In dealing with complex societal issues, facts aren’t enough. What’s needed is the human context. That’s what Italian filmmaker Matteo Tibiletti  creates with “Ops!”—a dramatic PSA (Public Service Announcement) that deals with the role of guns in everyday life. As with his prize-winning “Yes, No.” this new film uses intense close-ups to bring us into the story. But there’s a lot more to “Ops!” as you’ll discover in the interview with the director following the film.

Interview with Matteo Tibiletti

MMM: We learned in last interview that you’re a playwright as well as a filmmaker. What’s new since then?

Tibiletti: Through a scholarship won with the Mobile Film Festival in Paris last year, I was able to work with Licia Eminenti, professional scriptwriter, on the re-editing and translation into French of one of my most ambitious projects: “Blue Dream.” It’s a psychological thriller and a tribute to one of my favorite directors David Lynch. Recently, with “The skin”, which I wrote and co-directed with Federico Gasca, I had the honor of arriving at the finals of the “Sofilm Summercamp Film Festival” in Nantes. These last two projects were made with traditional cameras.

MMM: Can you tell us how you got the idea for “Ops!”?

Tibiletti: I was thinking of a “public service announcement”  about guns, an issue that we, in Italy, often discuss in an angry and yet superficial manner. For example, one side might present the topic of “legitimate defense” with slogans such as “If you come into my house I have the right to shoot you.” This idea gives me a lot of anxiety and fear because it doesn’t address the real problems arising from deregulation of firearms. It’s true that delinquency is rampant everywhere. And it’s true that often you are never quite safe in your own home. But the idea of having a personal weapon at home, instead of having  police present to prevent any break-in, I find is a palliative and not a solution. Or, like the mother says in my movie, it’s  “an idiocy.”

MMM: Could you say something about the title?

Tibiletti: “Ops!” is the Italian form of the English word “Oops!” I liked the idea of putting an ironic accent on the story as I did with my earlier movie “Yes, No.” In this movie, the child worries about having soiled her dress, not about the danger of what she just did. She knows that the gun shoots because she saw it in the movies. In 2019, firearms are certainly not a taboo subject with children. She think it’s just a toy, like her doll. No more, no less.

MMM: How did you plan the movie?

Tibiletti: I had the idea in my head for long time, so I worked out the script in few days. I left to improvisation only the initial part of the discussion between the two parents (the one that is heard while the child plays with the doll)  and then I thought about it with Alessandro Panzeri (director of photography) who also suggested some valid alternatives to my initial proposals.

MMM: How did you cast the parts?

Tibiletti: The actors playing the parents are professionals, who are also my friends and collaborators. Lia Locatelli (the mother) is a theater actress and co-founder of Girodivite productions; Nicola Adobati (the father)  is a movie actor who I had the pleasure of meeting on the set of another short film just last year. In that context, I was able to evaluate his abilities and, at the first opportunity, I proposed him this role. He accepted with enthusiasm.

MMM: What about the daughter?

Tibiletti: Vittoria Mühlbauer  is one of my little acting students. Thinking of the movie, I immediately identified her for that part.  I needed her eyes and her laugh! She is really a brillant actress! On the set she behaved in an extraordinarily professional manner, immediately showing her ability to listen and interpret my directional indications.

MMM: Speaking of which, could you talk about your approach to directing?

Tibiletti: Directing actors is for me a fundamental part of the work. I come from the theater and being also an actor-coach, I could never forgive myself for leaving an actor’s interpretation to chance. Furthermore, my screenplays are often based ONLY on the dialogue and on the credibility that the interpreters must convey in acting. Normally I choose the actors based on what I know about them, then I talk to them and try to understand how they understand the message in my script. I try to work in the proposals they make from time to time, so that they feel as comfortable as possible. If they want  to change a line to make it feel more natural, I value the proposal and often accept it. As an actor, I often try to personalize my character: I try not to distort the meaning of the message, but rather to find a personal way to convey it to the fullest. Paradoxically, even with Vittoria it was like this: I gave her very simple but practical indications, nothing that she couldn’t understand. Not “mechanical” but rather emotional indications (I work with children exactly like working with adults). The result definitely met my expectations.

MMM: What about the gear?

Tibiletti: I shot with a Samsung s9 +. I also used a Zhiyun Smooth 4 gimbal.  For the first time, I used FilmIcPro. I have to say that both my director of photography and I found that we could handle the shooting better with this software!

MMM: How long did the shooting take?

Tibiletti: One day from morning until late afternoon, and was done in my father’s house. I had an entire crew at my disposal. In addition to the DoP, I had a very efficient and prepared assistant director (Giulia Pacioni), a sound engineer (Michele Negro) a DoP assistant (Mattia Rossetti), and a script supervisor (Monica Pillon). Fortunately, we did not have any unexpected events and everything ended well on schedule.

MMM: Could you talk about how you achieved the effect of the ceiling coming down after the girl fired the gun?

Tibiletti: At first, we had no idea how to achieve a realistic effect that wasn’t too “invasive” or dangerous for Vittoria. In the end we opted for coarse sand and yellow flour. The result was truly exceptional! Of course, much of the success depended on the post production contributions of Federico Gasca, my usual collaborator, who supervised the color correction and editing using Premiere Pro. I can safely say that Federico performed all my instructions to perfection, but he also added a very personal touch (which I knew I could totally trust) that gave the final product a truly exceptional appearance and fluidity.

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking.com have chosen “Ops!” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.