“Panorama! Bellisimo!”
1984
“Just fly over to Italy and direct. We’ll have a crew there for you.”
It sounded too good to be true…and it was.
When you arrive on location and the local videographer unpacks a consumer camcorder that had clearly been made during the Roman Empire, it’s time to start panicking.
In February 1984 I had flown to Italy to direct a corporate video for Marinette Marine at a shipyard south of Genoa. It was my first trip to Europe and I was excited to be working with an Italian crew that had been hired by the client. I was surprised when my crew - Emilio and Luigi - turned out to be in their 70’s and dismayed when they pulled an ancient camera out of a gym bag.
The fact that I spoke only “train station Italian” and they spoke even less English didn’t help matters. I had spent a bunch of the client’s budget getting to Italy and I desperately needed these scenes to complete the video, so quitting now wasn’t an option.
After a day of work and with no useable scenes in the can, it was time for Plan B – hiring another crew. I found one in Florence but it was several days before we could coordinate schedules and clear up some red tape, so there was nothing for me to do but kill time.
If you have to kill time, there are far worse places than Italy. Here are a few scenes of the waiting - and then some segments of the completed video.
Sarzana, IT
Shipyards are not usually very photogenic, but the one that was building the vessels we needed to shoot for this project was in the shadow of the snow-capped Appenines.
Firenze
Florence was a short train ride away so I began scouting for an Italian office for Midland Video.
The completed Marinette Marine video presentation.
Portofino, IT
As I spent several days waiting for the replacement crew, I hung out in places like Portofino living la dolce vita.
Pisa
These were the days before they straightened some of the lean of the Tower of Pisa and on a winter morning you could climb to the top and have the tower all to yourself.
Cinque Terre
There’s definitely something to be said for Italy in February. However, keeping your eyes on the road while driving the sunny coast can be a challenge.
Sarzana, IT
When I met my crew from Florence, I discovered that the only word I really needed was panorama” with my arms flung wide. They didn’t speak English but they instantly gave me the “wide shot” I was looking for.
It’s a wrap. Feeling the effects of too much red tape and red wine, it was time to head home. Apparently, that wasn’t a happy thought.
Arrivederci.