Copyright Š 2015 by Eric Howell All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Photography by Philippe Antonello Book design and production by Jack Dalke Editing by Gary Lundgren Printed in the United States of America
Jostens Publishing 3601 Minesota Drive Minneapolis, MN 55435 First Printing, 2015 ISBN 0-9000000-0-0 www.voicefromthestone.com
Dedication To our families, lovers of film, and to all mothers.
- DIRECTOR’S NOTE -
V
oice from the Stone came to me as a script
film. Emilia Clarke quickly became the heart of
that screamed to be read under a blanket
the project for exactly those reasons. The cast
with a flashlight. It played like a Hitchcock
around her provided the soul. Our set mensch was
fairy tale set in a far away land with enigmatic
Marton Csokas, a man in every sense of the word
characters and a ghostly antagonist. It was
with a quiet storm of talent. Caterina Murino had
filled with compelling visual and thematic
the fewest days on set, but our excitement around
contradictions - primarily the notion that stone
her arrival on those days was topped only by her
serves as a conduit for love and passion. Water
casual, focused, and generous poise. The indelible
& stone, life & death, melody & dissonance play
Lisa Gastoni and Remo Gerone gave a calm and
throughout the story in a way I’d never seen,
graceful stability that only experience can. And
and serve as a backdrop to the journey of a
our Jakob played by newcomer Edward Dring
heartbroken protagonist.
brought a child’s mind to every moment.
Verena (Emilia Clarke) is a nurse who moves from
As filmmakers we start with professionalism and
wounded child to wounded child, finding intimate
a hope to find something more personal. This
connections that can never last. Our story begins
became very personal for everyone at the table.
when she arrives to help a bereaved boy Jakob
The natural walls of protection quickly came
(Edward Dring) living in a beautiful Tuscan
down with Emilia, and I had the extreme
castle with his father (Marton Csokas). She is a
pleasure of experiencing her unbelievable
contradiction between a selfless desire to help
(and sometimes unrepeatable) humor, her
Jakob, and a greedy yearning to fill the void left by
vulnerability, passion, and extraordinary work
his deceased mother, Malvina (Caterina Murino).
ethic. Marton seemed to be an immediate relative.
Verena slowly discovers that Malvina is a woman
He is a man who does his homework and pushed
who refuses to leave her child, even after death.
me to go beyond my comfort zone and caused
To play Verena we needed a skilled actor and bold collaborator willing to tell a classic, quiet story that lives just outside of a straight genre
amazing discoveries. The photos here highlight them both as my creative anchors and give a glimpse of how our entire cast and crew rallied to make a beautiful film.
THE EXACT MOMENT WE FOUND OUT IF EMILIA COULD ACTUALLY SWIM, AND THE FINAL SHOT OF PRODUCTION.
A L WA Y S T H I N K I N G . O R S L E E P I N G . L I K E L Y B O T H .
M U S I C A N D S O U N D P L AY A L E A D I N G R O L E I N T H I S S T O R Y A B O U T A D E C E A S E D P I A N I S T AND THE HAUNTING SOUNDS OF A CASTLE.
C A S T E L L O D I C E L S A R I S I N G T O T H E S K Y.
WA T E R A N D S T O N E .
T H I S I S W H AT O V E R T I M E L O O K S L I K E .
The beauty of working on this kind of film with a small cast is that everything is so intimate. Eric had the desire to really create it as an ensemble piece, and I loved that. As an actor, it gave me freedom and confidence, which is what you need to play someone like Verena. - Emilia
Vo i c e F r o m T h e S t o n e w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t m a g i c a l e x p e r i e n c e s I have had on a film set. — Emilia
O
ur inspired script lured me in from
and putting on her shoes took me to many
the first read and from then on I was
sides of my craft that had until that point been
hooked, soon after I met Eric, our fearless and
unexplored, and I relished the opportunity,
supremely talented director, along with our
Waking with a smile upon my face as the start
incredible producing team, Dean and Stefano.
of each new work day. Martin, Eddie, Lisa and
These three had been attached to the script
Remo made this journey all the more moving,
for nearly 5 years, and their love, commitment
playful and a memory I will hold dear for many
and support took our beautiful, spine tingling,
years to come.
suspenseful, story from the pages I had read to the hills of Tuscany, and straight to the hearts of our cast and crew.
Voice From The Stone is a story that will bring you in and hold you close, place you tentatively on the edge of your seats and then force you
The character of Vernea spoke to me from the
to question the very reality you have come to
beginning, and the joy of delving into her mind
believe is real.
PEACE
MARTON AND I DISCUSS WINE WHILE THE OTHERS WORK.
A L L I N T E R I O R S W E R E F I L M E D AT M O N T E C A L V E L L O C A S T E L L O , H O M E O F T H E L AT E A R T I S T B A L T H U S .
