DANTEDÌ: WITH THE CANTICLE OF INFERNO AND PURGATORIO VR, THE SCAI GROUP’S ETT PRODUCTION BECOMES THE PROTAGONIST OF THE MULTIPLATFORM PROJECT CONCEIVED BY RAI CINEMA DEDICATED TO THE SUPREME POET
Dante’s House (Florence), 20 March 2023 – From 25 March, on the occasion of Dantedì, the national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri, the short film “Inferno” and the completely unreleased second chapter “Purgatorio” of “La Divina Commedia VR” will be available on RaiPlay and Rai Cinema Channel in an accessible version for the deaf and blind (in collaboration with Rai Pubblica Utilità). Therefore, the Scai Group’s ETT production will be the protagonist of the multiplatform project conceived by Rai Cinema and dedicated to the Divine Comedy to celebrate the Dantedì.
The scheduled initiatives promoted by Rai Cinema to present the two chapters of “La Divina Commedia VR”:
On Saturday, 25 March, the VR version of the two chapters (“Inferno” and “Purgatorio”) will be presented, involving, at the same time, different spaces of fruition on the national territory between Florence, Milan and Turin. In detail, from 11 am on 25 March: in Florence at the Dante’s House Museum in Via Santa Margherita 1; in Milan at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo Da Vinci, in via San Vittore 21/via Olona and in Turin at the Museo Nazionale del Cinema Mole Antonelliana, in via Montebello 20. A press conference to present the project will be held at Dante’s House in Florence. A VR corner will be set up on the sidelines to allow the public to enjoy the contents (scheduled at 11 am). Guests of the press meeting at 11.30 am: Paolo Del Brocco A.D. Rai Cinema; the Governor of the Region of Tuscany Eugenio Giani is expected to attend; Giovanni Verreschi, CEO of ETT S.p.A. SCAI Group; Adele Magnelli, creator and curator of the project, International Project Manager, ETT S.p.A. Gruppo SCAI; Carlo Rodomonti, Head of Strategic and Digital Marketing, Rai Cinema; Tullia Carlino, Head of Dante’s House Museum and Events Coordination; the director Federico Basso; Roberto Celestri, filmmaker and content creator. Journalist Raffaella Salamina will moderate.
“We are very proud,” said Giovanni Verreschi, CEO of ETT spa of Scai Group, “of the collaboration we have started with Rai Cinema, as proof of the high quality and innovativeness of the content created by ETT with the short films Inferno and Purgatorio. Two multimedia audiovisual works demonstrate how new technologies aim to support and enhance the humanistic heritage. Valuable tools to facilitate access to culture in all its forms and for all audiences. Virtual Reality thus offers a great opportunity to the spectator. In this case, a powerful introduction to the Divine Comedy can bring people closer to reading, arousing curiosity and stimulating the younger generation. A new way of discovering the work and its author from a new, interesting and extraordinarily engaging perspective. An innovative approach that, in the future, could offer us the possibility of exploring other masterpieces of literature thanks to an evocative immersive journey.”
A preview, therefore, of the linear and VR projection of the second chapter, “The Divine Comedy VR: Il Purgatorio”. Based on an idea by Adele Magnelli, the short film is written and directed by Federico Basso on a subject by Alessandro Cavallaro, who oversaw the scientific supervision and selection of the verses. The short film, lasting about eight and a half minutes, accompanied by the voice of actor Francesco Pannofino, allows the spectator to step into the shoes of the Supreme Poet and cross the threshold of Purgatory to embark on his journey. Purgatory manifests itself in all its grandeur: a rocky mountain towering in the centre of the southern hemisphere, in the ocean. Leaving Hell, the passage of time is admitted in this realm: here, dawn and dusk, day and night are known, and light is declined in all its hues. Upon entering this primordial setting, the spectator crosses the threshold of Purgatory subjectively, through Dante’s eyes: a door in the rock guarded by an angel armed with a sword. The first frame is that of the proud: souls forced by enormous boulders to gaze dimly at the ground, depicting scenes of humility and pride: stories sculpted in high reliefs prodigiously animated in a “visible speech”. The woes of the envious follow this, slumped to the ground with their eyes sewn shut and the lustful advancing dramatically into the fire of the last frame. Finally, having arrived in the Earthly Paradise, the woman who moved Dante to the journey through the first two realms appears: Beatrice. The ancient fire of love is rekindled, followed by the promise of the last stage, the Heavenly Paradise. After a painful repentance, Dante will finally be ready to extinguish the memory of all sin, now “pure and willing to ascend to the stars.” The settings have been entirely modelled, sculpted and painted in 3D. Plants, fire and water were animated based on physical parameters, with up to 100 million particles interacting in the simulations. The human figure, which becomes more central in Purgatorio than in Inferno, was decided to integrate compositing actors filmed on a green screen in scenes involving close-ups in which faces and expressions are perceived. The crowd scenes were realised by filming the real movements of actors (MOCAP: motion capture) and transferring these movements onto 3D characters. In addition, the original soundtracks are signed by Marco Morini, a work that pays special attention to sound design to enrich the viewer’s experience at 360 degrees. Furthermore, Scai Group’s ETT collaborated in realising the gaming educational path within Rai Cinema’s metaverse on The Nemesis, an entertainment platform offering innovative virtual reality experiences. ETT provided the literary consultancy for the reconstruction of the dark forest and the script for the experience in the metaverse. The gaming path – online from Thursday, 22 March – is free and accessible from desktop and mobile app. In the guise of Dante, the player will live an adventure inspired by the Divine Comedy in a unique and immersive gaming experience. As a prize, the exclusive preview of the short film “Inferno” by Federico Basso with the voice of Francesco Pannofino, the first chapter of the production “La Divina Commedia VR”. The short films “Inferno” and “Purgatorio” will also be available from 27 March on the Rai Cinema Channel VR app.