VITTORIO STORARO

#1: From interview [Camerimage, 2016]

VITTORIO STORARO AIC/ASC

Born: 24 June 1940, Rome, Italy, as the son of a projectionist at LUX Film Studio.

Education: Instituto Tecnico Fotografico 'Duca D'Aosta', Rome [1951-56; graduated as 'photography teacher']; Centro Italiano Addestramento Cinematografico [1956-58]; Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Rome [1958-60].

Career: After graduation from the Centro he became c.asst on 2 films before doph Marco Scarpelli offered him the opportunity to operate, but after the Italian film industry went into a decline he had to take a step backward and became asst again. Later he again became c.op on feature films, shorts and commercials.

Ph commercials dir by Francis Ford Coppola and Thomas Krygier ['You Can', 2001]. Ph the music video 'Teach Me Again' [2006; a: Elisa & Tina Turner; d: Stefano Veneruso; 5m].

Worked for the theatre ['Das Käthchen von Heilbronn', 1972, d: Luca Ronconi, in Zürich, and 'Orestea', 1973, d: Luca Ronconi, in Belgrade].

Member of the AIC since 1971 [president from 1988-90]. Member of the ASC since 1988.

Co-founder of and teacher at the Accademia Cinematografica dell'Immagine [Academy of Arts and Sciences of Images], L'Aquila, Italy. Received honorary citizenship of L'Aquila in February 2003. The University of Lódz, Poland, awarded him with a 'Doctorate Honoris Causa' in Cinematography.

Wrote the trilogy 'Scrivere con la luce/Writing with Light' [1. 'La luce/The Light' (2001), 2. 'I colori/The Colours' (2002) & 3. 'Gli elementi/The Elements' (2003)]. A photography exhibition based on these 3 books was organized in Naples [2004], San Sebastian, Rome, Locarno [Switzerland, 2005], etc.

His son Fabrizio is a visual/digital effects supervisor. With Fabrizio he invented a universal film format called Univisium/Univision [standard 35mm with 3 perforations per frame and an aspect ratio of 1:2]. This system also increases the running time of film magazines by 25%.

Appearances: Appeared/interviewee in the doc's 'Bertolucci secondo il cinema/The Making of '1900'' [1975, Gianni Amelio & Giuseppe Bertolucci; 70m], 'Direttori fotografia: Storaro/Six Kinds of Light: Vittorio Storaro' [1981, Massimo Magri & Gianpaolo Tescari], 'Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography' [1992; interviewee], 'Il leone d'argilla/Clay Lion' [1993, Silvano Agosti; 40m], 'Különbözö helyek/Different Places' [1995, András Fésös; 35m], 'Wiecej swiatla. Festiwal Operatorów Filmowych Camerimage '97' [1997, Piotr Lazarkiewicz; ph: Adam Sikora; 54m], 'Glorious Technicolor' [1998, Peter Jones; tv-doc/60m], 'Ljuset håller mig sällskap/Light Keeps Me Company' [1999, Carl-Gustav Nykvist; b&w/c; 78m; doc about doph Sven Nykvist], 'Una giornata con Paco Rabal' [2001, Federico Bruno; v/40m], 'Il était une fois... Le dernier tango à Paris' [2004, Serge July & Bruno Nuytten; tv-doc/55m], 'Who Needs Sleep?' [2005, Haskell Wexler & Lisa Leeman] & 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer; ph: J. Fauer, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].

Awards: NSFC Award [1972] for 'Il conformista'; 'Oscar' AA [1979], BSC Award nom [1979] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1980] for 'Apocalypse Now'; 'Oscar' AA [1982], LAFCA Award [1981] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1983] for 'Reds'; NYFCC Award [1987], LAFCA Award [1987], 'Oscar' AA [1988], BSC Award [1988], ASC Award nom [1988], 'David di Donatello' Award [1988], BSFC Award [1988] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1989] for 'The Last Emperor'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1991], BSC Award nom [1990] & ASC Award nom [1991] for 'Dick Tracy'; NYFCC Award [1990] & BAFTA Film Award [1991] for 'The Sheltering Sky'; Camerimage 'Lifetime Achievement Award' [1994]; Cannes IFF 'Grand Prix Technique' from the CST [1998], Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1998] & 'Goya' Award nom [1999] for 'Tango'; Royal Television Society 'Lighting for Multicamera' Award nom [1999-2000] for 'La Traviata'; 'Emmy' Award [2001; for 'Part II'] & ASC Award nom [2001] for 'Dune'; Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1999], 'Goya' Award [2000] & European Film Award [2000] for 'Goya en Burdeos'; Camerimage 'Golden Camera' [2000]; Taormina IFF 'Diamond Award' [2001]; ASC 'Lifetime Achievement Award' [2001]; Coolidge Award 'honoring the spirit of original and challenging filmmaking' [2005]; International Film Camera Festival Manaki Brothers 'Life Achievement Award' [2005].