The film for me is a psychological matrix of grief. It explores what happens when Death and Loss visit our lives, when the existential fabric is ripped, along with our hearts, our psyches; and so we must swim in the blood of both sorrow and the alchemical ecstacy of transformation.
— Marton
M A R T O N A N D E M I L I A B O T H H AV E S U C H A C L A S S I C A P P E A L .
COSTUME DESIGNER ANNA LOMBARDI LANDED ON A CLASSICAL, BRITISH-INSPIRED SENSE OF ELEGANCE W H I C H W O U L D S L O W L Y E M E R G E W I T H T H E U N F O L D I N G O F T H E S T O R Y.
Anna uses fabrics to provide shelter or express a sense of comfort. If Marton’s character needed to look shielded, then she would add a layer of fabric. During scenes where he is in a more relaxed and comfortable mental state, the textures would smooth out and suits would look more refined with sharper cuts.
THE MALVINA ROLE HAUNTED ME PERSONALLY AS MUCH AS SHE HAUNTED THE CASTLE AND JACOB’S LIFE. I T H I N K S H E W I L L A L WAY S W I L L . — C A T E R I N A
- PORTRAIT OF MALVINA -
O
ne of Malvina’s prominent costumes is an
Given timing constraints, this particular dress could
elegant black dress. A key point of direction for
not be created from scratch, so she turned to Dolce &
Anna Lombardi was that this dress needed to have
Gabbana who provided a dress that perfectly matched
the ability to have some movement, even if the actual
the initial design and direction for this costume.
scene is still. Knowing that this specific evening dress was going to be visually displayed in black and white, the color palette for this gown was naturally set. Anna’s designs, shown here, consisted of a combination between graphic contrasts and ethereal layers brought to life with black and white tulles.
“D&G collections have consistently drawn from 1950s Italian Style. Having some of their pieces was a good chance to mix in some contemporary fashion elements.” — Costume Designer Anna Lombardi
A N N A’ S E A R L Y S K E T C H E S A N D F I N A L D R E S S .
M Y T W O - Y E A R - O L D S O N G I O VA N N I J O S E P H H I T T I N G H I S M A R K .
C A S T E L L O D I C E L S A , O U R G R A C I O U S T U S C A N H O S T.
W O R K & P L AY
W E W A N T E D T O S H O W T H E D A R K U N D E R B E L L Y O F T U S C A N Y, A P L A C E S O O F T E N S E E N A S B R I G H T A N D C H E E R Y.
T H E L E V E L O F A R T I S T R Y A N D C R A F T S M A N S H I P I N I TA L Y I S U N L I K E A N Y O T H E R P L A C E I ’ V E E X P E R I E N C E D .
S M I L I N G P R O D U C E R S M A K E F O R A G O O D D AY. W E H A D M A N Y.
PA S S I O N , P R E C I S I O N , A N D A P R O P E R C I G A R .
A PA G E T O R N F R O M A N N A L O M B A R D I ’ S S C R I P T. H E R F I R S T I N S T I N C T S W E R E O F T E N P E R F E C T.
I T A L I A N H E A D S E T S H AV E B E E N K N O W N T O S T R A N G L E D I R E C T O R S .
A G A F F E R ’ S P E T.
V I N TA G E M A L V I N A C O N C E R T P O S T E R C R E AT E D B Y O U R G R A P H I C S T E A M .
C O N T E M P L AT I O N & FAT I G U E
- VERENA PICNIC -
T
his is a really short scene in the movie but it
wide stripes and gingham fabrics I’d see in pictures
represents one of the first moments of relaxed
and felt it would give the outfit a contemporary fashion
companionship between Verena and Jakob. I thought
feeling. My assistant and I gasped when we found
that it would have looked nice to have a “graphic” outfit
this vintage skirt in the costume house. The rest of
to stand out in the natural settings of the scene. When
the outfit was then easy to put together using original
I started researching I was pleased to find out that
knitwear pieces. Emilia loved this outfit and was her
graphic patterns were widely used in the ’50s for casual
favourite after the “cornflower” dress.
occasions such as a picnic. I loved the boldness of the
— Costume Designer Anna Lombardi
O R I G I N A L S K E T C H A N D I N S P I R AT I O N S .
E M I L I A I S I N E V E R Y S C E N E O F T H E F I L M , M A K I N G F O R L O N G D AY S O F W O R K . T H I S W A S O N E O F H E R F A V O R I T E D A Y S , B E C A U S E A L L O F H E R S C E N E S W E R E F I L M E D W H I L E S H E WA S I N B E D .
GRACE & BEAUTY
T W O I M P O R TA N T A N D L O V E L Y W O M E N . C A R L A A N D G E O R G I A , K E E P I N G T H I N G S S T R A I G H T.
M U C H O F F I L M M A K I N G I S A B O U T L I F T I N G H E AV Y T H I N G S .
LA VOCE DELLA PIETRA AUTHOR SILVIO RAFFO.
S O M E P E O P L E ’ S F E E T T O U C H T H E G R O U N D . E M I L I A F L O AT S .
