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Interview - writer & Producer, Julio Vincent Gambuto

I'm really excited to introduce this audience to my friend and my colleague and my business partner, Giulio Vincent Gam Bhutto were there. You are high. The voice from above. This is how it is, right? The director is just in your head. Right? So, um, Giulio and I have known each other for over a decade. We started working together in this capacity about two years ago, and we have now embarked on a career together, doing a lot of projects, including our first feature film called Team Marco, which is due out this year. It is ready and ready for audiences. And with that, I will introduced Giulio. Hello, Giulio. Hi, everybody. How are you? Oh, we're doing great. So you see me? I can't see you. So I'm gonna talk into the void here. That's OK. That's it's weird. I know I've done that before. It's so I given everybody a little bit of a background on our on our friendship and our partnership, and I've talked about you a little bit. I, uh we're going to talk a little bit about our the way we as...

a writer and, you know, a writer director and a producer communicate about turning words into visuals. Okay. And I think we have some some ideas, and I wrote down some questions I want to ask you, and I think hopefully this will kind of spur our conversation a little bit. But I don't think we never really. We never really struggle for things to talk about, so do it. OK, so, um, I've never asked you this question before as long as I've known you. Do you think in words or pictures? Good question. Uh, it depends on what stage of the work. So first, I think in words I mean, I think throughout the day, you know, as the new idea is percolating and being developed, I certainly see pictures. But for the most part, I think in words on paper, and I think first in story, so at all of my work is really rooted, as you know, because you've lived in and been in. It is rooted in story. So the story has to come first, and the visuals are there to prove the story. So I think first and words and then, at some point in the process, that becomes okay. How do we visualize this. What are the pictures that tell this story? But that has to come first. That's interesting that you say that because I have a question earlier from from somebody on the Internet about what did I think was my greatest strength bringing from photography into the film world? And I said as a storyteller. But the reality is that I'm the opposite of you. I think in pictures first and then words. And I think that the fact that we dovetail together as far as creatively so well is probably rooted in that idea in that we both have very similar kind of process. Except there, the mirror images of one another. So that's pretty interesting. Yeah, I think so. And I think, you know, once you put all the crafts in one room like we have for the last few years, he realized that everyone comes at it from a wildly different perspective, and it's the combination of all those that really make the work. What it iss. Yeah, we've talked about that a little bit, too, and that somebody asked a question about, um how'd oh, I get it from where I think it's supposed to be to, you know, like from where it is, you know, And then how do I take the vision out of my head and put it out onto the screen? And I was like, Get a lot of help. So a lot of help to get a lot of money, right? Right. Open money absolutely helps. So so do you being that you, um, thinking words first and think is a storyteller first. Like, how much do you lean on your visual partners in terms of when we get into the idea of producing visuals from your words? Well, I think you know. First, you have to look at what the visual is made up of, right and really break it down. Though it's made up of lighting, it's made up of costume. It's more of color, which crosses all of those. It's made up of set design. It's made up of camera movement and the cameras relationship to the subject. So all of those things is create the visual and so on. A film shoot, which I think you're united, talked about the difference between the film process and still photography. But on a film shoot, obviously all those things are the same, except for the camera movement and the cameras relationship in motion to the subject. And so for me at least, the processes about, uh, hiring and working with people who are better at what they do, then I could be. So my role is the director is to work with the DP who can light and move camera better than I ever could and to work with, um, uh, work with the production designer who can design and execute a set better than I can. A costume or etcetera, etcetera. So, you know, working with creative partners like yourself on with our whole team, for me is a matter of saying, I know what the story is now. How can each of those departments express that story in their given craft? So, for example, you know every good story has its protagonist, and it's antagonised. And so, you know, when you create the antagonised, I always ask each of our crafts people. How can you make that person the villain of the story? How can you make that person the force to be reckoned with? And so it doesn't always have to be Star Wars that could be a really, really quiet, intimate personal story like Team Marco, but there's always a villain. So I asked each of those crafts people How can you express that? So the DP how can you use lighting and camera movement to make him the villain? That costumer, what can we dress him in to make him the villain? The production designer? What can the set look like to make him the villain? So, you know, if you look at all the component parts of the visual, um, each of those has its sort of head that can Then go execute your story and execute your emotion. Um uh, in their visited world, I think this audience can definitely tell how we worked together at this point because you just emphasized at least three in five of the points that I talked about earlier, and you did it really well. So it's just the idea that, um, we are kind of layering on the idea of story. So I have some of your story charts that we worked from to talk about those things and how they all trace each other throughout, and we're gonna share those in the next segment But the reality off needing to build the narrative from every visual angle is something that it's so. It's something that you taught me as as, you know, being with you on these things, but also that you learn