DP Danilo Desideri, AFC.

The official fan club of veteran director, screenwriter and actor Carlo Verdone was so overwhelmed by requests for a sequel to his cult films that he decided to revive three of his well-known and much-loved 1970s screen characters and showcase them in a new three-episode comedy – Grande, grosso e Verdone. His fans suggested the evocative title in an online poll. The eagerly-awaited feature is a sequel to Un sacco bello (Fun is Beautiful), Bianco, rosso e Verdone (White, Red and Verdone) and Viaggi di nozze (Honeymoon).

Re-interpreting characters after almost 30 years and fitting them into 21st century Italian society demanded great commitment from Verdone during the screenwriting phase. The characters have changed beyond recognition and are now grown up with families of their own.

InCamera met Danilo Desideri, AIC, Verdone's close collaborator since Acqua e sapone (Soap and Water), a quarter-of-a-century ago. The prestigious director of photography also lensed In nome del papa re (In the Name of the Pope King) and State buoni... se potete (Be Good if You Can) for Luigi Magni Nudo di Donna for Nino Manfredi, and La cicala (The Cricket) for Alberto Lattuada. We asked him about his creative experiences on Grande, grosso e Verdone.

Q: How would you describe your visual interpretation of the film's three episodes, each of which is based on one of the characters?

A: My challenge was to 'dress' each episode in a different light; a totally diverse style of photography that correlates each character's story and respective world. The approach entailed the production of three films in one.

Q: What kind of photographic environment did you create for the characters?

A: The first episode comprises a flashback as the main character, Leo, his wife and children, dressed in scout gear, are about to go to a meeting. This image, and the rest of the story, required a fabulistic light with an almost dreamlike quality. The atmosphere is similar to Little Miss Sunshine, with tones halfway between realistic, pensive and the surreal. In terms of photography, I pushed the colour saturation and created the transparent light that's typical of a fable. Thanks to costume designer Tatiana Romanoff and production designer Luigi Silvo Marchione, I was able to obtain the optimal result: the look of a Disney cartoon.

The second episode is based on Callisto, inspired by Furio from Bianco, rosso e Verdone; an insolent and aggressive university professor who appears respectable but does things that aren't quite ethical in order to garner recognition. This story required the shadows and easily-assimilated expressive bitterness of some of Dickens' tales. I thus characterised a harsh, almost soiled-looking lighting style. The third episode was mainly shot on location between Rome and Taormina, and is warmer and brighter in terms of light and colour. To achieve this I used polarising filters to absorb a little exterior light, emphasing the blue of the Sicilian sky and defining great depth. It also added 3-dimensionality to the imaging.

Q: Which film stocks did you choose?

A: I shot with an ARRI 535 camera equipped with Cooke S4 optics and KODAK VISION2 50D 5201 for the exteriors and some realistic interiors. I chose KODAK VISION2 500T 5218 for the night shots in the first episode and 5201 for most of the second episode, as it was harsher and more contrasty. In the third episode, almost all the exteriors were shot on 5201, with 5218 for the night scenes. Massimo Gubinelli, the skilled colour technician at Technicolor Sound Services of Rome, assisted me during post-production.

Q: How did your collaboration with Gubinelli begin?

(L-R) DP Danilo Desideri, AFC with Director Carlo Verdone

A: Several years ago when I collaborated with Carlo Verdone on Ma che colpa abbiamo noi (What Fault is it of Ours), the negative was initially processed at Augustus Color and then it was taken by Warner to Technicolor Rome for printing. While preparing for the final copy, I remember the great colour technician Carlo LaBella, at the time gravely ill and now, sadly, passed away, commenting in the projection room: "When I see material like this, my desire to print returns...." At the end of the viewing, I noticed a boy in the dim light. He was next to Carlo, listening and learning. That boy is now the current colour technician, Massimo Gubinelli. I began to collaborate with him after LaBella's demise, realising that he had trained with a consummate colour technician.

Q: How did you vary your technique between the three episodes?

A: Each episode was produced as a single film from the visual and stylistic points of view; a philosophy that I also applied to the camera movements, which were practically sewn to the world of the protagonist. For example, the first episode was shot almost completely stationary to capture Leo's expressions and body language, and reduce any unrelated elements. The second incorporates many moving and often mysterious shots to establish the dual personality of the Callisto-type character and depict his anxieties. The third, about the affected couple on holiday, was more dynamic and incorporates quite a lot of Steadicam shots.

Q: During the shoot, Verdone declared: "My single objective will be to compare, in an entertaining way, the world of adults with the world of youngsters through an appreciation of costume and language. Grande, grosso e Verdone will certainly be amongst my most laborious films but, if I succeed, it will have been a labour of love." How would you label this film?

A: A superficial critic would label it as an episodic comedy but, in reality, it possesses an uncommon richness and depth. In my opinion, it's an important film that employs cultural sociology to explore the concealed faults in our society. From the purity and sincerity of the first episode, the second takes the audience to the vulgarity of power, false respectability and the absence of ethics. The third is concerned with a more ignorant, but perhaps less damaging, vulgarity that is due to a lack of familial training. The intention beyond the film's extraordinary comedic aspects is to relate the story of a now-transformed society; a middle-class world that has lost its values and ethical foundations.

Q: After your 25-year collaboration with Carlo Verdone, what impression did his dual contribution as director and actor on Grande, grosso e Verdone leave with you?

A: As a director, Carlo's use of the cinematographic medium has become increasingly sophisticated and he is ever more aware and mature in his direction of actors. The film wasn't shot in sequence, so he was frequently required to switch from one acting role to another on the same day, with rapid costume and make-up modification sessions. We watched spellbound on set as this talented mime artiste suddenly transformed himself from one costume and character to another in just a few moments. It was really quite amazing.

Q: Who do you wish to give a special mention?

A: I'd like to thank Carlo Milani, my 1st assistant camera operator; an experienced and reliable specialist, and Giovanni Gebbia, a worthy Turinese camera and Steadicam operator. In addition, I wish to thank all the crew members for their excellent work, particularly Chief Gaffa Fabio de Meis and Key Grip Massimo Barbona.

Q: What gave you your greatest source of satisfaction?

A: At the end of the shoot, Carlo said: "Danilo, don't ever stop surprising me" which, delivered by a director with whom I've collaborated on more than ten films, takes on a special meaning. Then producer Aurelio De Laurentiis attended one of the first viewings and commented that the film was splendid and the photography and set design made a very positive impression on him.

More than 800 copies of Grande, grosso e Verdone have been released to theatres. The much-anticipated feature is produced and distributed by Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis.