Cinema Paradiso: Italian Commercial Production on the Rise?
World class problem solvers
It’s no secret that Italy was one of the hardest hit by the
global financial crisis of the late noughties, but one positive is that it’s
left the local production community with nerves of steel when it comes to
handling a crisis. The word that keeps cropping up when you talk about Italian
producers is ‘problem solvers’, and the past ten years have sharpened those
instincts even further.
Notably, the Italian production company model does not
revolve around an exclusive roster of directors as it does in markets like the
US or UK. Instead production companies pitch for projects based on their
approach to the challenges in the script and their research department puts
forward options for directors (or the agency has some ideas for the director
themselves). Directors are brought on board on a freelance basis, though there
can be partnerships with foreign production companies or particularly strong
(though not exclusive) relationships with particular directors.
Tough times for local directors
While Italian producers have plenty of opportunity to
showcase their quick thinking, initiative, ability to thrive in a crisis and
make the most of the budget, local directors have not been quite so fortunate.
By and large, agencies prefer working with foreign
directors, which means that Italian directors don’t get as much opportunity to
hone their craft. And when it comes to the sexy, super-creative projects that
make show reels sing, Italian directors are most likely to miss out, which
means they often don’t have the kind of work that shows what they are really
capable of.
“My opinion is that there are amazing directors but they
don’t have the chance to prove themselves,” says Luca Oddo, chairman of Casta Diva Group. “When it comes to
the show reel, the commercials they have are not really exciting. And so when
they are judged by other agencies in Germany, UK, France, wherever, of course
it also looks like it’s at a lower level than other directors who get the
chance to direct nice stuff in their own home country.”
Ada Bonvini, EP at The Family, agrees and points out that
the situation in commercials is very different to that in feature films, where
a new generation is positively thriving.
“I think that, actually , there is very good talent in
Italy,” she says. “It’s true that compared to other countries they have less
opportunity. It’s more difficult for them to express themselves. I think there
is a wide new generation of feature film directors that are now growing in
Italy, and also in terms of commercial directing, but the truth is that they
are more appreciated when they manage to go abroad to work and then return.
Unfortunately, this is a trend – now it is changing a little bit but still
there is a long way to go to get there.”
In fact, the situation is so pronounced that Luca says local
directors might think about changing their names to something less Italian, or
adopting a nickname or persona in order to get past agency receptions.
It was not always the case, however. Luca recalls the ‘80s
and ‘90s when TV advertising in Italy was heavily comedic – which required
local directors who understood the distinctive, over-the-top Italian sense of
humour.
As a result, local commercial directors did not feel the
need to travel for work. These days, though, Ada has noticed a lot more young
directors and creatives heading abroad to make their name.
And if you think this is just a moan from the production
community, there are many people in agencies who acknowledge this phenomenon. Agostino Toscana, ECD Saatchi & Saatchi Italy,
suspects that the tendency to avoid working with local directors is an attempt
to paper over the lack of strong ideas. "There is an obsession with
execution to cover up the lack of content. In fact, Italy is a big market for
overpaid foreign directors. Sadly, the industry doesn't like interesting casting."
Despite these difficulties, there is a new wave of directors
starting to emerge – and you can check them out here. (link to Liam’s story)
Global ambitions
Thanks to challenges in the local economy, Italian
production companies have been moved to expand internationally. Filmmaster is,
perhaps, the most well-known example, being one of Italy’s biggest and best
known production companies. Founded in Rome in 1976, it now has offices in
Madrid, London, Berlin, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dammam, Riyadh and Rio de
Janeiro (Filmmaster MEA was founded in 2007).
Casta Diva Group was founded with international ambitions in
mind. When Luca Oddo first entered production in 1990, having worked in
agencies, he had the idea to create a production company with a global model –
but he found himself pooh-poohed by those around him. But in 2004, Italy was
ready for a global production approach, so he co-founded the business. It now
has offices in 13 cities. In the beginning, most of the group’s income came
from its Milan and Rome offices, but now its more or less equally split across
its offices. That’s thanks in part to Italy’s challenges and also their
foresight to set up in growth markets.
At The Family, they’ve found themselves working with
agencies in France and Germany and the UK, and Terminal Productions have
recently opened in Argentina.
And it’s not just about Italian companies spreading their
wings abroad, from a services and locations point of view, Italy has a lot to
offer, says Luca.
“Italy is of course quite a resourceful country as a
location because you’ve got everything. Beach, mountains, countryside in 12
different options. So it really gives any kind of landscape and weather-wise
it’s rather decent – regardless of climate change! In terms of production
support, I shoot all over the place and it’s honestly second to none. They have
exactly the same kind of technical support as they have in South Africa,
London, Paris. It’s easy to shoot there.”
Italian production bouncing back
Despite the ups and downs that the market has faced over the
past decade, the Italian production industry is seeing some light at the end of
the tunnel. Budgets (as everywhere else in the world) are nowhere near their
Golden Age highs, but have started to creep up. Clients seem to be growing more
confident – though the effects of the recent Italian referendum have yet to
really play out.
“Well I think in Italy, the crisis has been quite long, from
2008 to a year and a half ago it was really tough. Everything was really
slowing down, I think we’ve been through quite a tough time. I think now things
are getting slightly better. We are kind of used to political bumps,” says Ada,
adding, “I think the referendum was very bad because it makes things slow.
Political uncertainty is never good, but for us we are probably more used to
that than you! So there is no immediate reaction to it, though. For a long time
clients were investing less and less, but I think probably at a certain moment
Italians need to invest again. So there is a little bit of movement in there.”
Another factor in favour of the Italian production industry
is that local agencies have not pursued in-house production at any great scale.
Budgets are so much lower in Italy that the margins aren’t there to make it
worth agencies’ while to produce anything, aside from the odd
creative-and-a-hand-held camera piece of off-the-cuff content. What’s more, the
traditionally long payment terms that have long been a bane for production
companies are now playing in their favour as they also deter agencies from
seeing production as a money spinner.
And perhaps the most heartening development in the Italian
production industry is the recent reformation of the local producers
association. The association has already had a party to mark its relaunch and
is working on hammering out details with European partners. It comes at a
crucial time and has been formed to maintain standards and raise quality even
further.
“I think it is important because it is very difficult for
producers in Italy to bond and stick together because the competition is tough,”
says Ada. “It’s a good thing because it will really help agencies and clients.”