to trust that you bring certain instincts with you as a visual creative. And it's not as intimidating after that. Absolutely. I mean, you know, you're the instinct is the talent, and the talent is You can't make that up. You can't teach it. You just have to find it. But the training and the technique as you have in your world developed is what you can develop. And I think that it's important when you look at when you look at working together toe, understand that everybody is talented and if you've chosen people in your circle, if the five of you, the two of you, the three of you, the four of you are standing there, creating something that that's the baseline right, but that everyone's sort of experience and training or vocabulary might be a little bit different, so communication is always really key. I mean, you know, you and I, when we started working together, worked that out pretty immediately. You have to be communicative. You have to use words in a way that paint pictures and also communicate. You know, what is the delivery ble? What is the final vision? What are the details involved so that each of those people can execute as best as possible? I think you just also explained your particular style as a director, which was part of my next question for you. Is that how you how you would describe yourself? Because I don't necessarily think that every director that comes at this process comes at it with that open mind because I feel like working with you. Your particular style is about empowering the people around you to create on. I don't know that that's necessarily the style that everyone else has. But I would just love to you to talk to that for a moment. Sure, I mean, I think I think it depends on how you come out this conversation. But a lot of people have the context of, you know, ah, Director's role is to be demanding or directors. Role is to to get what they want or to visualize what they want, and to some extent that you know that's true. But I think that ultimately e what I learned in film school and what I've learned in my training is that you're going to get a better project through collaboration and collaboration does not mean committee, by the way. So I think that's a really important distinction. You know, I don't believe in art by committee. I think it dilutes things. I think it makes things less interesting. I think it it takes a solid voice and sort of like dilutes it and thwarts it. So I don't believe in that. And I think what that looks like is, you know, everybody gets a fair share. Everyone gets a fair say everybody's ideas have to be included. I don't think that that's a good way unnecessarily to create art, but you know very well and I'll explain it for the audience that the way that I work is that I'm the filter for everything. So you know my role is to synthesize and to make the ultimate decision. So I want people pitching ideas and concepts and suggestions all day long, every day, everywhere and my role for the time we're in pre production and production is to constantly filter, filter, filter, filter, filter. So this is hard sometimes because you have worked with p A is on our sets and you know them well, who have never been around someone who says, Yeah, what do you think? Um and so they feel empowered. And then when I say yeah, we're not gonna do that, then they feel disempowered. And the idea is not to do is not Teoh to disempower people at all. The idea is that my job is to say no and is to sort of find what it is that that that that perfect, you know, leading idea or suggestion that really makes and solves the puzzle, you know, because we're all there to solve a puzzle. And so, um, so collaboration to me is working with the department heads, working with the crew, working with everybody to say, You know what? How can we best express this? How can we best get two X, y and Z? Um, and you know what? USC. We were taught that there is no ah film by. I think a lot of filmmakers love where it says a film by so and so we were always taught that that's not very respectful to your crew. Eso I don't do it. I know that some people do, and it's totally cool. But, um, ultimately the film itself is directed by me, but it is not my film, and I think that that's a really important way to look at the work that you're doing. And ultimately, I think it makes for a better product. Sure, I mean, I agree with that entirely because I feel like as an instructor, and you're also an instructor when you're not a director. Uh, the the idea of educating people around you, mentoring people around you and making them better makes your team better. Anything, ultimately the product becomes better because of it. The experience in and of itself is much better jobs where we can't wait to get out of there, right? I mean, I don't know about all of the audience, but I've certainly spent many years at a desk in a cubicle pulling my hair out. I can't wait to get. Can't wait for the day to be over. You never want that to be the experience of anybody on your set. And when it is you're gonna get really, really bad work from people. Still, um, you know, it's a win win. If people can feel empowered and feel supported and feel like they've grown through creative process and your product has benefitted from it, then everybody wins. And that's a good way to come out on the other side. Totally change gears on you a little bit because this was sort of something that we discovered along the way. How would you describe your visual style? My visual style. So I love color. I love composition. I love, Um, I love working with geometry and shape, so I have a very graphic style. I have a very I like a limited color palette. I like I really defined color palette. I like really refined materials. If they're appropriate for the story, you know, if it was up to pay, every, every movie would have really great bold graphic wallpaper and some really good letter forms and great costumes. And so, visually, for me, it's really about What are we shooting? What are the materials? What air? The shapes? What are the colors? Some people don't work like that. Other people are much more focused on what is the sort of tone and feel of the film maker material that you're using digital filters, your lighting, which obviously is important to both my style into other people's style. So, um, I think from a strictly visual perspective, you know, colors my favorite. I just love to work in color, you know, for Marco, we we use color as a representation of world meaning