Piero Basso, A.I.C.
Born and raised in northern Italy, Piero studied Cinema and Art Studies at the University of Turin. There, he analyzed the work of directors such as Truffaut, Kubrick, Lynch, and Wenders, and developed a deep interest in visual storytelling. He was inspired by the images of artists like Boris Kaufman, Sven Nykvist, Robbie Muller and Conrad L. Hall. He graduated with a thesis on the works of David Lynch, knowing that cinematography would be his ultimate pursuit.
Piero began building a career as a director of photography while also working as a Steadicam operator. He photographed a number of award winning films and documentaries, with some of the most interesting young directors in Italy. He quickly presented himself as a talented and fast director of photography with a strong and mature vision.
He shot 10 feature films, five with very low budgets, showing a great capacity for managing the problems of limited equipment and crew while maintaining a distinctive visual character. He has also shot many short films and documentaries. His work has been screened in major international festivals, including Cannes and Locarno, and have been awarded important prizes. He has also received international recognition, including nominations at the European Film Awards and at the David di Donatello, as well as several victories at Festivals around the globe (including Oberhausen, Edinburgh, Turin, and Huesca).
The main characteristics of Piero’s work are a strong visual personality, connected with a deep understanding of the moviemaking process, and a great capacity of adaptation to work in various and demanding conditions and with different crews. He is able to work on large productions as well as with small crews using only available and practical light.
Piero believes strongly that the work of the director of photography is to understand the facets of the vision of the director and translate the whole, with special sensitivity to creative integrity, to the silver screen.
Piero Basso is based in NYC, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He is bilingual and holds permanent residency in the U.S and European Citizenship.