‘I just want to keep creating. Creating images, creating stories, creating relationships, creating memories.’
Embark on a captivating exploration into the world of Andrea Gavazzi, a seasoned cinematographer whose journey traverses continents and cultures. Born in Brazil and currently thriving in the vibrant energy of New York City, Andrea's cinematic path unfolded organically, fueled by a childhood fascination with movies and a serendipitous encounter in Vietnam. In this exclusive interview, Andrea shares the enthralling narrative of his artistic evolution, delving into the influences that shaped his unique perspective, his philosophy behind project selection, and the delicate dance between artistic expression and the demands of the industry. Join us on this cinematic journey as Andrea Gavazzi unveils the stories behind the lens and the magic that breathes life into his work.
Hey hey! My name is Andrea Gavazzi and i’m a cinematographer.
I kind of started late even though in a way this was my childhood dream. I always wanted to be a director or somehow work in film. I was born in Brasil and lived there the first years of my life. I remember going to Blockbuster with my family to pick a movie and it was the most exciting moment of the week for me. Skip to a few years later and I was very confused about what I wanted to do. I studied economics in college and really hated it. After graduating in Italy I went back to Brasil to maybe live there, to try it out. In the couple of months i was there i realized i didn’t want to stay but i had the opportunity to PA on a few shorts and really understood that everything that fascinated me about being a filmmaker was everything that a DP does. Left Brasil, got a one way ticket to south east asia for a few months and ended up living in Vietnam. It was a moment of beautiful confusion, doing random jobs and just living by the day. There i met a friend that had just done a couple of years in NYC working in the movie industry, she spoke about it in a way that made it look easy hahahah Sort of without really thinking too much about it, i moved to NY. Coming to Nyc it was way tougher than i thought but i found so many people that gave me a shot and helped me along the way and hopefully still will!!!
After my parents divorced my mom moved us to Italy and when i was growing up in Italy the father of one of my childhood friends was the screenwriter for Dario Argento, Sergio Leone and few others. He wrote some incredible movies and when we were kids he was always showing us movies that we were way too young to watch. I remember him showing us “The invasion of the body Snatchers” and “IT” when we were 8 years old and those movies opening my eyes. I was terrified and for years looked behind me when going to the bathroom at night! But it was also very inspiring. I knew it was fake, just a movie but also so emotionally powerful that i couldn’t control the fear. One day when i was 14 my brother came to my room with a pirate copy of “Pulp Fiction” in his hand and told me that i had to watch this movie. It was like a new explosion, a new world in my brain. I started devouring movies, became friends with the guys that had a local dvd and vhs rental (local blockbuster of sorts) one block from my house. They let me rent stuff that was R rated or not allowed for kids of my age, and keep it for way too long, to the point that they had to call my house because i didn’t bring back a dvd for more than a year and the charge at that point was hundreds of euros in penalties. They obviously never charged me for it! (I think for me it was about keeping films close, and a lot of them, that helped start me on my journey.
100% the people you meet and the memories you create. I get to travel and meet a lot of people; over the years I’ve made so many friends around the world that i mainly remember moments with them from those shoots than the actual projects. All the people i work regularly with are dear friends and people i love.
I try to spend as much time as possible with the director, just talking about anything, not particularly related only to the project. I like to be involved as soon as possible and stay involved through the whole process. From sending refs and ideas even while a director is still pitching and making the deck to give editing and vfx notes at the end. Some of the best production designers i know do the same and even if i feel sometimes this approach doesn’t work with everyone, when it works it is so rewarding.
In good and bad my favorite project is always the next one. I’m really addicted to what i do so just being on set brings me a joy and a whirlwind of feelings that i hardly can find in other things.
No doubt it’s a job i did with one of my favorite musicians ever. I was so excited about working with them and they were also directing. It ended up being one of the most awkward and uncomfortable days of my life. We were shooting in a studio and they didn’t want anyone outside of me and my first AC in the room with us. We ended up staying in silence for hours in there the three of us, he barely wanted to shoot anything and would not reply if i spoke to them. It was so surreal both me and my AC thought we were being filmed for some sort of social experiment haha.
To be honest, i really am not much of a geeky gear person when it comes to cameras, accessories etc What really has impacted my work is the collaboration with my colorist, Dante Pasquinelli, who made me realize how much control and possibilities there are in post. I feel today my work has evolved and shifted a lot because of it, coloring is a big big part of my process and having someone that understands your taste and vision and is super talented to elevate your work is absolutely necessary.
There’s a magic in both. I used to romanticize film more a few years back, but the reality is that these are all just tools and based on the size of the bolt, you pick the right wrench.
I’m proud of everything, even the first terrible things i shot because that was me at the time. Is like getting a shitty tattoo. You can erase it or you can just laugh at it and remind where you were and who you were.
Oh! i change my mind all the time about it. I’m watching the sopranos now for the first time (i’m loving it) and is very interesting to see how the style of tv has evolved in only 20 years. I feel the attention span of everyone has really plummeted and therefore we are changing the way we make art, but it’s insane to me. Art should change society and not the other way around.
It just takes time, keep going, enjoy it! Sort of an advice for myself today as well.
I just want to keep creating. Creating images, creating stories, creating relationships, creating memories.
