Luigi Scarpa
Director – Filmmaker – Producer.
He has been working in the audiovisual industry since 2007, after studying film, theater, and television at the State University of Milan. He graduated with top honors, presenting a final project on animation cinema, related to Zagreb Film, which was later published in Hrvatski filmski ljetopis.
He worked at the web TV MyVideos, where he honed his skills in the language of new media, and later moved on to corporate videos, documentaries, and guerrilla marketing footage. With a young team, he produced content for Sky, Ducati, and major television broadcasters.
In 2010, he joined Scordo&Partners, working for important companies and various fashion and lifestyle TV programs. He frequently teaches video production aspects in training courses, also collaborating with institutions like the Visual Anthropology Laboratory at the University of Milan.
In 2015, he expanded his skills with Vjing and eventually entered the music industry as a DJ, adopting the name Phoneu-Trax.
The turning point came in 2019 when, having reached professional maturity, several years after directing a historical and archaeological documentary for the European community, he wrote and directed his first horror short film: MALUM ÆTERNI. In 2020, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, following the success of Malum Aeterni, he wrote and directed his second horror film: SĪBĬLUM. After the Italian and international successes associated with the second film and the numerous awards won, he conceived and directed a commercial that became a finalist at the prestigious Shriekfest Horror Festival in Los Angeles. In 2022, he wrote and directed IVI ELV, a more complex and ambitious film based on people's fears and phobias.
1. What inspired you to create your film, and what drew you to the horror genre?
The landing in the horror genre was practically natural for me. I've always been attracted to the macabre, the gloomy, and the dark. As a child, I loved the color black and always drew skulls.
I remember even when I saw cartoons, I would go crazy for those stories with the mysterious setting, witches, and ghosts really fascinated me.
Then one day as a kid, you see Master Coppola's Dracula and from that moment you know that's your world.... (Small anecdote, I even decided to tattoo different elements of this film on my arm in a rather strange composition.)
Many years have passed since then, but nothing has changed; it is a genre that I have in me. Of horror, I love the visual power of the images, their strength, the involvement that is created with the viewer, that strong feeling....
IVI ELV is the film to which by necessity I am most attached. For me, it represents a moment of growth; it is a more ambitious film than the previous ones, as it should be.
This film is a reflection on people's fears. We all are afraid of something and feel it in many different ways: from phobias to obsessions.
I wanted to tell a story. To give a clear vision of what fear is to me.
2. What were the major challenges you encountered while directing your film?
We shot this film in January, in southern Italy, in the mountains, in the middle of winter. It was very cold, but the actors were incredible; they put their whole soul into this project. What you see is all real. The first image, the worm in the ear, is real! It took us about 2 hours to make it.
Also, in the chase scene, it was raining a lot. We all practically got sick, but I never called for a "stop" because that scene became very realistic, just the way I wanted it.
3. How did you approach building the atmosphere of terror in your film?
I worked a lot on the atmospheres. I chose the location after 1 year of research because the location was crucial. Everything that happens in this space acquires much more strength. Also, it is a film without dialogue, so it is the images that have to speak. Even in the strongest scenes, I wanted "presence" not to be shown right away.
To reveal only details and then leave it to the viewer's mind to build and imagine. It is a very psychological discourse.
4. Is there a specific message or theme that you would like the audience to take away from your film?
The answer to this question is found in the title of the film, and only after seeing it all does the viewer understand the director's true message…
5. How did you develop a complex and memorable character in your film?
I worked a lot with the main actor. This is a film very much based on him. There was a very strong and professional relationship between us. He immediately understood what I was looking for and trusted me, although it was not always easy. Corrado Bega is a great actor, I was dosing his expressions, and in the end he was very believable in front of the camera.
6. Who were your major cinematic influences when creating your film?
I don't want to spoil the reason for certain choices.... Let's say that I love psychological horror films and have seen rewatched and shared with the crew such films as: Buried, Kill Bill 2, The Premature Burial...
7. How do you balance suspense and horror elements in your most intense scenes?
Suspense is a very important element in horror films. I like to play with the viewer. He has to be attentive all the time because many times he expects that something is happening, instead it doesn't happen, but then when he is quiet "Bam" something important happens. This idea is the basis of all the films I have made so far.
Also, I think you don't always have to show everything. When you show an image of a monster, ghost, etc., people get used to that vision after a moment. Instead, for me it is much stronger to give a lot of elements, showing less, and make the viewer's mind work and thus make them imagine anything.
8. Can you share a particular scene or moment from your film that you consider to be particularly impactful or frightening?
Of course, the scene of when she arrives ...
It lasts very little, we used a special handcrafted mechanism to allow her suspended advance.
Months of work...
That image for me is very strong.
When I did a test screening in a movie theater, on a giant screen, I said "uau! It works."
9. How did you collaborate with the production team to create the visual and auditory aesthetics of your film?
When working on a short film you need a great team, people, professionals and also friends who believe in your idea and are ready to follow you.
We traveled 900 km to get to the set and everyone put their heart into this work.
For this thing is very important, I say thank you thank you and again thank you to my team, without them this film would not exist.
10. Are there any specific Italian cultural aspects present in your film that add an extra layer of immersion for the audience?
Absolutely, this film was shot in a medieval village in southern Italy.
The location is a real 15th-century convent, and the other settings are part of the naturalistic landscape of this beautiful location.
These are very important aspects for me. Cultural elements that in these films manage to come alive in an alternative way.
11. What are your expectations regarding the audience's reaction to your film within the context of a horror film festival like BR Banshee?
I hope the viewers of this great festival can appreciate the atmosphere of the film. May they somehow be affected by some of the images. I made a study of the viewer's fears and phobias....
Many of these phobias are present in the film.
Often I've heard people say, "gross" seeing certain things, here's "bingo," that's exactly what I wanted: to provoke with certain elements, which are always inserted for the purpose of the narrative and not just to provoke.
I close this interview by saying that in this film is also present the director's fear....