that, you know our movie is a family movie about a little boy who is obsessed with his IPad. And so he lives in a very tech, heavy world. He lives in his video games and his screens. So we made blew his color and blue is a traditionally cool color, So his world is blue. His room was blew, his bed sheets were blue. The tent that he builds to get away from his grandfather is blue. The light that we used to bounce on his face while he's using his technology is blue. And so we situated him in that world so that we could contrast it really heavily with a red world of the grandfather, the grandfather. His role in the movie is loved his role in the movie is joy, and so we used Red not to symbolize blood and death or anything like that, as you might in a horror movie. But in our movie, we used blood to I'm sorry, but we used Red to represent love and joy and energy and, um, this of multiple colors that you could experience when you, you know, have joy. So red orange, all of the colors that work off of red pinks. So when Marco steps into no knows world into grandpas world, suddenly the movie becomes much more read and interesting and even sort of pushes into pinks and yellows and oranges and that pallet. So I like to use color in that way to symbolize what's happening in the story and how the world's air, working toward each other and ultimately coming together. And that's the way that I think and the others think different. I think it's interesting because I asked you the question intentionally because I wanted to frame it for the audience in a way that they know my work, and I am so focused on light. So we have this. We had this comment, this combination of very vastly different visual styles that came together in the movie between Powell and myself. Powers, our director of photography, who shares my love of dramatic lighting and Julio's kind of graphic, colorful, you know, interplay of story and by melding those things together because to his credit, he let go of a little bit of that control and allowed us to play with light in a way that was Mawr cinematic and a little bit more dramatic. And but we still retained the color and the and the shapes and the things, and we're gonna talk about all of these things later on. You've teed it up perfectly for me for the rest of my course today, so that was really, really nicely said, Um, so I think in terms of idea, right, I think you've clearly shaped out that story is the driving force, and you have consistently brought that to the team. Always, when in doubt, always refer back to story. So I just wanted to talk to that a little bit because I feel like that's such an important part of what you've taught me and our team, and I would love for you to teach that to our class today. Sure. So, um so you know, my career started as a writer, really? At the core of it. And, you know, if I had a day to spend by myself, Andrew would take pictures around the city and I would sit in, right, and, uh and that's a really, really good creative partnership. But it's also it's the It's the perspective that I come from. So story ultimately, is the only thing that the audience cares about, Period. They they can be made to feel emotions through visuals. But the intellectual process and the emotional process overlap in story. So the left part of the brain and the right part of the brain. You know, we all know this, but I'll reiterate it. The left part of the brain is, is is concerned mostly with reason and logic and linearity. The right part of the brain concerned with color and joy and emotion and story sits right in the middle. And so to tell a really good story and have an audience engaged in tow, have an audience follow it through for 90 to 120 minutes. Focus on story is really important because that's what's going to carry them through. We've all seen movies that, you know the 1st 10 minutes are great, and then you're like, All right, this is I'm ready to move on. I think that it's important if you want to tell if you want to make something that's sustainable. If you want to make something that's engaging for that period of time that your focus really always be on story and story has, you know, I teach story. So, uh, Andrew knows this very well. I teach sort of 10 fundamental parts of story. And so there are 10 things that every good story really has toe have. And it's not a formula. You know, I think it's important to make the distinction between formula and structure. So, you know, in your storytelling itself, you know, a formula is paint by, Number of formula says, you know, this circle must be pink in that circle must be blue, Um, for example, where Andrew and I are from in the boroughs of New York City. I grew up in a in a condominium, and there were 12 of them in a row, and they were all exactly the same, right. That's a formula that says the door has to go here. The window has to go here. The roof has to go here. That's not Ah recommended approach, but structure is really important and structure says, Ah, House has to have a roof or you're gonna get rained on. House has to have a window or you're not gonna get light in. The house has to have a door or you can't get in. But where you put them and how you use them are completely up to you. And that's really what defines your style. So if you continue with this house metaphor, you know the difference between a tutor and a modern is not that one has a door and the other one doesn't. It's where the door is, what the door looks like, what the doors made of how the big the door is. Um, my point is that any good story has really 10 fundamental structural elements, and they all revolve around setting and or hero the protagonist and what the protagonist wants and what is standing in the way of that want who is the villain? What is the conflict that is created and those are absolutely key to making a movie absolutely key to telling any good story. And on. I think you have to immerse yourself in that and get us familiar as you can with those elements. Because when the director says to you, like I mentioned earlier, Okay in your craft, how can you best express this story point? You've got to be really, really clear about what purpose? That's story. Point is serving in the overall story. Awesome. Thank you so much. It was you brought so much today and you brought so much knowledge to in such a short little period of time. But I knew I could count on you to to bring bring your a game today, so I really appreciate it already. Appreciates it. Thanks, everybody. I