Actress Nat Tena in a scene from the film.

After the challenges of literature, theatre and the opera, popular Turin writer Alessandro Baricco has decided to put his script writing creativity to the test with an extraordinary directorial debut film. " Lecture 21 (Lezione 21) is about old age, but it has universal appeal in the sense that it doesn't make specific reference to reality," he explains.

British actor John Hurt plays Mondrian Kilroy, the old visionary professor from Baricco's novel, City. "I changed some aspects, but it's him; an eccentric character without rules. The story Kilroy tells is in his head and his head is my own. It's a crazy lecture but it's also the story of the experiences in an old man's life" continues Baricco, whose story revolves around Kilroy's lecture on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; a lecture that develops into a voyage of self-discovery.

InCamera met the film's experienced director of photography, Gherardo Gossi (Lavorare con lentezza (Work Slowly), L'uomo privato (Private Man), Texas, Nemmeno il destino (Not Even Destiny)) during post-production.

Q: Gherardo, how would you describe your encounter with Alessandro Baricco?

A: Alessandro is a director but, above all, he is a great narrator who knows precisely which tools he needs to take the viewer by the hand and accompany him through the story. Lecture 21 provided an opportunity for me to meet him again and compare notes after our different work experiences, with innovative and gratifying results. It was important to clarify the visual guidelines of the story at the pre-production stage in order to define an appropriate photographic style for the film, so I began by illustrating the potentials of expressive media that were new to him. We had long meetings to clarify how we would transpose his vision of the fantasy onto the big screen. This detailed work ethic was aimed at overcoming the typical suspicions of someone who hadn't been involved with cinematographic art before.

Q: How was the film conceived from the viewpoint of story structure?

A: It's not a linear film. It has three stories that intertwine and rotate in order to relate one story that is at the very heart of the plot: the first performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The long dialogues that form the body of Lecture 21 take the viewer to the sequence of shots that gives continuity to the acting. Apart from the visual aspects, I was fascinated by how I could convey to the audience the flavour of the diverse atmospheres within the various segments of the story and draw them into the film's profoundly complex journey.

Cinematographer Gherardo Gossi taking a light reading.

Q: Which Kodak film stocks did you choose?

A: After a series of tests, I chose KODAK VISION2 500T for the interiors and KODAK VISION2 250D for the daylight snow scenes. Its high sensitivity and excellent exposure flexibility meant that I was able to preserve the contrasts in the action scenes in the snow while still maintaining readable shadows. Part of Lecture 21 set in the early 1800s is shot inside a studio, so I used KODAK VISION2 200T to best capture the period. I selected it for its sharp and precise colorimetry, good contrast and fine grain. During editing we decided to supplement the snowfall with CGI provided by Vision FX. Consequently, we decided to complete the film on Digital Intermediate (DI); a tool that allowed me to work with greater accuracy in finalising the various atmospheres within the film. We chose 1:1.85 aspect ratio in order to maintain the most natural expressions possible, so that the acting didn't overpower the imposing backdrops. Film processing and prints were done in Technicolor Rome by grader Antonio Salvatori, while DI work was realised in Augustus Color, under the guidance of talented colorist Sergio Cremasco.

Q: Which visual references did you use and what type of images did you create for this film which is so radically different from the rest?

A: As never before, the music suggested images and scenery that appear throughout the film. Certain paintings complemented my work process, such as Bruegel's 16th century paintings of Northern Europe in which light is an actor and an emotional stimulus for the mountain scenes. English portraiture from the early 1800s was a constant source of inspiration for the testimonies of musicians, the bourgeois and aristocrats in the 'historical' 19th century section of the film. The photography complements the images in each narrative moment and story segment with an increasingly diverse form and flavour. To summarise, we created 'surrealistic' images in long sequence shots covering contemporary periods in time.

Q: What was your key visual challenge in your collaboration with the director?

A: Firstly, co-operating with him in a way that best translated his creativity into images. The settings of his literary works are always original and unexpected. Alessandro has a precise idea of what he wants to see and what he wants to represent; his expectations are high and deservedly so. As a result, my work in visualising his ideas and translating them into images was simple as I was working with a great fabulist and could easily translate his personal vision from its most minute detail to its deepest complexity. The second challenge, from the visual point of view, was to make the camera neutral with respect to the story, which just required a stylistic and functional simplicity.

Q: How complex were the shots from the practical and production point of view?

A: The period of principal photography was intense and continuous changes demanded great flexibility. We shot for seven weeks; five in Trentino and two in London. The mountain scenes were difficult because there was insufficient snow. Continuous changes required flexibility and when we ascended to about 6,600 feet to find adequate snowfall, complications followed. Nevertheless, it was a stimulating experience.

Q: From the technical aspect, how would you describe your experience with the directorial debut of a master of the written language?

A: Alessandro was very quick and he demonstrated great intelligence. After just one week he was completely aware of how he could use the art of film to his advantage and he understood the freedom and limitations of the technical means. Having to deal with highly seasoned actors in a limited time frame generated agitating yet gratifying shooting days. Alessandro used his experience in directing theatre to manage actors of significant artistic stature with great fluidity.

Q: Given the complexity of the film, what support did you receive from the producers?

A: I would say excellent support. Lecture 21 is an international joint venture with Domenico Procacci from Fandango Films, Gail Egan from Potboiler Productions and RAI Cinema. They were the driving force and constant stimulus for all of us in creating this intense and difficult film. I don't believe the film could have been made without Domenico Procacci because the financial and production aspects were complex. After all, it's an Italian film with an international profile and a high-level artistic cast.

Q: How does Lecture 21 fit into your personal and professional life?

A: I have always created contemporary films or films of an historic nature that are distinguished by a decided realism; an 'unsweetened' version of reality. Lecture 21 is not a truly realistic film and it was a way for me to take 'the road not travelled'. The daily invention of a fantasy world in the service of the actors as well as the story, however powerful and stimulating, has been an experience that has compelled me to grow professionally. We had two fantastic allies: set and scenery designer, Marta Maffucci and costume designer, Carlo Poggioli. Without them we would not have been successful in creating the rich and elegant images that were needed to 'dress' the story.