DORMONO.
She goes in thinking that Jakob is going to be like every other child she has worked with, but he is not. There are all these unnerving elements to him and to the house he lives in that begin to make her question everything — Emilia
ONE OF THE KINDEST GENTLEMAN I’VE EVER KNOWN, REMO GIRONE.
At it’s center it is about how people deal with loss and that taps into something truly universal. When the veil between life and death is ripped, things can get very crazy, and this script deals with an aspect of that in a very suspenseful way. - Marton
UN MAESTRO SILENZIOSO
B L A C K B E R RY U S E R S D E A N Z A N U C K & S T E FA N O G A L L I N I - D U R A N T E . ( A S K Y O U R PA R E N T S W H AT T H I S M E A N S . )
UN MAESTRO DEL SUONO.
A SCENE VERY MUCH INSPIRED BY HITCHCOCK’S VERTIGO.
O N L Y O N E D AY O F G R E E N S C R E E N F O R O U R F I L M , T H A N K F U L L Y.
PA S S I O N E I TA L I A N A .
O F F I C I E N T E S T, O D E T R AT E M P O R R O V I D I S S I T E T E L I T E X E R AT I A E V O L O R A D E T Q U A M ,
- KLAUS STUDIO -
T
his is one of the most important sets of the film.
Artistically, I come from the Academy of Fine Arts
It is a place where Klaus lives most of his time
of Carrara, a city that is world-renowned for its
trying to get inspiration, but because the loss of his
marble and sculpture laboratories. It was very easy
wife Malvina and the mutism of his son Jakob, the
for me recreate that familiar world: the dust from
studio has become a dark refuge. It is also the place
white marble that covered tables, tools, furniture
where Klaus recovers his artistic verve, sculpting, and
and statues, the sunny shafts of light created by the
finally completes an unfinished statue of Malvina,
dust while the sculptors are working, the beautiful
using Verena’s features.
and detailed molds with different expressions on
In accordance with Eric’s vision I thought to create a studio that’s more than a simple sculptor’s studio: it’s a place where Klause keeps and conserves tools, crates, books, old frames, every kind of personal item, lamps, mirrors, even barrels. The studio has the look of a garage and a semi-abandoned artist’s studio, mixed together.
their faces, anatomic parts of human body hanging everywhere on the wall and, naturally, hundreds of statues of different shapes and sizes from ancient figures to contemporary ones, each mounted on their own tripod. Working on this movie was like jumping back to my youth and that artistic world I experienced. — Production Designer Davide De Stefano
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E D D I E I S W I S E WAY B E Y O N D H I S Y E A R S , A N D H I S P E R F O R M A N C E B R O U G H T O U T O N E O F T H E M O S T B E A U T I F U L E L E M E N T S T O T H I S S T O R Y: A B O Y ’ S N E E D F O R M AT E R N A L L O V E . - E M I L I A
I see Verena throughout the film as being in a fight between the professionalism her head is telling her to maintain and what her heart unexpectedly wants. - Emilia
They were excited to create something that is as beautiful as it is haunting, as emotionally volatile as it suspenseful. I saw it as a kind of Hitchcockian fairy tale or a Merchant Ivory ghost story. I love stories that live in that space between worlds - EDH
O U R P E R S O N A M O M E N T.
AS THE STORY CONTINUES, THE SHADOW OF JACOB’S DEAD MOTHER, MALVINA, BEGINS TO CONSUME VERENA. - EMILIA
Martin is a supreme pro and collaborator in every sense of the word. He came in so prepared, and with such an open heart and open mind. Even in the most sensitive scenes, he really put me at ease. - Emilia
O U R F I R S T D A Y O F P R O D U C T I O N WA S I N A G R AV E T H A T T U R N E D O U T T O B E A G O O D O M E N .
F O R Z A I TA L I A N O
BRIDGES IN TUSCANY ARE GUARDED BY TROLLS.
He’s been trying to connect with Malvina again through his work, to evoke her spirit in his sculpture. He is a rational man, but I think if he felt he could bring Malvina back for just one kiss, just one conversation, he would do whatever he had to do. - Marton
T O L I V E H E R E , T O M A K E M Y F I R S T F E AT U R E F I L M H E R E , I S A N A B S O L U T E D R E A M . - E D H
T H E R E WA S S U C H A F E E L I N G O F E N T H U S I A S M T H AT E V E R Y O N E B R O U G H T T O T H E I R W O R K . A V E R Y A R T I S T I C V I B E T H A T M A D E I T A L WAY S S A T I S F Y I N G - R E M O
EMILIA TRIPTYCH
I D O N ’ T T H I N K T H E P U B L I C K N O W S Y E T J U S T H O W TA L E N T E D S H E I S . - E D H
I try to think of a time before this. But the past is a dream from which we wake with each new morning. We are none of us quite who we were. - Excerpt from script by Andrew Shaw