L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano I f you think about spe- cial effects, Hollywood comes immediately to mind, but these days C i n e c i t t à m a y b e where the magic really hap- pens, quite literally. Since 2015, the historical cinematic studios of our capital have been the home of Makinari- um, the first Italian special effects venture, that today counts clients and estimators around the world. Officially, Makinarium was born when a group of special- ized societies and profession- als collaborated to create the special effects for Il Racconto d e i R a c c o n t i , b y M a t t e o Garrone. The team, who had w o r k e d t o g e t h e r o n o t h e r occasions before, realized that collaborating really brought out the best in each of them and that they could offer a wider array of creative ser- vices and solutions if they worked together: that's how Makinarium was born. In a typically Italian way, it was the ingenuity, aptitude for teamwork, and eagerness to g r o w o f a g r o u p o f y o u n g entrepreneurs and artists to start it all. So, Leonardo Cruciano, the head of the atelier, Nicola Sganga, CGI s u p e r v i s o r a n d A n g e l o Poggi , business manager, j o i n e d f o r c e s a n d c r e a t e d I t a l y ' s f i r s t m a c c h i n a d e i s o g n i , t h e c o u n t r y ' s f i r s t dream machine. Makinarium focuses on the development of special and visual effects techniques, with artists coming not only from Italy but from the whole of Europe. In fact, the business has been so successful that a s e c o n d a t e l i e r h a s b e e n opened in London. Both there and in Rome, Makinarium experts work in fields as var- ied as animatronics, digital post-production, visual per- ception, mechanical effects, special makeup and hyperre- a l i s m . T h e c o m p a n y a l s o specializes in 3D scanning, 3D services, and 3D printing, p r o p s a n d C N C , d i g i t a l videos, and the prototyping of patented projects of optic and electronic physics. At the heart of the compa- ny's work is the idea of inter- disciplinarity, as Leonardo Cruciano explained in an i n t e r v i e w p u b l i s h e d o n I n G e n e r e C i n e m a : " W h a t makes Makinarium special isn't only technology, but the work method we apply. We brought together graphic and digital artists, electronic technicians and engineers, animatronics experts, special makeup artists, VFX com- positors, 3D artists, sculp- tors, artists and painters who can exchange ideas, skills and experiences with one another. Our system gives t h e i r w o r k s t r u c t u r e a n d leads them all towards the same objectives." This holistic, interdisci- plinary approach, which has been already successfully utilized abroad, was new for I t a l y , b u t i t g a v e g r e a t r e s u l t s i f y o u t h i n k t h a t Makinarium developed and patented an integrated spe- c i a l e f f e c t s s y s t e m , t h e LCW'S SFX Integrated System: thanks to it, spe- cial effects and creations can be realized directly on set, cutting down on time a n d a v o i d i n g t h e u s e o f green screens and CGI. As a result, production and post- production costs are low- e r e d a n d w o r k o n s e t i s more streamlined. In a 2018 interview with I - D V i c e m a g a z i n e , C r u - c i a n o e x p l a i n s t h a t h e , Sganga and Poggi take care of all artistic, technical and administrative aspects of the venture, and that they have a variable number of c o l l a b o r a t o r s - u s u a l l y between 15 and 30 artists - depending on the project they work on. When asked how they manage to com- bine together technology, art and craftsmanship, Cru- ciano gave a very "Italian" answer: "Always and exclu- sively with our passione, passion. It's passion that makes us learn, experiment and innovate. Because we work together, we are stim- ulated by each other's ideas and attitudes, we are much more inclined to work and research. It's as if our hands b e c a m e a t o o l t o t r y n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d m a t e r i - als." Makinarium can be truly considered one of the excel- lences of our contemporary Made in Italy, an excellence t h a t i s r e n o w n e d a n d appreciated both in Italy a n d a b r o a d , a s A n g e l o Poggi declared a few years back to InGenereCinema: " W e ' v e b e e n o b t a i n i n g excellent and competitive results also outside of Italy. We firmly believe that Italy can create high-level fanta- sy productions at an inter- national level." Certainly, also thanks to the work of realities like Makinarium, which bring together Italy's flair for innovation, and its natural inclination for arts, beauty and creativity. I f y o u ' v e e v e r b e e n c a m p i n g , y o u d e f i - nitely own one: the ubiquitous foldable chair. You may have one with a full back, or per- h a p s a s i m p l e r , m o r e p o r t a b l e v e r s i o n , t h e o n e with legs shaped like an "X" a n d a s e a t m a d e w i t h a square of sturdy fabric. In Italy, we often bring them to the beach, too. S o , w e a r e a l l f a m i l i a r with them, but did you know foldable chairs were made p o p u l a r b y t h e a n c i e n t Romans? O u r b e l o v e d a n c e s t o r s were quite fond of a type of seat called sella curulis or curule seat, a portable and f o l d a b l e X - s h a p e d s t o o l , often very ornate, which was a s s o c i a t e d w i t h j u d i c i a r y power. In the beginning, the curule seat was used only by the Roman kings then, at a later stage, also by magis- t r a t e s w h o h a d t h e i r o w n jurisdiction, who were called c u r u l i . O f c o u r s e , w h e n R o m e b e c a m e a n e m p i r e , the Emperor had the right to use curule seats, too. In fact, emperors had a special ver- sion of it, called sella aurea, or golden seat, which was introduced by Julius Cae- sar. If we want to be precise, however, the Romans didn't invent their foldable curule seats, they inherited them from the Etruscans and it was Rome's fifth king, Tar- quinius Priscus, who made them popular in the Eternal City - which, back then, was- n't known as such quite yet. We also know that curule seats were used by generals in the army, in name of their association with power and leadership. However, sellae curules were eventually also a d a p t e d t o d o m e s t i c u s e , w h i c h m e a n t t h a t r e g u l a r soldiers often had their own, too. I n d e e d , a r c h e o l o g i c a l findings from Pompeii show that the curule seat evolved into a slightly larger piece of furniture, always foldable, p o p u l a r a m o n g c o m m o n p e o p l e . R o m a n s h a d t h e h a b i t o f c a r r y i n g i t w i t h them if they went on long, leisurely walks, so that they could open them and sit to relax or chat with their com- panions. Whether we are talking about curule seats for magis- trates, emperors and gener- als, or the domestic versions t h e R o m a n s c a r r i e d w i t h them on walks, these were, more often than not, beauti- fully decorated pieces, with animal heads carvings and intricate patterns enriching their wooden structure. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE The foldable chair The ancient curule seats had a very distinctive X shape that many chairs of today still have (Photo: Grafisphos/Dreamstime) Special effects artists at work. The team at Makinarium counts between 15 and 30 artists, depending on the project (Photo: Nejron/Dreamstime) Our Made in Italy: Makinarium and the world of Italian special effects

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