wish I could see you. I'm sure you're beautiful. It's nice. Is nice TB with you today and we'll talk to him. Thanks. See you. Bye. Well, that's Giulio. And Julia, Like I said is an instructor and a teacher. And if I let him talk, he would talk. He would take up the rest of the time we have today and you would learn will learn tremendous amounts of things. But then I would have nothing to do. So, um, I want to go and kind of follow up on that. So I want to move Teoh, talk about a little bit about what Giulio is talking about, about visualization and about how some of these processes start and end up becoming part of the film. So the script was written clearly, and then we send the script off to a NA artist who is going to draw storyboards for us based on the stage direction in the script and the kinds of things that are being set on screen. So this is a scene between No, No and Marco, where the digital device is something that this is part of the story where they're becoming friends and no, no is sort of in tow. Understand that this is Marco's world and Marco wants and introduce him to something that's important to him. So he's teaching him about the Amazon Alexa and how to use it, right? So he looks clearly confused, and Marco's kind of being playful and trying to teach him how to use it. And this is what it turned into on screen. So and this is a funny funny scene. And they went. We didn't go with Amazon. We ended up going with Google because they gave us the rights to use it and we didn't get the other one. But the idea is that this turned into such a fun, playful moment in the film because we only is part of a montage. So we didn't There's no there there. There's a whole montage of them becoming friends, and this is a very small piece of it. But we have so much footage of it because they were having so much fun with it that we were like, We need to save that footage because that could totally be a commercial one day, right? So it was really well. But say the idea of their interaction that go is going from the The idea to the page to the drawing to film is very much like what you just saw. And then again, Bacci plays a big role in the movie, and this is a scene when Marco is is clearly become friends with his grandfather and they're playing bocce with all of the friends in the thing. And you know, this is, ah, particular perspective that we took on, and then this became that. So I mean, this is a much bigger scene is a lot more going on, but clearly it's it's Ah, it's derivative off what we were looking at in terms off, building out story, building out the ideas and the visuals coming from the words to to the screen. And then finally, this is a really pivotal scene in the movie, and this was something that we were so excited to film because it's a really emotional story point. The grandfather hooks up the projector in the in the garage and they watch videos of his late wife. And then he's teaching his grandson about his grandmother, and it was a really exciting kind of story point that we were looking forward to seeing what it would look like on screen. And then it became this, which, and we did it practically. That's not a digital enhancement that is an actual movie projector off Julio's grandparent's on the screen. So, like we actually ran a projector and then and then filmed them actually the scene with them doing it. So it was. We had all of these films digitally remastered, so we could use them and project them on the garage door. So it was great, but it was just It's very rewarding when you see it, because there's goes through so many phases from the idea stage to the visual that it becomes something like, You watch the baby. The baby is being born, you know? But it's being born slowly. And here's one more. A lot of this has to do with the idea of what Julia was talking about. This is Marco's world, right? It's very gray. It's very blew. The window is backlighting him, and then this is a unterberg cation of that shot, where it's a story point where he is trying to reconnect with his father. And he's not exactly a happy place. But you could see that the influence of the influence of no no is right there over his shoulder. So that is again about layering the ideas that we talked about earlier right, using framing, using color Lou using lighting. So we took that initial idea and added on, and like bringing color into Marco's world, the fact that he's wearing some red in his clothing shows you that there is some kind of contrast between the world he's existing in and the world that's been injected into his life. So all of those things in terms off layered storytelling, which we're gonna talk about a little bit more, are really important in what we do in film. On that last slide, you showed as we're talking about going from visual to perfectly framed up, shot with air bed, with leading lines going towards the subject in this and that. What does that look like on the day of shooting? Or is it how's the process look like, uh, we need air bed. We need lines like How does that work? And that's all moment. That's all predetermined in terms of how we were gonna structure that. So that idea of using the air bed as a divider with something that was born in the script stage. So we when we're setting up production design originally in this story, Marco Walls himself off from no no, because they're sharing a bedroom by building a tent, right? No, no cuts down the tent. So now he decides, Well, I'll sleep on the floor and I'll put the wall up in between the beds So I we have our own spaces, so we needed to come up with practical way to show the division that they were feeling in this one little small room. So the idea is, everybody is invested in how that's going to come out, and how does it change the way we like the room? How does it change the position of the camera? How does it change? You know where the props are going to be located? The weird part about that room that we shot in was it's never evident in the filming of this movie that there's a door in that room because we could not show where the door was because it never worked out logistically. So you would never write. Realize that in in the filming like I mean, when you're watching the film, you'd never sit there. Go. Where's the door? In that room? You would never do that. But the reality is we never show where the doors, because we're trying to imply it's somewhere that it isn't so it's, you know, the magic of what they say. The magic of movie making, right? Okay,