Mauro Borrelli

PRESS
"Location Up-Date"

Small-Budget, big heart for indipendent L.A. Film
While many budget-minded filmmakers seek less expensive locations and stages outside Los Angeles for their projects, producer Jeff Kirshbaum says L.A. is the only place he could have made his independent film. "To make this film, I called in all my favors," says Kirshbaum of "Goodbye Casanova" written and directed by Mauro Borrelli, with director of photography Steven Bernstein. "Friends I knew were wiling to donate (their efforts)" , he says." People are here for the love of the projectŠbecause they believe in the quality, believe in the director." "We started with a great script, a lot of talent and people see that," Kirshbaum says. "The first week it was me, the director, the production designer (Dan Whifler) and my assistant building (the set). So when they saw the producer and director building, they felt the domino effect. It snowballed and people just jumped aboard and wanted to help." Principal photography was completed in three weeks in March at the Main Stage in Burbank, a small, 40x60-foot insert stage that accommodated the sets for Goodbye Casanova - a street scene done on the stage, an apartment, art studio, kitchen and bathroom. The tight space was a challenge for the entire crew. "We tried to design a set to maximize space," says Borrelli, whose writing credits include a treatment of Pinocchio that Warner Bros. purchased for Francis ford Coppola. "The street scene was designed in a way that it looks three times bigger than it was. We planned a lot with DP Bernstein and production designer Whifler which kind of lenses to use, what kind of track to use to trick the eye." "But the film itself allowed us to do that because the story is a romantic fantasy. The look is not realistic Tim Burton-style but less Gothic and more romantic. It works with intimacy." Goodbye Casanova tells the story of a modern couple from the perspective of an old-fashioned Casanova. For Borrelli, who won honors for a short film at the Venice Film Festival and has done television work, Goodbye Casanova is his first feature. Again, it could only be done in L.A. "This project in Italy was impossible if you don¹t have the money," he says. "There¹s a whole energy of young people here, a collegial spirit. (People) gave their timeŠthen they read the screenplay and saw the cast and they decided to extend their time available for the project." Bernstein, whose credits include Like Water for Chocolate and who has written several textbooks on cinematography techniques, brought to this project his experience from the British Broadcasting Corp., which trains in a variety of disciplines: TV, features, commercials and special effects. "The budget wouldn¹t allow ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to come down, "Bernstein says in jest, "so we used a half silver mirror, put a person on one side and the area to be projected on the other. Use of a dimmer (makes) the ghost appear in the image. We had to make sure it was framed against black. We used top lighting a great deal to isolate the subject (in this small space)." "In a way, the space was an advantage," Bernstein says. "It created an atmosphere, no sense of class divisions between the senior techs and others. We¹re shooting at an enormous clip, six to seven minutes a day, maintaining the very highest feature quality. The rushes are spectacular. Bernstein prefers Panavision cameras and lenses. "they¹ve been exceptionally generous in support of the project," he says, "and very kind to me. I used Panavision in England and have a great loyalty for them." Whifler used all recycled materials for his sets and was challenged by having to create an exterior set on such a small stage. "we¹re working with limited resources," he says, "so we obtained as much material as we could, then designed from what was at our fingertips. The (street scene inside) was something I always wanted to do. We made tight quarters look big, with a lot of projecting buildings, not straight streets, with depth and alleys." Whifler, whose credits include Zebrahead, the MOW Switch and NBC¹s ancient Prophecies, said the Main Stage will retain some of the construction for future use. He recycles lumber at a mil to be used as sawdust and uses firms like Re-sets to recycle other material..

Manley Witten



	PRESS "Location Up-Date" Small-Budget, big heart for indipendent L.A. Film While many budget-minded filmmakers seek less expensive locations and stages outside Los Angeles for their projects, producer Jeff Kirshbaum says L.A. is the only place he could have made his independent film. "To make this film, I called in all my favors," says Kirshbaum of "Goodbye Casanova" written and directed by Mauro Borrelli, with director of photography Steven Bernstein. "Friends I knew were wiling to donate (their efforts)" , he says." People are here for the love of the projectŠbecause they believe in the quality, believe in the director." "We started with a great script, a lot of talent and people see that," Kirshbaum says. "The first week it was me, the director, the production designer (Dan Whifler) and my assistant building (the set). So when they saw the producer and director building, they felt the domino effect. It snowballed and people just jumped aboard and wanted to help." Principal photography was completed in three weeks in March at the Main Stage in Burbank, a small, 40x60-foot insert stage that accommodated the sets for Goodbye Casanova - a street scene done on the stage, an apartment, art studio, kitchen and bathroom. The tight space was a challenge for the entire crew. "We tried to design a set to maximize space," says Borrelli, whose writing credits include a treatment of Pinocchio that Warner Bros. purchased for Francis ford Coppola. "The street scene was designed in a way that it looks three times bigger than it was. We planned a lot with DP Bernstein and production designer Whifler which kind of lenses to use, what kind of track to use to trick the eye." "But the film itself allowed us to do that because the story is a romantic fantasy. The look is not realistic Tim Burton-style but less Gothic and more romantic. It works with intimacy." Goodbye Casanova tells the story of a modern couple from the perspective of an old-fashioned Casanova. For Borrelli, who won honors for a short film at the Venice Film Festival and has done television work, Goodbye Casanova is his first feature. Again, it could only be done in L.A. "This project in Italy was impossible if you don¹t have the money," he says. "There¹s a whole energy of young people here, a collegial spirit. (People) gave their timeŠthen they read the screenplay and saw the cast and they decided to extend their time available for the project." Bernstein, whose credits include Like Water for Chocolate and who has written several textbooks on cinematography techniques, brought to this project his experience from the British Broadcasting Corp., which trains in a variety of disciplines: TV, features, commercials and special effects. "The budget wouldn¹t allow ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to come down, "Bernstein says in jest, "so we used a half silver mirror, put a person on one side and the area to be projected on the other. Use of a dimmer (makes) the ghost appear in the image. We had to make sure it was framed against black. We used top lighting a great deal to isolate the subject (in this small space)." "In a way, the space was an advantage," Bernstein says. "It created an atmosphere, no sense of class divisions between the senior techs and others. We¹re shooting at an enormous clip, six to seven minutes a day, maintaining the very highest feature quality. The rushes are spectacular. Bernstein prefers Panavision cameras and lenses. "they¹ve been exceptionally generous in support of the project," he says, "and very kind to me. I used Panavision in England and have a great loyalty for them." Whifler used all recycled materials for his sets and was challenged by having to create an exterior set on such a small stage. "we¹re working with limited resources," he says, "so we obtained as much material as we could, then designed from what was at our fingertips. The (street scene inside) was something I always wanted to do. We made tight quarters look big, with a lot of projecting buildings, not straight streets, with depth and alleys." Whifler, whose credits include Zebrahead, the MOW Switch and NBC¹s ancient Prophecies, said the Main Stage will retain some of the construction for future use. He recycles lumber at a mil to be used as sawdust and uses firms like Re-sets to recycle other material.. Manley Witten


© 2000 Mauro Borrelli.