On 25 September AIC published the programme for CineVerse Roma: two days, 16 and 17 October, inside Cinecittà Studios, with an expo, a hands-on tech room and sixteen talks. Entry is free with registration. It is the first edition, organised by AIC and Eurocine with SCS Concepts and Exhibitions, and it runs during the Rome Film Fest. CineD covered it too.

We care because, for anyone working in Abruzzo, Cinecittà is just over a hundred kilometres of motorway away. A proper cinematography show this close is rare: to get hands-on with new lenses and cameras you usually have to travel to IBC in Amsterdam or to Cine Gear. This one is a morning’s drive.

How it is laid out

Four areas, all inside the studios at Via Tuscolana 1055:

  • Expo Floor in Teatro 26, Cinecittà’s new sound stage: brands, rental houses and production technology, from cameras and lighting to virtual production. Open Friday 10:00-19:00 and Saturday 10:00-16:00.
  • Tech Room: 250 square metres of hands-on testing, with an AIC cinematographer in the room alongside the brand technicians. Powered by Panalight.
  • AIC IMAGO panels: sixteen sessions across Sala Fellini, the Frame Bar and the Tech Room, 09:00-19:00 on both days.
  • Frame Bar: a space for people entering the trade to meet those who have been in it for years.

The sessions we would circle

Days and times for each panel are not out yet, but the titles and several names are. In our view these are worth the trip:

  • Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam, on how it changed camera movement. Hearing him in person is a rare chance.
  • Luciano Tovoli with Antonio Grambone on the cinematographer’s authorship rights. It matters to people shooting commercials and documentaries too, not just features.
  • 65 mm vs 35 mm in the Tech Room with Panavision and Panalight: five things to know, with a practical comparison of the two sensor formats.
  • HDR with Francesco Giardiello, on extended dynamic range as a lighting tool rather than a marketing label.
  • Leadership and managing the crew with Sandra Bidoli, together with AITR and EMIC: stress, the unexpected, running a department. The one we would recommend to anyone on their first DoP job.

There is also a film module with Kodak and BVK, a remote conversation with Robrecht Heyvaert on shooting 65 mm for Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of Christ, and two talks on AI and the future of the job.

What we take from it

On set, the questions we get most are practical: which monitor to judge HDR on, which stabiliser for a long take, when it is worth moving up a format. A tech room where you try gear with a DoP beside you is the right place to make up your mind before spending money. Our advice does not change: try first, then maybe buy. And if you only need it for one job, rent.

If you want to reach Cinecittà already knowing some of these tools, you can try them with us first: the Atomos Ninja V monitor-recorder to get a feel for working in HDR, the DJI RS 3 Pro gimbal for lightweight camera movement, the ARRI ALEXA Mini if you are thinking about a real set camera. Everything else is in our equipment catalogue.

Getting there

Sign upon is on the official CineVerse website: you get a code to show at the pedestrian entrance on Via Tuscolana 1055. By car, leave the GRA ring road at exit 21 Tuscolana. Parking near the studios is not guaranteed, so it can make sense to leave the car further out and take Metro Line A to the Cinecittà stop. If you go and want to compare notes afterwards on what you saw, get in touch.