Website: Vittorio Storaro

FILMS
1960	La caduta di Varema [Camillo Bazzoni] ?; short/11m; + prod
1961	Etruscologia [profanatori de tombe]/Etruscology [Giancarlo Romitelli] ?; short/?m
1962	I Normanni/Conquest [Attack] of the Normans [Giuseppe Vari] cs/c; cph: Marco Scarpelli
1965	L'urlo/The Scream [Camillo Bazzoni] b&w; short/13m; + prod
1966	Sortilegio/Sortilege [Camillo Bazzoni] ?; short/?m
1966	Il labirinto/The Labyrinth [Silvio Maestranzi] b&w; doc/26m
1966	Sirtaki [Luigi Bazzoni] ?; short/?m
1966	Rapporto segreto/Secret Report [Camillo Bazzoni] ?; short/?m
1968	Dolce alloggio/Sweet Lodge [Jean-Pierre Alias] ?; short/?m
1968	Giovinezza, giovinezza/Youth March [Franco Rossi] b&w

[Right] with dir Bernardo Bertolucci

1969	Strategia del ragno/The Spider's Stratagem [Bernardo Bertolucci] c; cph: Franco Di Giacomo; made as a tvm, but released theatrically worldwide
1969	Delitto al circolo del tennis/The Rage Within [Franco Rossetti] ts/c
1969	L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo/The Bird with the Crystal Plumage [Dario Argento] ts/c
1969	Il conformista/The Conformist [Bernardo Bertolucci] c
1971	Addio, fratello crudele/'Tis a Pity She's a Whore [Giuseppe Patroni Griffi] c
1971	Giornata nera per l'ariete/Evil Fingers/The Fifth Cord [Luigi Bazzoni] c
1971	Corpo d'amore [Fabio Carpi] c
1972	Ultimo tango a Parigi/Last Tango in Paris [Bernardo Bertolucci] c
1972	Blu gang - e vissero per sempre felici e ammazzati/Brothers Blue [Luigi Bazzoni] c
1972	Malizia/Malice [Salvatore Samperi] ts/c
1973	I grandi naïf Jugoslavi [Luigi Bazzoni] ?; short/?m
1973	Giordano Bruno/Revolt of the City [Giuliano Montaldo] c
1973	Identikit/The Driver's Seat/Psychotic [Giuseppe Patroni Griffi] c
1974	Le orme/Footprints/Primal Impulse [Luigi Bazzoni & Mario Fanelli] b&w-c
1974	Le avventure di Enea/Eneida/Il lungo viaggio di Enea/The Trojan Prince [Franco Rossi] c; ed from tv-series (1970)
1974	Novecento/1900 [Bernardo Bertolucci] c; in 2-parts (320m); restored in 1995 under superv of V. Storaro
1975	Scandalo/Scandal/Submission [Salvatore Samperi] c

[Right] with dir Francis Ford Coppola

"Apocalypse Now"

1976	Apocalypse Now [Francis Ford Coppola] tvi/c; 153m; 2uc: Stephen Burum; insert ph: Caleb Deschanel; aph: David Butler; + small part; see 2001
1977	Agatha [Michael Apted] tvi/c
1978	La luna/The Moon/Luna [Bernardo Bertolucci] c

