Part one of an on-going series
[Editor’s note]: Alan Jones is “the man” when it comes to Dario Argento and the director’s oeuvre, that’s why I’m thrilled to have him on Shock’s side covering Dracula 3D. Alan has touched down in Italy and he tells me he’ll be filing on-going mini-reports from the production. Here is the first. Expect them to get more detailed as they go.
Part two: Click Here
Part three: Click Here
Part four: Click Here
Part five: Click here
It’s my first day on location with Dario Argento and Dracula 3D.
Biella, an hour drive from his usual base of Turin,is a fairly standard Italian town that’s trying to establish itself as a movie production hub. Dracula 3D is the second major movie to be shot here and tonight the action moves into some woods with Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula), Rutger Hauer (Van Helsing) and Marta Gastini (Mina) all involved in the atmospheric horror.
You may remember Gastini from this year’s The Rite. Cast and crew are waiting to be driven to the forest, I’m on call to speak to Dario about his third period film after The Five Days of Milan and The Phantom of the Opera – he’s already told me, “Once you’ve shot in 3D you will never go back.”
I’ll also be talking to director of photography Luciano Tovoli about his third film with Dario after the classics Suspiria and Tenebrae.
I’m looking at the mausoleum set where the finale of Dracula 3D is about to take lace before my eyes. Because the camera takes so long to be set up by Dario’s 6-man 3D team, I’ve already spoken to him at length about his ideas for his twist on the vampire classic. Very exciting. And quite different from anything I was expecting. The sets and locations are amazing – from Castle Dracula to Jonathan Harker’s guesthouse in Ricetto Di Candelo. Asia back on set on Friday but I’m thrilled I timed my stay to coincide with the climax.
Source: Alan Jones
