L'Italo-Americano

GIOVEDÌ 26 GENNAIO 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano P ietro Schito has been passionate about animation since the tender age of seven, but it wasn't until college that he realized his passion could be turned into a profession. Born and raised in Milan, Pietro decided to pursue his dream and become an animation scriptwriter. He gained valua- ble experience as an editor in Italy before making the move to Los Angeles to complete a screenwriting program at the N e w Y o r k F i l m A c a d e m y . N o w , P i e t r o c a l l s M e x i c o home and is currently co-wri- ting three animated feature films for different studios. He also founded Write for Ani- mation, a community and YouTube channel where he shares his insights and expe- rience from the animation industry. Pietro's journey is a testament to the power of fol- lowing your dreams and tur- ning them into reality. Pietro, how and when did you get into the world of animation? From a young age, while my friends were out playing soccer, I was drawing and creating stories, comic books, and stop-motion movies with my Ninja Turtles action figu- r e s . B u t t h r e e s p e c i a l m o m e n t s s t a n d o u t i n m y mind, like when I saw The Little Mermaid at the cinema w h e n I w a s s e v e n . T h a t ' s when I fell in love with ani- m a t i o n ( a n d w i t h A r i e l ) . Years later, I saw Toy Story by Pixar Animation Studios and I was so entranced that I beg- g e d m y d a d t o s t a y i n t h e theater, and we watched it twice in a row. I knew I wan- ted to be a part of creating stories and characters like those in the film. Another m e m o r a b l e m o m e n t w a s when I met two Disney artists on a train ride, they gave me a drawing of the Little Mermaid as a gift that inspires me to the day. When did you realize t h i s p a s s i o n o f y o u r s could become a profes- sion? It was during a college workshop with Gianfranco Cordara, a Disney screenwri- ter and now VP of Global Operations at Disney+. As I learned the intricacies of storytelling and the secrets behind crafting compelling characters and plots, it felt like a whole new world had opened up to me. Up until that point, I had been writing purely on instinct, but with these new tools at my dispo- sal, it was like being given a superpower. On your profile I read " H e l l o , m y n a m e i s P i e t r o , t h e a n i m a t i o n writer who brings your story to life." What does t h a t m e a n a n d h o w i s your work done? Essentially, my job is to take the director's vision and bring it to life on the page. I start by finding a personal c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e s t o r y because the more personal it is for me, the more relatable it will be for the audience. Together with the director, we dig deep to uncover the h e a r t o f t h e s t o r y , t h e underlying theme. As Pixar's P e t e D o c t e r o f t e n s a y s : ' W h a t d o y o u w a n t t h e audience to take home after seeing the film?' What kind of relation- ship did you have with Guillermo Del Toro? I had the opportunity to work with two of the seven directors that Guillermo del Toro hand-picked to mentor. H e r e i n M e x i c o , t h e y a r e r e f e r r e d t o a s " T h e Magnificent Seven" and they all worked on Pinocchio. I was lucky enough to write two films for René Castillo and Luis Téllez. One of the f i l m s r e c e i v e d f e e d b a c k directly from Del Toro him- self, so he got to see my work in action. It was an incredi- b l e e x p e r i e n c e , a n d e a c h interaction felt like attending a masterclass in storytelling. W h a t w a s t h e e x p e - rience of meeting him? Meeting Guillermo Del Toro was a dream come true! I remember learning Spanish from watching his early films and being in awe of his story- telling ability. So, when I had the chance to meet him in person at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, I was ecstatic. It was a brief encounter, but he told me he was looking forward to rea- ding our script and giving it "a good shake." And that's exactly what he did! After each session, we returned to work full of inspiration and the story only got better. I'm excited to meet with him again in a few days via a video call, and we'll be recor- ding a special episode for my YouTube channel, Write for Animation, where I share screenwriting tips and inter- view prominent figures in the animation industry. It's going to be amazing! The world of anima- t i o n i s e x p e r i e n c i n g a g o l d e n m o m e n t , w i t h audiences increasingly considering it a product for adults and not just for children. How has this change come about in your opinion? You're right, it really is a golden moment for anima- tion and I never see the films I w r i t e a s j u s t f o r k i d s . "Animation is film" is a bit of a motto being shared in the animation industry to reaf- firm that animation is not a genre, but a medium. It's not necessarily about films with "adult" edgy content, but about recognizing this art form as capable of telling c o m p l e x , u n i v e r s a l , a n d profound stories. This chan- ge is happening one film at a t i m e , a n d G u i l l e r m o d e l Toro's Pinocchio is a very good example. Y o u a r e c u r r e n t l y based in Mexico, but you have also had experien- ces in Hollywood. Can you tell us more about that? M y t i m e s t u d y i n g screenwriting in Hollywood was really impactful. I got to meet some of my animation h e r o e s a n d e v e n h a d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o w o r k w i t h some of them as mentors and friends. I was able to shoot a short film at the Universal Studios lot in Burbank and also had the chance to work on Hollywood productions filmed in Mexico. One expe- rience that stood out to me was being on the set of Little Boy, which was filmed on the s a m e b a c k l o t a s J a m e s Cameron's Titanic. What are the differen- c e s i n s c r e e n w r i t i n g between live-action and animation films? I love how writing for ani- mation is a much more colla- borative process. The story is d e v e l o p e d i n p a r t n e r s h i p with the director and story- board artists, with each draft leading to an animated story- board. So, after writing, we sit together to watch this story reel on the screen. It's rewarding and challenging at the same time. The director and myself listen carefully to all the notes the team has and we get back to writing. This process is repeated mul- tiple times until the story works at its best. I absolutely love working with story arti- sts, because they bring a new dimension to the narrative. It's a truly magical process. What projects are you currently working on? I am excited because one of the films I co-wrote and am an associate producer for is about to go into produc- tion. I also just finished deve- lopment for an Italian TV animation series that I can't t a l k a b o u t y e t , a n d I ' m working as a story consultant w i t h d i r e c t o r s w h o h a v e worked at NETFLIX, Warner Animation, Amazon Studios, Dreamworks, and Disney. Who are some of the directors or studios you would like to work with in the future? PIXAR Animation Studios h a s a l w a y s b e e n a d r e a m company for me. I recognize their dedication to storytel- ling and their commitment to always putting the story first. I've had the opportunity to meet some of the talented artists from the studio, and I would love to join their deve- lopment team one day. Pietro Schito (above) became passionate about animation as a child (Photo: Magali Espinoza) The craft of animation writing: an interview with Pietro Schito SILVIA GIUDICI LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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