which binds the use of hard disks and P2, instead of films or tapes. This is why we had to experience a new method and a particular production schedule in order to work using the P2. Changing our working method was a bit scaring but just after one day of shooting we realized how easy it was to work with data instead of films or tapes. One P2 was given to the cameraman while a second P2 was used for the shooting backups on a common Packard Bell laptop (Centrino 1,73Ghz, 1GB Ram Ddr, 100 GB Hard Disk, 6 hours battery endurance). Backups were extremely quick: 5 minutes for a full P2, using the laptop Pmcia slot. In the direction, using the P2 viewer programme by Panasonic, we could see the P2 shooting (in real time) on a full screen in Half resolution – Hd and stills in Full resolution-Hd. Thanks to this application, our shooting was ordered according to the timecode or the date and scenes could be displayed in preview. Therefore, we always had a clear idea of the editing and our script girl could immediately verify the scene objects and the character’s outfit. With the P2 viewer programme virtual P2 can be read (read by normal directories on the hard disk) and all the movie can be “browsed through” in preview. This application, applied to the shooting, represented a boost to our creativity during the making. Moreover, thanks to the delete clips function of the Panasonic Ag-Hvx200, Stefano Stefanelli deleted all the wrong scenes from the P2 in his camera. As a consequence he handed a “purified” P2 to the direction, making us save a great quantity of GB storage in our backups. In conclusion, working without tapes but only with P2 has been quick, comfortable and safe. Technical notes by Stefano Stefanelli (Director of photography) I have followed some guidelines drawn up by Mauro John Capece and Pierpaolo Moio, using our so-called “Code”, that expresses the different emotional phases of the characters; for example, the scenes were characterized by a change of white which was warmer, if the situation was positive and colder, if negative. When the characters lived a situation of weakness or awkwardness, they were shot from above. Alien is always framed from below or at eye level, at most. Compared to the other characters, Alien never was in a position of inferiority but that was possible always maintaining a certain harmony and not following a mathematical sequence. We immediately decided to use the HD format, choosing the new released Panasonic AG HVX200 Pal version. In fact, we needed a product to turn into film. The use of a heavy compression would have limited us, quality speaking. Since I have had the opportunity to supervise photography, I have always tried to use discharge lamps to re-create the sunshine, exploiting the ability of the modern cameras to support high lights as it happened with films. I bought all the light equipment that we have used in this film: a 575, 1200 and 2500 HMI (to re-create the sunshine) and a set of fluorescent lamps composed by a Wall Lite Kobold of 8 120 lamps, 2 Movie Flo 2x120, 2 Balcar of 110W and 2 Balcar with a 220W parabola. For the same watt capacity, the rendering of the fluorescent lamps is 4 times that of the incandescent ones and their soft light is to be preferred to that of the quartz lamps or photo floods (a part from the fact that the fluorescent lamps don’t make the actors sweat since they have the advantage not to heat). With the aid of polystyrene, silver glares, mini banks and diffusers I could solve all the problems faced during the production. Even in the interiors the final rendering was excellent. In “Alien, the man of the future” we have used a Cartoni C20 stand, the EFP Steadicam, properly made heavier to balance it and a 8 meter crane with head and electricity by Jimmy Jib. The camera brightness is inferior to that of DV cameras but in line with HD; its speed is 320 ASA; Its zoom is 13X with a focal length of 4.2/55 mm and it is a full range wide-angle lens (in some occasions we would have wanted a lens less wide). The equivalent in 35 mm is a 32/420 zoom with a maximum f-stop of 1.6 that becomes 2.8 when used as a telephoto. I usually try to work with a 4 diaphragm, in order to maintain an acceptable depth of field for the focus assistant. To shoot some striking scenes we have used the Century extra wide-angle lens, which was on sale even some days after the release of the camera. We have obtained a professional Audio result thanks to the XLR sound input (even for what the living recording concerns.) Giacomo “Jimmy” Avanza, our Sound Manager sent the signal coming from his mixer to the DAT and when the camera was on the stand, he could even send it to the camera directly. That determined an overwork for the production but also a saving of time in the editing stage.