Marianna Aloisio is one of the many promising Seniors of the UMKC Film department that is bound to take the world of cinema by storm. Many people that know her know she's essentially a walking encyclopedia for films of various themes and styles, as well as different time periods and from various countries. These film inspirations have helped her form a well rounded and unique voice within her line of work.
She aspires to be a writer, analyzing film for a living. Being remarkably cultivated, with her experience in writing and directing, Aloisio's writing provides a unique perspective on film, from camera work to writing quality.
To get her opinion on today's filmmaking and where it's headed, I was able to sit down with her and have her answer a couple of questions:
1) I know you've had a love for film almost all your life, but what got you into writing about film?
It started with Roger Ebert. I watched a lot of Ebert & Roeper on weekends as a kid - exciting life - and was beginning to understand that movies were more than entertainment to some. As I got older I checked out a lot of books that spoke either academically or critically about film and thought, "Hey, I like that, I could do that". From there I branched out to Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, Molly Haskell and the like. Even though I had an intense interest, the idea didn't come into full fruition until my later college years. Dr. Tom Poe and former TCM host Robert Osborne helped me understand that there is validity and an importance in having a career in criticism. You're preserving and continuing history and giving readers the ability to expand their cinematic horizons.
2) Whats the major criteria you look for in the writing or camera work in a film? What impresses you?
Of course it's not always the same criteria, it depends on the film movement, on the director, on writers, on the country and what I know about the director/writer/actors/etc., but there is a set of common criterion. Frequently character motivations and how they drive the plot are important for Hollywood narrative features. What do characters want? What do they need? Why do they do what they do? How do they interact with other characters? Originality isn't always needed, but it's always nice to have. Films should be a good mix between trope and original ideas. Acting styles can differ from film to film, but what's most important is how the stakes are raised as the story progresses. Then we look at formal techniques - what's the lighting/costumes/production design - what us fancies call 'mise en scene' - like and what is it communicating to us? What about the shot proximity? What's the cinematography up to? Outside of writing and technique, some critics look at films or a collective of films through set theories (i.e. semiotics, queer theory, feminist theory, etc.). As far as being subjective and finding things I'm impressed by, I like colorful films. I'm a sucker for three-strip Technicolor films. I love anything that makes me think deeply or social commentaries. And who doesn't love Hepburn-Grant quick cracking scripts?
3) What are your biggest inspirations, director or movie wise, as a filmmaker? and why?
I wrote, directed, and edited a short this past spring and made a somewhat lookbook of how I wanted it to look and feel. In it I stuck in images from Czech New Wave films I love - mostly from Valerie and Her Week of Wonders and Daisies - alongside screen captures from The Brady Bunch. I take inspiration from wherever I can get it, but am more inclined to films about women and girls (especially the film Suspiria and films by Mario Bava, I quickly learned about myself), usually directed or written by women. Agnes Varda, Shirley Jackson, Flannery O'Connor, Angela Carter, Sofia Coppola, among others, are filmmakers and writers I aspire to be. Many who know me often associate me with my adoration of the French New Wave, so there's no way I'm not inspired by films of that time. I'm not sure if I can explain how I'm inspired by all of these sources. Each has a style and sense of uniqueness to them that I can relate to and try to recreate with my touch.
4) Being so well-rounded with movies from different time periods, do you personally believe screenwriters today are doing better representing people of diverse races, genders, or sexual orientations?
I would say "better" is the best term. This is not to ignore a very good round-up of films over the years that have tackled hard subjects appropriately. However, as many of us know, films that cater to majority groups usually get more canon and awards buzz. Go to IMDb right now and check out the Top 250 list and look at what people are voting on. How many films in that list are not lead by or directed and written by white guys? Luckily, we've got a big push for representation that has generated over the past few years and the phoenix rising from the ashes from ongoing sexual harassment and assault allegations in Hollywood is that people are finally looking at women and turning to what they make.
5) What has been the most poorly written film made this year? And why?
I know it's considered "the hipster-cool thing to do", but the last few Marvel films I've seen (Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spiderman: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok) have been poor. Marvel has found a formula for their scripts and some of their film-making techniques and they're sticking with it. Guardians had to be the worst of the three, extremely murky and poor motivations on part of most characters, a hard attempt to make audiences laugh and awe at the CGI effects instead of connecting them to the story, extremely trope-y and formulaic plot setting. Similar problems came from Blade Runner 2049, which was a big let-down for me. A lot of rumble has been happening in the film community because of this one, mostly regarding representations, development, and treatment of women characters. I'm in the camp of agreeing that Ridley Scott and Denis Villenueve took a step back in the wrong direction. If you thought Marvel characters were paper thin, check out the latest Blade Runner.
6) What are some recently made films or series that have great gender and racial representation?
Mustang, Persepolis, Moonlight, Fish Tank, Band de filles - I'm seeing Lady Bird and Mudbound very soon, but hear they are both great as films and for representation. I was recently wowed by The Florida Project (dealing with poverty and class struggles through a child's eyes) and will always and forever be wowed by Do the Right Thing. It might have been released in 1989, but it's just as relevant today, as well as being decidedly one of the best films ever made.
If you want to hear her opinion on other recent films, she currently publishes her contributions on the film site Letterboxd.com.
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