BIOGRAPHY

Born August 10 1957 in Milano, Italy. he studies to become a primary school teacher but soon realizes not to have the kind of "missionary push" necessary for such a profession. in 1976 he starts working as assistant photographer for Oliviero Toscani. But he soon grows bored of the repetitive and shallow world of fashion and in early ’78 he starts working as “film-kameramann” for the Swiss Television. An Eclaire NPR and reversal film stock become his learning tools and he starts covering anything from local news to sport events, from nature documentaries to socio-political reportages around the world.In April 1981 attends a Steadicam workshop held by Garrett Brown in Monterey, Ca. 

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this is Nicola's 1997 demo tape that helped him land  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, since then his body of work has increased but his personality is the same

He immediately falls in love with the possibilities offered by this extraordinary, revolutionary instrument (at the time still quite primitive and full of promising possibilities).

By September of the same year he attends another workshop, purchases his first Steadicam and leaves the Swiss Television to embark on the exciting new adventure of feature films.

Since then he has taught more than 25 Steadicam Workshops around the world, co-founded with Garrett Brown the Steadicam Operator Association and actively participated in the research and experimentation that led to all those technological and lechnical achievements that made the Steadicam an essential tool for telling stories on Film.

For many years he finds himself in the very fortunate position of being one of the few “reliable” Steadicam owner/operators in Europe giving him the fantastic opportunity of working with a very large number of filmmakers and experiencing a very large spectrum of styles, techniques, attitudes and philosophies.

Throughout the years Nicola moved from “plain” Steadicam operator to A camera operator and more and more often performed duties as cinematographer.

In 1995 his friend Tommy Schlamme forces him ( with the help of some cheese,fresh figs and abundant red wine) to become a cinematographer on his next project, the Tracey Ullmann new show for HBO : Tracey Takes On.

From that experience Nicola became addicted and could not go back to a life without responsibilities...

Filmography as Camera/Steadicam operator (television not listed)

1982

La Segnorina                                       dir.Pasquale Squitieri

Il Commissionario                              dir.Florestano Vancini

Avventura a Campo De’ Fiori                        dir.Luigi Magni    

Live                                              dir. Bruno Bigoni, Kiko Stella

Neil Young in Berlin                      dir. Michael Lindsay Hogg

1983

Claretta                                  dir.Pasquale Squitieri                dop Eugenio Bentivoglio

E Lui E’ Peggio di Me             dir.Enrico Oldoini                               dop Sandro D’Eva

Grand Hotel Excelsior            dir.Castellano                                    dop Danilo Desideri

Phenomena (aka Creepers)   dir.Dario Argento                             dop Romano Albani

LadyHawke                                dir.Richard Donner                          dop Vittorio Storaro

Simon & Garfunkel Reunion World Tour      dir. Randy Cohen    48 shows: July - Sept. First ever concert with giant tv screens on  side of stage. 4 cameras: one of which a Steadicam on stage

1984

Un Delitto                                  dir.Salvatore Nocita                           dop Blasco Giurato

Rosso di Sera                            dir.Kiko Stella                                    dop Renato Tafuri

Survivors: the Blues today       dir.Cork Marcheschi                            dop Eric Young

1985

La Piovra II                                dir.Florestano Vancini                         dop Nino Celeste

Sotto il Vestito Niente              dir.Carlo Vanzina                              dop Beppe Maccari

Olga e i suoi figli                       dir.Salvatore Nocita

Minaccia D’Amore                    dir.Ruggero Deodato                        dop Renato Tafuri

Ishtar                                            dir.Elaine May                                   dop Vittorio Storaro

1986

Opera                                            dir.Dario Argento                              dop Ronnie Taylor  also 2nd Unit cinematographer

Via Montenapoleone                dir.Carlo Vanzina                              dop Luigi Kuveiller

Nasty Hero                                      dir.Nick Barwood                            dop Oliver Wood

The Last Emperor                    dir.Bernardo Bertolucci                     dop Vittorio Storaro

