Film Name: IVI ELV
Directors: Luigi Scarpa
Writers: Luigi Scarpa
Starring: Corrado Bega, Ilaria Monfardini
A man regains consciousness somewhere unknown and claustrophobic. Dazed and confused,
he begins to wander its dark corridors, but a series of visions will force him to deal with a far
worse reality.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask Writer/Director Luigi Scarpa a few questions about his award-winning horror film ‘IVI ELV’
Q. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film ‘IVI ELV’?
A. It is a film without dialogue, so it is the images that have to speak. Everything that happens in the main location of the film acquires much more strength. Even in the strongest scenes, I wanted “presence” not to be shown right away. To reveal only details and then leave it to the viewer’s mind to build and imagine. It is a very psychological discourse. I’ve always been attracted to the macabre, the gloomy, and the dark. As a child, I loved the colour black and always drew skulls.
Q. How did the idea for IVI ELV come about and What were your inspirations when writing
the script?
A. IVI ELV is the film to which by necessity I am most attached. For me, it represents a moment of growth; it is a more ambitious film than the previous ones, as it should be. This film is a reflection on people’s fears.
We all are afraid of something and feel it in many different ways: from phobias to obsessions. I wanted to tell a story. To give a clear vision of what fear is to me.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I worked a lot on the atmospheres. I chose the location after 1 year of research because the location was crucial. Of horror, I love the visual power of the images, their strength, the involvement that is created with the viewer, that strong feeling….I don’t want to spoil the reason for certain choices…. Let’s say that I love psychological horror films and have seen re-watched and shared with the crew such films as: Buried (2010), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), The Premature Burial (1962).
Q. Where there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
A. Absolutely. When you shoot a short film you often have to deal with a lot of unforeseen events. The film was shot in January, in southern Italy, and on the day of the exteriors it was crazy cold. We had to shoot the chase scene. We only had that one day and before we started shooting it started raining heavily. I had planned a lot of shots for this scene, but the rain started to create a lot of problems. The camera got wet, the actress was in danger of getting sick because she was not dressed heavily. Everyone was telling me we have to postpone, but that meant giving up the film. So I as a director had to make a
difficult decision: “Action” I shot only one take of the most complex scene.
Everything was incredible because I used the rain as a point in my favour. The actors fell and slipped, started to fight, everything was so realistic. I told the cameraman don’t stop!, film everything! Boom, it was crazy and I was extremely satisfied with it.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments whilst making the film?
A. When we filmed the scene of when “She arrives …” It lasts very little, we used a special handcrafted mechanism to allow her suspended advance. Months of work…That image for me is very strong. When I did a test screening in a movie theatre, on a giant screen, I said “Uau! It works.”
Q. Did you experience any issues whilst making the film?
A. Absolutely. We shot in January and it was very cold. We often had to stop because of the rain. The drone scenes with the monks we did on the top of the mountain. There was a very strong wind and often the drone could not stay still and fluid in its movements. All this created harsh working conditions and by the end of the shoot the whole crew got sick.
Q. What do you hope people will take away from the film?
A. I hope the viewers can appreciate the atmosphere of the film. May they somehow be affected by some of the images. I made a study of the viewer’s fears and phobias…. Many of these phobias are present in the film.
During the screening I’ve heard people say, “Gross” seeing certain things, here’s “Bingo,” that’s exactly what I wanted: to provoke with certain elements, which are always inserted for the purpose of the narrative and not just to provoke. And in this film is also present the director’s fear….
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are working on?
A. Absolutely. After three short films and two horror commercials I am working on my first horror feature film. A very strong story that works on the psychological dimension. We already have a film pitch deck ready and are in the delicate stage of looking for a production.
Q. If someone is looking to write and direct their first film, what advice would you give them?
A. I wrote my first short film in 2007, but I waited until 2020 to make it, this is because I wanted to
come prepared for this work. When you do your first experiments you involve your friends and the
people you work with, so the most important thing, your way of saying thank you to them, is to
respect the time they put in for you. So first tip: come prepared, study and be sure as a director what
you want to achieve. Another tip is to deal with professionals who can help you and above all always
defend an idea you believe in.
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
