We recently connected with Nico Rinciari and have shared our conversation below.

Nico, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

“Our Side” is a short film I directed in 2020 that tells the story of an African caregiver named Adillah living in Sicily. When new laws render her visa invalid, Adillah must decide between saving herself or the elderly man in her care.

The film represented something of a homecoming for me. I was born and grew up in Palermo, but left Italy to study film in the U.S. at SCAD. “Our Side” was my last university short film and brought me back to Italy to shoor this story.

It was a huge undertaking. We combined a crew of SCAD students with a crew of local residents who helped people understand why we were shutting down their streets. The entire experience was incredible, and I am grateful for everyone who made it possible.

The story was very important to get right as it was loosely based on the experiences of friend of mine. I’m so happy that the short went on to be nominated at the Student Academy Awards and a won A College Emmy.

Nico, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a director, writer, and previs artist. I currently work at DreamWorks and, independently, I’m developing my first feature film as a director.

When I was still very young, around four or five years old, I started trying to make short animated cartoons with my own stories. As I got older, I shifted into live action and decided to pursue that as a career. I was fascinated by the way movies were made and the expressive possibilities of this medium. In Italy, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to study filmmaking at a college level, so I decided to head to university in the United States to pursue my dream. It was really hard to leave Italy, but I had to make a choice between remaining in my hometown, close to my family, and pursuing my dream. Film was the only thing I wanted to do. At SCAD I found a home in the film department.

During my time in the U.S., I directed several shorts that have received numerous accolades at international film festivals and, after university, I started working as a previs artist on “Thor – Love and Thunder.” After my first role in the industry, I continued working as a previs artist for several live-action shows such as “FAST X” and “Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny.” In 2021 I joined the DreamWorks Animation Previs Team and worked on “Ruby Gillman – Teenage Kraken.” Currently I’m part of the previs team for Wild Robot, the next movie directed by Chris Sanders. Outside of my previs work, I’m currently developing my first feature as a director.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve often felt called to showcase troubled realities from a different perspective. In some ways, when I come in contact with an issue or an event that speaks to me in a personal way, I feel the need to transform it into a cinematic narrative that is able to connect with others, both on an intellectual and emotional level.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020, I was about to shoot a Proof of Concept for a TV Series that I wanted to pitch. I was deep into pre-production, but a month prior to starting principal photography, the pandemic hit.

At first, there was great confusion. I soon understood that the Covid 19 emergency would last a while, so I decided to pivot and experiment with pitch-vis. Pitchvis is the practice to create an animated version of your trailer to showcase the potential of the story. Through pitchvis, I learnt how to use software such as Unreal and improved upon my animation skills.

Soon after, I presented the pitchvis made for the project as part of the reel to be hired as a previs artist at a company called The Third Floor on “Thor – Love and Thunder.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicorinciari.com/
• Instagram: @nicorinciari
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/nicorinciari
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolarinciari

Image Credits
photo 1 and 2) Jordan Vescio photo 3 and 4) No credit