Omega Rising: Remembering Joe D'Amato Page #3

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Are you sure you want to put the

responsibility of a film in my hands?

Yes, come over and we can talk.

So we started working on the project, which began with a

completely different story from what became the film.

We would have these long brain-storming

sessions in which we talked about

how this film was supposed to be, I

would explain what I had in mind...

That was the period in which

Filmirage was born.

There were young directors, one American, Deran

Sarafian and Fabrizio Laurenti for example.

He was the first to create a reality

for which to nurture young talent.

Aristide's school was more

than essential to me.

He was the first one to put an Arriflex in

my hands and say shoot, shoot, just shoot

He would suggest shots or do a

scene with a stuntman

and ask me to be the extra camera.

It was a very

stimulating atmosphere.

So Stagefright was born in a beautiful

delirium of emotions and feelings.

Then Montefiori came on-board with a

script he had written for me.

This was very fortunate because the script was

suitable for me and perfect for Aristide's wallet.

The location, an abandoned theatre,

kind of a hanger

which was supposed to be in America

and was perfect for me

and allowed me to have all the time

necessary to elaborate the scenes

not having had much experience...

my knowledge was mostly theory

even if I had done various films as an AD and I had been

able to work in various roles: as a grip, an operator...

this saved me because to direct you

need to know how to do everybody's job

so not to get ripped off when it

comes to time and costs.

It was an expensive

film for Aristide.

He would usually do films

in three weeks

he had given me four and we

ended up needing six

but he was very, very happy

with the footage.

The film was photographed

by Renato Tafuri

who did a wonderful job.

A lovely photographer that contributed

to the fortune of this small film,

which later won a prize at Avoriaz and opened

my career internationally with Terry Gilliam.

Let's start by saying that for me

Aristide Massaccesi was our Roger Corman.

In the sense that Aristide, on one

side was a great professional.

A wonderful DOP. Then on the other he was

a completely crazy producer, like Corman.

Our meeting occurred in occasion of Goblin, known

as Troll 2, my first experience in the States.

Aristide had created a

strange situation:

he had a truck full cf cameras and electrical equipment

with which he toured America working with various

crew members of the independent

American film industry.

Money arrived from independent American

producers or from Italian production companies

like the ones I had worked with: Filmexport, Franco Gaudenzis

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