Balentia - Without Music
Through the original audio of the footage of a video clip, the background of a music video without music is shown.
Interview with Editor/Writer/Director Stefano Pio
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
In the past I have worked mainly with video clips. I made Balentia - Without music at a time when I needed to do something new with video that would allow me to experiment with sound. The idea of the project was to make the viewer listen to what a videomaker hears when he watches the footage. I therefore tried to tell the background of a music video only through sound, showing the curiosities that the spectator cannot see, such as the things the director says or the conversations that take place.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you have never worked on a video clip you should watch it to know what is behind its creation. If you have already worked on a video clip instead you should watch it because you will find it curious and fun to find in my work what surely happens to you too. In particular, the thing I like most about the video is that from the dialogues that are heard in the background, albeit sporadic, the friendship that has developed between me and the guys in the video emerges. This is perhaps the thing that makes Balentia - Without Music special.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film
Balentia - Without Music is a very personal project, so it is difficult to grasp a universal theme. The thing that certainly emerges, regardless of everything, is the friendship that was born between me and the singer and between the singer and the other extras. Finally, the project removes the sacred aura of the video clip, humanizing both the singer and the director. I therefore believe that another fundamental theme is the humanity of every artistic profession, as behind every work of art there is a person, not a superior entity.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The video started out as a traditional music video. The singer, Noir, wanted to involve his friends and came up with the idea of the car. He managed to find all the people and especially the horse. At the pre-production level, we only wrote the locations and props, but the realization was almost totally improvised on the set. There I shot almost everything that happened like a documentary. The singer and his friends are not actors, so I thought it was more functional to adapt to what was going on than to prepare the shots and the actions. This is what made the sound design so interesting, because the people on the set were spontaneous.
After more than a year I reopened the project and tried to unmute all the audio tracks of the clips and turn off the music. I was very surprised by what he was feeling and I decided to do a new color grading and export it to bring the new project to life.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
At the moment I have shown the video to a few people, many do not even know of its existence. It is a very personal job, so instead of advertising it everywhere I decided to offer it only to the right people and on the right occasions. Despite this, my professors from the Brera Academy liked it a lot and the people who participated in the video enjoyed listening to what had been said these days after more than a year. So for me the people who have appreciated are few but good and I am happy as well. Now Balentia - Without Music is a finalist at Hip-Hop Cinefest and I'm really happy, it was the first time I showed the video to people who weren't my friends and I didn't expect it would be understood. So I'm really excited about it!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Admission to the festival made me understand that this project can reach anyone, not just those who know me.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
For a while, I stopped working on video clips. However, I have missed this world very much. So I thought that participating in this festival would be a pretext to re-enter the world and meet new people with my same love for the video clip.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Distributors, film festival directors and journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I wish people would start to care more about what's going on behind the camera. I'm not talking about a technical question, but a human one. I would like people to grasp the love with which directors and singers work on videos, beyond the "gangasta" character.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is this a music video or a documentary?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you very much for this opportunity, I am very grateful.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
On May 20th the video for "Cinema" by Ribi and arsenico.as will be released and at the beginning of June the new official video by Low-Red. These two videos are currently in post-production and are written, directed and edited by me. At the same time I am working on the pre-production of a psychological thriller short film written with Davide Nurra, so we are looking for a production to finance the shooting. So if you are a film producer, write me!
Interview: July 2022
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Balentia - Without Music
Length:
3:33
Writer/Director
STEFANO PIO is an italian director of video clip and short movies. He directed the video clip of many Sardinian rappers, like Low-Red and Malakay, and was the editor of many video clip and documentaries directed by Enrico Rassu, like "Volume Experience" for IAMDDB or "Tu Non Sei Con Noi Bro" by Tredici Pietro. Now he is working for a new video clip for Low-Red and is writing a short movie.
Key cast/Producer
Davide Fenu (Noir)
Looking for:
film festival directors, producers, journalists, buyers, distributors
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/stefano.pio.5/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stefanopio.mov/?hl=it