Born August 10 1957 in Milano, Italy. he studies to become a primary school teacher but soon realizes not to have the kind of "missionary push" necessary for such a profession. in 1976 he starts working as assistant photographer for Oliviero Toscani. But he soon grows bored of the repetitive and shallow world of fashion and in early ’78 he starts working as “film-kameramann” for the Swiss Television. An Eclaire NPR and reversal film stock become his learning tools and he starts covering anything from local news to sport events, from nature documentaries to socio-political reportages around the world.In April 1981 attends a Steadicam workshop held by Garrett Brown in Monterey, Ca.
this is Nicola's 1997 demo tape that helped him land Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, since then his body of work has increased but his personality is the same
He immediately falls in love with the possibilities offered by this extraordinary, revolutionary instrument (at the time still quite primitive and full of promising possibilities).
By September of the same year he attends another workshop, purchases his first Steadicam and leaves the Swiss Television to embark on the exciting new adventure of feature films.
Since then he has taught more than 25 Steadicam Workshops around the world, co-founded with Garrett Brown the Steadicam Operator Association and actively participated in the research and experimentation that led to all those technological and lechnical achievements that made the Steadicam an essential tool for telling stories on Film.
For many years he finds himself in the very fortunate position of being one of the few “reliable” Steadicam owner/operators in Europe giving him the fantastic opportunity of working with a very large number of filmmakers and experiencing a very large spectrum of styles, techniques, attitudes and philosophies.
Throughout the years Nicola moved from “plain” Steadicam operator to A camera operator and more and more often performed duties as cinematographer.
In 1995 his friend Tommy Schlamme forces him ( with the help of some cheese,fresh figs and abundant red wine) to become a cinematographer on his next project, the Tracey Ullmann new show for HBO : Tracey Takes On.
From that experience Nicola became addicted and could not go back to a life without responsibilities...
Filmography as Camera/Steadicam operator (television not listed)
1982
La Segnorina dir.Pasquale Squitieri
Il Commissionario dir.Florestano Vancini
Avventura a Campo De’ Fiori dir.Luigi Magni
Live dir. Bruno Bigoni, Kiko Stella
Neil Young in Berlin dir. Michael Lindsay Hogg
1983
Claretta dir.Pasquale Squitieri dop Eugenio Bentivoglio
E Lui E’ Peggio di Me dir.Enrico Oldoini dop Sandro D’Eva
Grand Hotel Excelsior dir.Castellano dop Danilo Desideri
Phenomena (aka Creepers) dir.Dario Argento dop Romano Albani
LadyHawke dir.Richard Donner dop Vittorio Storaro
Simon & Garfunkel Reunion World Tour dir. Randy Cohen 48 shows: July - Sept. First ever concert with giant tv screens on side of stage. 4 cameras: one of which a Steadicam on stage
1984
Un Delitto dir.Salvatore Nocita dop Blasco Giurato
Rosso di Sera dir.Kiko Stella dop Renato Tafuri
Survivors: the Blues today dir.Cork Marcheschi dop Eric Young
1985
La Piovra II dir.Florestano Vancini dop Nino Celeste
Sotto il Vestito Niente dir.Carlo Vanzina dop Beppe Maccari
Olga e i suoi figli dir.Salvatore Nocita
Minaccia D’Amore dir.Ruggero Deodato dop Renato Tafuri
Ishtar dir.Elaine May dop Vittorio Storaro
1986
Opera dir.Dario Argento dop Ronnie Taylor also 2nd Unit cinematographer
Via Montenapoleone dir.Carlo Vanzina dop Luigi Kuveiller
Nasty Hero dir.Nick Barwood dop Oliver Wood
The Last Emperor dir.Bernardo Bertolucci dop Vittorio Storaro
1987
Rent A Cop dir.Jerry London dop Giuseppe Rotunno
Miss Firecracker dir.Tommy Schlamme dop Arthur Albert
La Chiesa dir.Michele Soavi dop Renato Tafuri
La Partita (The Gamble) dir.Carlo Vanzina dop Luigi Kuveiller also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
1988
la Piovra IV dir.Luigi Perelli dop Nino Celeste
Mery per Sempre dir.Marco Risi dop Mauro Marchetti
Tempo di Uccidere dir.Giuliano Montaldo dop Blasco Giurato
La Condanna dir.Marco Bellocchio dop Giuseppe Lanci
Bye Bye Little Riding Hood dir.Marta Meszaros dop Thomas Vamos
Il Sole Anche di Notte dir.Paolo e Vittorio Taviani dop Giuseppe Lanci
The Comfort of Strangers dir.Paul Schrader dop Dante Spinotti
1989
Max & Jeremie dir.Claire Devers dop Bruno de Keyzer
Donna d’onore dir.Stuart Margolin dop Ennio Guarnieri
Stanno Tutti Bene dir.Giuseppe Tornatore dop Blasco Giurato
Nel Nome del Popolo Sovrano dir.Luigi Magni dop Giuseppe Lanci
Verso Sera dir.Kiko Stella dop Renato Tafuri
La Villa Del Venerdì dir.Mauro Bolognini dop Giuseppe Lanci
The King’s Whore dir.Axel Corti dop Gernott Roll
Two Evil Eyes dir.Dario Argento dop Beppe Maccari also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
1990
The Sheltering Sky dir.Bernardo Bertolucci dop Vittorio Storaro
La Setta dir.Michele Soavi dop Raffaele Mertes
Back In The USSR dir.Deran Sarafian dop Yuri Neiman
The Inner Circle dir.Andrei Konchalovskij dop Ennio Guarnieri
The Doors dir.Oliver Stone dop Robert Richardson as 2nd Unit cinematographer
1991
Piedipiatti dir.Carlo Vanzina dop Luigi Kuveiller
The Sleepless Eye dir.Massimo Mazzucco dop Vincenzo Marano
Bitter Moon dir.Roman Polanski dop Tonino Delli Colli
Nel Continente Nero dir.Marco Risi dop Mauro Marchetti
La Soif De l’Or dir.Gerard Oury dop Tonino Delli Colli
1992
Cliffhanger dir.Renny Harlin dop Alex Thompson also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
1993
Profil Bas dir.Claude Zidi dop Francois Catonné
La Cite De La Peur dir.Alain Berberian dop Laurant Daillian
Mario Und Der Zauberer dir.Klaus Maria Brandauer dop Lajos Koltai
Little Buddha dir.Bernardo Bertolucci dop Vittorio Storaro also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
Only You dir.Norman Jewison dop Sven Niqvist also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
1994
The Death And The Maiden dir.Roman Polanski dop Tonino Delli Colli also 2nd Unit cinematographer
KingFish dir.Thomas Schlamme dop Alexander Gruszinskij
French Kiss dir.Lawrence Kasdan dop Owen Roizman
Cutthoat Island dir.Renny Harlin dop Oliver Wood & Peter Levy
1995
The American President dir.Rob Reiner dop John Seale
Stealing Beauty dir.Bernardo Bertolucci dop Darius Khondj also 2nd Unit Director/cinematographer
1996
Beverly Hills Ninja dir.Dennis Dugan dop Arthur Albert
1997
Bulworth dir.Warren Beatty dop Vittorio Storaro