Se7en Questions with Filmmaker
Lorenzo Zanoni
Who are some of the artists or some of the
works that inspired you to get started in your field? Of today’s current artists, who do you draw inspiration from?
I’ve always loved monsters, ever since I was a kid, so much that my mom and grandma were worried because at Christmas I wanted coffins and gifts which were all horror-themed. Everything starts for me with Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), that I secretly saw when I was 7 and scared the hell out of me; that’s why became completely crazy for slashers.
That film allowed me to discover Tobe Hooper‘s cinema, to fall in love with it and Leatherface became a genuine obsession for me.
During my university studies I discovered Georges Méliès. I was captivated and fell in love with expressionist production. I really admire Lucio Fulci and generally find the 70-80’s Italian horror wave, made by great artisans and talented workers, incredibly interesting.
I get a lot of inspiration from some masters as David Cronenberg, David Lynch and John Carpenter, and as for current artists, I follow with interest a few names in the mainstream market such as Marcus Nispel, Lars von Trier and Ari Aster.
I currently have the great fortune to collaborate with and learn from some indie artists of incredible talent, particularly fellow MyIndie featured artist, Domiziano Cristopharo.
What have thus far been some of the negatives of being an indie artist in your field?
Probably the anxiety of not having an ongoing job. In Italy, the knowledge of independent cinema, horror or not, has been completely lost, and often the adjective “indie” is used in a derogatory sense. I believe that a big problem with today’s viewers is the inability to understand the difficulties and compromises involved with making an independent film, and they often criticize indie products with mainstream cinema criteria.
What have thus far been the positives of being an indie artist in your field?
Freedom. I think moreover that a low budget can increase creativity and cooperation between artists, so for me it is a positive thing.
Teamwork and collaboration between artist are so incredibly important in the indie world. Last but not least you may find really good friends and colleagues.
What have been your favorite completed projects to work on up to this point? Can you tell us a little bit about them?
The project I’m most proud of is Gully, the segment I directed in the anthology horror feature Ill: Final Contagium. Gully deals with the theme of loss and selfishness. It explores the anxiety linked to change and loneliness when experienced during illness. The metamorphosis of Owen, a man unable to take any steps in life, is a metaphor as to how in life we will always find ourselves alone in front of a mirror fighting the battle against our own demons.
No one can help us. I’ve felt it on my skin. I wanted to give an old-fashioned look, that’s why I opted for a lot of prosthetic special effects for the transformation.
What projects are you currently working on or have planned for the near future?
I directed a segment for a very extreme movie called XXX Dark Web XXX with Cristopharo that will surely shake a lot of sensitive souls. We collaborated on Tales to tell in The Dark, which will be released soon. In this movie, with an 80’s look, I co-directed a segment and brought to life some characters: the old zombie narrator, a bloody demon and a forensic doctor. It was really fun to work on multiple aspects of this project.
Where do you see yourself in a few years and what would it take for you to consider your career a success?
Well if I can dream I see myself leading a production studio specializing in genre movies. I hope to be able to live my life working as a director/ producer and this is the only thing that matters for me.
If you couldn’t do this anymore, what career path do you think you would have followed and why?
I would not consider this option, but I think in that case I’ll try to learn horror make-up/SFX and prosthetic art, which is the first thing I wanted to do since I was a child.
