Omega Rising: Remembering Joe D'Amato Page #3

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First of all because he

was intelligent.

When I wrote something that was good

he would take what I had done

without changing anything.

While, what irritated me with other

directors and producers,

was the fact they always had

something to say,

to modify or change making the story

worse instead of better.

In other words, the esteem he had for me and

my work made him even nicer in my eyes.

As a director he had his limits,

but they weren't limits due to a

lack of capabilities

but due to his desire for doing

things on a small budget.

It's obvious if you do a film in ten

days, two weeks maximum

that you can't afford to take care

of shots and the fine details.

It was his choice however.

If he had wanted to, he could have

become, probably not a great director...

-he was a competent professional but

could only reach a certain level-

but he could have become

a big producer.

His greatest capacity was to be

liked by everybody.

Everyone I know that had a

chance to work with him

did so happily because he had

a great personality

and really managed to

make you feel good.

The films I did in Central

America with him

I did them, not because I was

interested in the stories...

I didn't even read the scripts...

but because working with him was a

bit like being on vacation.

Working at Filmirage with somebody

which was so knowledgeable,

capable of doing everything from

working the lights to camera operating

from directing to photographing, was

like attending an academy.

Working and observing

everything he did...

...in every area of filmmaking: how

he would be on set directing or...

how he prepared and organised his films. There was a

lot to learn and it was wonderful to work with him.

He would be a real artisan, even

discussing the masks and effects we had

handmade by Maurizio Nardi and other great artists, that

used to work with plastic and not gel like they do now

and able to give them suggestions,

as with the editor...

Working with him meant not only working in a protective

environment but also meant that you were always learning.

There was always a sense of

community and family.

It's never happened like that again...

We were all his sons and daughters.

The production company was made out

of two main figures:

one was Aristide, the good father to us all,

the young writers, directors and even actors

that were being forged

like Deran Sarafian

with whom I became friends and I

wrote his first film for him.

He was sent by Sarlui who asked

Massaccesi get this kid started.

The second figure, who wasn't at all maternal, poor thing

she died not many years ago, was Donatella Donati.

Donatella Donati and Massaccesi made

an incredible couple:

Aristide was sweeter, kinder but all the annoying things, the

stuff he didn't want to do he would delegate them to Donatella

who was a hound, a strong woman,

daughter of an important producer.

They were an extraordinary couple,

professionally speaking.

Then there was a whole army of secretaries,

lawyers, administrators and editors...

nearly all women who were in some

way an appendix of this couple.

All these people were very

protective with them.

I have never seen employees so

attached to their employers.

They adored them and I think this was due to the fact that

they would infuse the workplace with a family mechanism.

There was a very human-based

rapport between everybody:

if you had to have a fight you would -sometimes a screenplay

wouldn't work- you would say things directly in someone's face.

It was really like being in a

family. Something strange and rare.

I started composing with Edoardo

Vianello and Wilma Goich.

Edoardo, apart from singing with Wilma and with the

Vianellas, was interested in composing for films and theatre.

He asked me if I had ever composed anything and as a

matter of fact I had only done a few small things.

So he involved me in the making of the

soundtrack of a film and a theatre piece.

The play was called Sempre in camicia (Always with a

Shirt) and it had a group of actors that later became

maybe not famous, but well-known.

That was my first big experience

composing a soundtrack.

In the meantime this music was listened to

by some people which started asking me if

I was willing to compose the music for .

..let's say more important films.

One of these was Aristide Massaccesi who saw

in me a more horrific vein than a romantic one,

which I do feel is pronounced in me

and he proposed that I compose

the music for Absurd, Rosso sangue.

While asking me to do this film, he also asked if

I could replace the soundtrack for another film.

I won't say the name of the musician

but the film was Unconscious

a title that was later discarded and replaced. He

had directed this film but didn't like the music.

I did a new soundtrack and the film was released with

this other composer in the credits but with my music.

Immediately after we did Absurd, for

which I have, naturally, full ownership.

This began a career, mostly in horror films, but

in the meantime I would do many other things.

Aristide Massaccesi was a very nice person.

With the people that worked for him

and so with me as well, he was

undoubtedly demanding.

He had clear ideas generally, but in respect to music, not so

clear; but as far as everything else I would say very clear.

He was a man full of resources, capable with two

Quartz, a lightbulb and candle to photograph anything,

and you would watch the scene and go

who did this, Vittorio Storaro?

With me he was a wonderful person and

would leave me free to express myself.

I worked with many directors and the only one

that really knew what he wanted musically

was Lucio Fulci, who was a bit of

a musician himself.

But apart from Lucio, I worked with directors

who would impose their musical ideas

which is fine by me, a director

is like an orchestral conductor.

When I'm directing an orchestra I don't impose but

I except my ideas and visions to be followed...

because I'm composing, I know

the rhythm and atmospheres required.

A film director is like me when I step onto

the podium. The director is the leader.

For example in a film, during a chase, if he wants a

love theme, even if there are people shooting guns

and running I will do what he says.

So there are directors who impose and have this

sort of approach, even when their ideas don't work

in the case of Aristide this didn't

happen, he would trust me.

I can't think of one single theme he imposed on me.

I have a nice memory of him even in this sense.

First of all he did something that

few people would do.

When he commissioned a film to a director he would

never go on set and intervene or be polemical.

He would only step in if

there were problems.

For example, if there was a film that had to last three

or four weeks and the director was late on arrival

in that case he would intervene

and would maybe take the

camera operator's place.

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