With dir Warren Beatty [right] - "Reds" - photo by David Appleby

1979	Reds [Warren Beatty] c
1981	One from the Heart [Francis Coppola] 35mm (+ 70bu)/c; cph: Ronald Víctor García; publicity ph: Nicholas Josef von Sternberg; miniature & vfx ph: Robert Eberlein; titles ph: Scott Lloyd-Davies
1981	Wagner [Tony Palmer] c; 466m & 514m; addph: Nic Knowland; in 1985 aired by Channel 4-tv (315m)
1983	Ladyhawke [Richard Donner] tvi/c; anim ph: Vincent Giordano; vfx ph: James Szalapski
1985	Ishtar [Elaine May] c; addph: Paul Beeson
1986	The Last Emperor [Bernardo Bertolucci] tvi/c
1987	Tucker - The Man and His Dream [Francis Ford Coppola] tvi/b&w-c
1988	New York Stories [ep 'Life Without Zoe' dir by Francis Coppola] c; other ph: Sven Nykvist & Néstor Almendros
1989	Dick Tracy [Warren Beatty] c; 2uc: James M. Anderson
1989	The Sheltering Sky [Bernardo Bertolucci] c
1990	Roma Imago Urbis/The History of Rome [Luigi Bazzoni] tvi/c; 15-part doc series/900m (1. 'Il mito', 2. 'L'immortalità', 3. 'Gli acquedotti', 4. 'Le mura', 5. 'I volti', 6. 'Le gesta', 7. 'La casa', 8. 'Gli dei', 9. 'Le opere', 10. 'La natura e mito', 11. 'Lo Stato e il diritto', 12. 'Gli spettacoli', 13. 'I colli', 14. 'Le vie dell'antice Roma' & 15. 'L'immagine di Roma'); prod 1990-94
1992	Little Buddha [Bernardo Bertolucci] p70/c; 2uc: Nicola Pecorini
*1994*	One Glorious Summer [Joseph Andaloro] ?
1995	Flamenco [Carlos Saura] c; mus doc/102m
1995	Mirka [Rachid Benhadj] tvi/c
1995	Taxi [Carlos Saura] c; filmed 1995-96
1996	Bulworth [Warren Beatty] c; addph: Jack Wallner
1997	Tango [, no me dejes nunca] [Carlos Saura] Univision/c
1998	Goya [en Burdeos]/Goya in Bordeaux [Carlos Saura] Univision/c
1999	Picking Up the Pieces [Alfonso Arau] Univision/c; 2uc: Jack Wallner
2001	Apocalypse Now Redux [Francis Ford Coppola] re-ed & restored version (203m); see 1976
2002	Gino Covili: il segno del destino [Lorenzo Peluso] c; doc/10m
2002	Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist/Paul Schrader's Exorcist: The Original Prequel [Paul Schrader] Univision/c; after Schrader finished principal ph in early 2003, Renny Harlin was hired to re-shoot (make a new version of) the film; Schrader's version got a limited release in May 2005
2003	Benedetto Antelami [Ruggero de Virgiliis] c; doc/25m
2003	Zapata - El sueño del héroe [Alfonso Arau] Univision/c

[Right] with dir Renny Harlin

"Exorcist: The Beginning"

2003	Exorcist: The Beginning [Renny Harlin] Univision/c; 2uc: Marco Carosi
2004	All the Invisible Children [seg 'Ciro' dir by Stefano Veneruso] c; 7 seg; other ph: Philippe Brelot (seg dir by Mehdi Charef), Milorad Glusica (seg dir by Emir Kusturica), Cliff Charles (seg dir by Spike Lee), Toca Seabra (seg dir by Kátia Lund), James Whitaker (seg dir by Jordan & Ridley Scott) & Changwei Gu (seg dir by John Woo); filmed August 2004-May 2005
2006	Io, Don Giovanni/I, Don Giovanni [Carlos Saura] Univisium/c; scheduled to start filming in July, but the prod company withdrew - a new company tried to restart prod; partially shot in November-December 2006; waiting for funds to finish principal ph; ph was finished in August 2008 and the film was released in 2009
*2006*	Dare to Love Me/El día que me quieras [Alfonso Arau] scheduled to start filming in September, but prod was postponed; scheduled to start filming in May 2009; prod put on hold

"L'imbroglio nel lenzuolo"

