Introduction:
Gianna Cavarozzi is a co-writer/director on “Glory and Glore” (instagram.com/gloryandgoretv), which has garnered attention for its dark academia aesthetic and feminist undertones. Gianna is a junior at Emerson College from Santa Monica, LA. Check out “Glory and Glore” when it releases on YouTube on December 6th.
What drew you to study filmmaking?
Growing up, I was a huge fan editor, and because of that, I got really into film. I loved making edits; that was my whole thing, and I got really proficient at all the editing software.
Being an editor online is the best hobby if you want to get into filmmaking. I was doing that at age 15, so I kind of went through a really niche route.
If you don’t mind me asking, what were you making fan edits of back in the day?
Oh my god… “Elite”. Do you know the Spanish show “Elite”?
I don’t think so.
I have a tattoo for it. It’s a Netflix Original. But I was into it for a long time.
Where did the idea for the project come from?
I’m a huge reader, and I read “The Secret History” coming into college. My co-writer/director, Lyanna, and I were talking online before coming into Emerson, and I convinced her to read “If We Were Villains,” which is another dark academia genre book.
Then into the school year, we knew Emerson Independent Video (EIV) was a thing. This was originally an EIV project, but we broke off from them. I suggested writing a TV show, and she was like, “No, I don’t want to do that.” She’s in Writing, Literature, and Publishing (WLP), so it didn’t really make sense. But we ended up writing it anyway. Then we pitched it, and it got picked up by EIV.
This is actually a secret fact that I don’t think is really public information. Like, it is if you go to Emerson, but there’s a “Glory and Gore One.” The “Glory and Gore” that’s releasing is “Glory and Gore Two,” technically. There’s an original secret cut of “Glory and Gore” that we made during our first semester sophomore year that we completely scrapped and remade second semester. That’s what we’re releasing, but there’s an original “Glory and Gore” that we scrapped for one reason or another. But yeah, we’re also really lucky to have had the opportunity to remake an entire project.
How was your experience working with a non-male crew?
Well, we did have two men on set. Our Director of Photography (DP) Harry Robinson is a man… shout out to Harry. And then Zubin Stillings. But other than that, I think our crew was over 60 people, and the ratio is very obviously female-oriented, which I’m very happy about.
I love working with women, and I feel like it’s always a great vibe. Everyone’s very supportive. In every single thing I produce, I personally prefer to work with women. Sets are so male-dominated anyway that if I can choose to lift a woman up, I will. Especially in terms of DP-ing. Obviously, Harry’s a man, but in all of my other projects, I love working with women DPs, especially because I feel DP-ing is very male-dominated. People think women can’t pick up a camera, and the camera operators are going to hold the camera while you DP it. It’s a very ostracized role for women, which didn’t really apply to “Glory and Gore” because we did have a man. That’s just my personal opinion.
Also, communication is better, especially in a project like this, where it’s directly commenting on masculinity. It helps to have that artistic conversation with someone who you’re not directly critiquing as part of the structure of the system.
Writer/Director Anna Biller has talked about the difficulties of being a female director, in that men in her crews struggle with having a woman in charge. Does that resonate with you?
For “Glory and Gore,” no, not necessarily. Like Yes, but No. In general, yes, respect is definitely a thing you have to work so hard for as a female director. People don’t really take you seriously, especially in terms of how you dress. I’ve been told on set once that I need to stop dressing how I dress because it distracts other people, by a man on the crew, when I was directing. Situations like that, where you think you’ve earned their respect because of your position, but then little slips like that show you haven’t. It sucks that it exists, and I really wish it didn’t, but things like that do happen more often than you think.
What does masculinity look like in your film?
I think that’s really interesting, and I actually love this question because it’s not like the characters are stereotypical masculine men. It’s more about the patriarchy and men as a whole. Masculinity is often about fragile masculinity. This story is about a bunch of schoolboys. They don’t necessarily match up to the superficial definition of masculinity, but it still applies.
Do you consider the film feminist, and would you like it to be perceived that way?
I would like to be perceived as a feminist. I think, at its core, the intention of the film is feminist. The film itself, yes, in a way. If you know what’s going on behind the scenes and the core of the message, yes. But at the same time, a lot of the values we didn’t get to drive home just because we didn’t get enough time. We had three weekends, and this is a proof-of-concept film, so it’s like 45 minutes. The original script was around 70 pages and was cut down to 35. But yes, definitely. I wouldn’t say that is the front and center behind the actual content of the film. But as a whole, the production and the two years we put into this, yes. I think the values behind it, yes.
What’s behind the screen is so important, and that goes back to why I wanted to talk to you in the first place. You and the rest of the crew have definitely had a voice, but it’s so important that you all DO have a voice and a platform to speak about the film, so it’s more than the all-male cast the audience sees.
I definitely think that you can tell that it’s made by women. When you watch it, the care that goes into it, the aesthetic values, you can tell that there were women behind this.
Can you go into that a little bit more? When you say it’s clear the film was made by women, what exactly does that mean to you, and what does that look like to a viewer who doesn’t know anything about what went into it?
I think there’s a lot of care and love. These men, obviously, you haven’t watched it, but each one of them feels like real people you can connect to, but they’re also just so flawed. Not a single one of them is a good person. The costuming, there’s so much care into curating these characters. Let me try to… that’s actually a good question. It’s about the male gaze versus the female gaze. This is made by women with lots of care and love into the characters, and all the men are messed up.
Your film truly serves as a masterclass in marketing on a budget. How did you do it?
Our first video went viral due to a perfect blend of Lana Del Rey’s music, women in film, good-looking men, and the dark academia theme. We knew our audience because we were part of it and identified a gap in the market. People wanted something like this, and we made it as a passion project without expecting much. It just happened to align perfectly.
Given the film’s attention, do you feel any pressure for it to perform well?
Not necessarily. I hope people appreciate it, but at the end of the day, it’s a student film. The sheer accomplishment of creating it is what matters most. People’s opinions can vary, but I’m proud of what we achieved.
What direction do you want the world of filmmaking and the culture around it to head in?
I think people should stop being scared to have fun in movies. Serious films have their place, but we need more innovative and enjoyable films that challenge conventions. Films should be good movies and a good time.
What are your favorite movies?
My top four on Letterboxd are “Y tu mamá también,” “Challengers,” “Boogie Nights,” and “Saltburn.”
Conclusion:
As a reminder, be sure to check out “Glory and Glore” on YouTube when it releases on December 6th. Stay tuned for more interviews in the near future!
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