1987

Rent A Cop                               dir.Jerry London                          dop Giuseppe Rotunno

Miss Firecracker                      dir.Tommy Schlamme                       dop Arthur Albert

La Chiesa                                 dir.Michele Soavi                               dop Renato Tafuri

La Partita (The Gamble)         dir.Carlo Vanzina                               dop Luigi Kuveiller also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer

1988

la Piovra IV                                    dir.Luigi Perelli                                  dop Nino Celeste

Mery per Sempre                           dir.Marco Risi                             dop Mauro Marchetti

Tempo di Uccidere                  dir.Giuliano Montaldo                        dop Blasco Giurato

La Condanna                           dir.Marco Bellocchio                        dop Giuseppe Lanci

Bye Bye Little Riding Hood       dir.Marta Meszaros                       dop Thomas Vamos

Il Sole Anche di Notte           dir.Paolo e Vittorio Taviani               dop Giuseppe Lanci

The Comfort of Strangers         dir.Paul Schrader                              dop Dante Spinotti

1989

Max & Jeremie                          dir.Claire Devers                           dop Bruno de Keyzer

Donna d’onore                         dir.Stuart Margolin                          dop Ennio Guarnieri

Stanno Tutti Bene                   dir.Giuseppe Tornatore                     dop Blasco Giurato

Nel Nome del Popolo Sovrano     dir.Luigi Magni                         dop Giuseppe Lanci

Verso Sera                                   dir.Kiko Stella                                     dop Renato Tafuri

La Villa Del Venerdì                 dir.Mauro Bolognini                        dop Giuseppe Lanci

The King’s Whore                        dir.Axel Corti                                       dop Gernott Roll

Two Evil Eyes                             dir.Dario Argento                             dop Beppe Maccari also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer

1990

The Sheltering Sky                 dir.Bernardo Bertolucci                      dop Vittorio Storaro

La Setta                                    dir.Michele Soavi                              dop Raffaele Mertes

Back In The USSR                  dir.Deran Sarafian                                dop Yuri Neiman

The Inner Circle                  dir.Andrei Konchalovskij                      dop Ennio Guarnieri

The Doors                                    dir.Oliver Stone                    dop Robert Richardson as 2nd Unit cinematographer

1991

Piedipiatti                                  dir.Carlo Vanzina                                dop Luigi Kuveiller

The Sleepless Eye             dir.Massimo Mazzucco                     dop Vincenzo Marano

Bitter Moon                           dir.Roman Polanski                           dop Tonino Delli Colli

Nel Continente Nero              dir.Marco Risi                                    dop Mauro Marchetti

La Soif De l’Or                      dir.Gerard Oury                                  dop Tonino Delli Colli

1992

Cliffhanger                                dir.Renny Harlin                                dop Alex Thompson  also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer

1993

Profil Bas                                   dir.Claude Zidi                              dop Francois Catonné

La Cite De La Peur              dir.Alain Berberian                             dop Laurant Daillian

Mario Und Der Zauberer           dir.Klaus Maria Brandauer                 dop Lajos Koltai

Little Buddha                           dir.Bernardo Bertolucci                      dop Vittorio Storaro also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer 

Only You                                    dir.Norman Jewison                           dop Sven Niqvist also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer

1994

The Death And The Maiden        dir.Roman Polanski                 dop Tonino Delli Colli also 2nd Unit cinematographer

KingFish                                   dir.Thomas Schlamme          dop Alexander Gruszinskij

French Kiss                             dir.Lawrence Kasdan                         dop Owen Roizman

Cutthoat Island                      dir.Renny Harlin                dop Oliver Wood & Peter Levy

1995

The American President              dir.Rob Reiner                                   dop John Seale

Stealing Beauty                      dir.Bernardo Bertolucci                      dop Darius Khondj  also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer

1996

Beverly Hills Ninja                       dir.Dennis Dugan                               dop Arthur Albert

1997

Bulworth                                    dir.Warren Beatty                               dop Vittorio Storaro





 

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