2008	L'imbroglio nel lenzuolo [Alfonso Arau] c
*2008*	Man Ray [Temístocles López] pre-production; prod was confirmed in May 2009; status unknown
*2008*	Rumi: The Fire of Love [Muzaffar Ali] pre-production; scheduled to start filming in January 2009; in July 2009 funding by the Qatar Foundation was announced, but status of prod is still unknown
*2008*	Kingdom Come [Dean Wright] pre-production; scheduled to start filming in February 2009 in New Zealand; status unknown
2009	Flamenco Flamenco [Carlos Saura] RED One-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; mus doc/97m
*2010*	Caminando [Daryl Lynn Matthews] first scheduled to start shooting in August 2006 with doph Juan Ruiz-Anchía; V. Storaro came on board in 2010; scheduled to start shooting in Spring 2012; status unknown

[Left] with dir Majid Majidi

2012	Muhammad: The Messenger of God [Majid Majidi] Univisium-to-digital/c; 178m
2012	33 días/33 Days [Carlos Saura] scheduled to start filming in October 2012, then January 2013; filming delayed due to funding problems; scheduled to start shooting in September 2016
2015	Café Society [Woody Allen] HD (Sony F65)-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c
2016	Wonder Wheel [Woody Allen] HD (Sony F55 & F65)-to-D-Cinema/c

TELEVISION
1970	Eneide/L'Enéide/Aeneis [Franco Rossi] 7-part miniseries, 1971-72; also in theatres (1974)
1972	Orlando furioso [Luca Ronconi] 5-part series/16mm, 1975; cph: Arturo Zavattini; also in theatres (113m)
1982	Arlecchino a Venezia [Giuliano Montaldo] tvm/HD (Sony HDVS)
1983	Le ombre/Shadow [Gian Maria Volonté] tvm
1984	Peter the Great [Marvin Chomsky (took over from Lawrence Schiller)] 4-part miniseries
1992	Tosca [: Nei luoghi e nelle ore di Tosca] [: In the Settings and at the Times of Tosca]/Tosca from Rome [Brian Large (tv) & Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (opera)] live opera transmission
1992	Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro [David Thompson] doc/59m; ep BBC-tv arts series 'Omnibus'
1999	La Traviata [à Paris] [in Paris] [Pierre Cavassilas (tv) & Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (opera)] opera

[Right/behind hand] with dir John Harrison [pointing] - "Dune"

1999	[Frank Herbert's] Dune [John Harrison] 3-part miniseries/Univision; 2uc: Miro Gábor
2006	Caravaggio [Angelo Longoni] 2-part tvm/Univisium; also released theatrically
2010	Rigoletto a Mantova [Pierre Cavassilas] opera/HD/125m; 2uc: Paolo Ferrari

FILMS AS CAMERA ASSISTANT/OPERATOR
1959	Meravigliosa [Siro Marcellini] c.op; ph: Aldo Scavarda & Emilio Foriscot; Spanish-language version 'Los dos rivales/The Two Rivals' dir by Carlos Arévalo
1961	Il mantenuto [Ugo Tognazzi] c.op; ph: Marco Scarpelli
1961	Pugni, pupe e marinai [Daniele D'Anza] co-c.op; ph: Marco Scarpelli
1962	Appuntamento in Riviera [Mario Mattòli] c.op; ph: Marco Scarpelli
1963	Prima della rivoluzione/Before the Revolution [Bernardo Bertolucci] c.asst; ph: Aldo Scavarda
1967	Totò Ye Ye [Daniele D'Anza; tvm] c.op; ph: Marco Scarpelli
1968	Commando suicida/Suicide Commandos [Camillo Bazzoni] c.op; ph: Francisco Sánchez

MISCELLANEOUS
1986	Captain EO [Francis Ford Coppola] 70mm (3-D)/c; Disney Attraction for Epcot Center, Florida/17m; visual, lighting and ph cons; ph: Peter Anderson; 2uc: Thomas Ackerman
1989	Continental [Xavier Villaverde] co-acknowledgement; ph: Javier G. Salmones
1993	La donna del moro/The Woman of the Moor [Mauro Borrelli; short] lighting; ph: Luciano Tovoli & Marco Sperduti
2002	Piazza Campidoglio [lighting design for a special event; this piazza in Rome was designed by Michelangelo]
2004	L'armata Russa in Vaticano [Cesare Gigli] lighting for tv-concert