The Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF) is an event that’s open to young creatives and also an opportunity for networking and a stepping stone for starry eyed student filmmakers or pupils of cinema.
I had the pleasure of attending the 2022 edition of this virtual event and also the opportunity of speaking with Andrea Quartarone, a student filmmaker and actor whose psychological horror short “Awake Nightmare” fetched him accolades at the festival. In this interview, Andrea opens up about the joys of making a movie, his creative process, and especially juggling school work and filmmaking.
*Note: this interview has been edited for clarity.
Vidal Dcosta for The Movie Buff: Congratulations on your win at SWIFF 2022, Andrea. Could you let our readers know a bit about your filmmaking journey so far? What drives you as a young creative and especially your motivations behind becoming a filmmaker?
Andrea Quartarone: Thanks! It is truly an honor to win “Best pre-college Actor Award” in such an important film festival as the Student World Impact Film Festival.
I lived in a very small town in northern Italy until 10 years old. Since there weren’t so many children to play with, me and my brother Matteo used to create short videos for fun, recreating scenes from films or creating ads for the company that we dreamt to own together in the future. However, my filmmaking journey started at 11 years old when I made my first short film, “Pedala Veloce,” where my 8-year-old brother rode on his bike through the streets of our town, trying to escape from some criminals.
Two years later I made an action-spy short film, “Fratelli in Gioco,” with the help of my brother and uncle. This year I have made “Awake Nightmare – Mal di Sonno,” my last short film and the first one I submitted to film festivals.
I’ve started for fun and that’s what still spurs me to create my works. I like every part of the creation of my shorts: I love creating my stories in the pre-production, to transform it into reality filming, and to see it completed with the post-production… I love sharing my feelings and thoughts through my shorts, and I also find it a good way to escape from the everyday problems we all face as teenagers. It really helps me cope with anxiety and my mental health.
The short film that fetched you accolades this year, “Awake Nightmare,” features elements of psychological horror. Are there any filmmakers or films/shows in this particular genre that influenced your short film in any way? Also, apart from horror, what are some other genres or sub genres that you would wish to explore in the future?
AQ: Not really actually. Psychological horror/thriller is my favourite genre, so this idea came up in a genuine way — even though one of my assistant directors likes to make fun of me by saying that one day Christopher Nolan will sue us since my short is reminiscent in parts to “Inception”…
As I said before, I also explored action, espionage, and comedy with my other short films and I would like to explore the dramatic genre in the future.
You not only wrote but also acted in this film. Which of the two did you find easier? Being in front or behind the camera?
AQ: A film needs a good writing to get the audience interested in what they’re watching. Having a good story with a mediocre acting performance is useless since you cannot fully share your message; consequently I think they are both important and so difficult.
However, if usually you have as much time as you need to write your script, it is not the same when you are in front of the camera: Of course you can prepare yourself for a role before going on set; but once you arrive it takes a lot of concentration to finish shooting on time. Especially at this level, where the budget is very low and the time is limited.
As an independent/student filmmaker, there can be many limitations that hinder creativity or the filming/writing process. Did you face any such limitations as a filmmaker and if so, how did you overcome them?
AQ: Yes but of, course I didn’t give up. With “Awake Nightmare,” for example, I had a problem with some equipment I needed but didn’t have. They were expensive and so my brother and dad helped me build one for the location. [Additionally], I would like to publicly thank my lovely mother who is always willing to let me shoot in our house.
With the new project I’m working on “Chi va là? – Who’s there?,” I wanted a better quality and a longer duration of the short, so I needed a bigger troupe and a better equipment. My friends offered to help me and lent me some cool stuff. I managed to pay for the props and other needs by asking a local biscuit brand to become the producer, and in exchange ads were present in the short. [I was] just try to find a solution instead of focusing on the problem and keep in mind that good quality does not always mean good story.
Are there any words of wisdom you’d like to pass on to fellow aspiring filmmakers, particularly to student filmmakers who struggle with finding a balance between school life and working on their craft?
AQ: As for my personal experience, before “Awake Nightmare” I used to go out and just starting filming, without a script or a storyboard and of course it didn’t work well. So the first word of wisdom I want to share with all my fellow aspiring filmmakers is to make lots of works and not just focusing on one. Especially at our age we need to practise, practise, and practise in order to improve our skills, but also arrive on set with everything you need. As I said quantity is important but don’t forget quality.
Another important piece of advice I would like to share, has to do with finding a balance between school life and pursuing your filmmaker career. It is fundamental to create your own routine and follow it. Personally, I spend my morning at school, the afternoon at home studying or at the training centre with my football team, and finally I spend the evening working on my projects. If you manage to stick to your routine — which can be perfectly the opposite of mine as it depends on your habits — you won’t have to worry about spending too much time on your works and none on school or vice versa. It will all be balanced.
Lastly, could you share any details of ongoing or upcoming films that you might be working on and that our readers can look forward to?
AQ: As I said before, you always need to practise and create in order to improve, like for any other skill. My goal is to create as many shorts as I can in order to improve and try to get in the film industry. This year in addition to “Awake Nightmare” I just finished shooting and am now working on the post production of my last short film “Chi va là?” (Italian) “Who’s there?” (English), which should start its journey through film festivals next month. It is my first short film which will last about 15 minutes or more, and I really count on this project to discover something more about this industry, trying to raise the bar.
I am also one of the producers of “L’agnello di Dio,” an horror short film by two Italian accomplished and young filmmakers, and I played Dante in “IVNCTO,” a historical short film by a talented friend of mine, Filippo Mussetti, which will start its festival journey soon too.
Before summer I would like to start the shooting of both a dramatic-horror short film, whose script has already been written, and a war short film I am working on these days.
Thanks to Andrea for speaking with The Movie Buff and we look forward to this young filmmaker’s future endeavours as well.
