Nuno Bernardo: How Is a Film Made?

Spotify

Creating a film is a lengthy, complex and deeply collective process. For filmmaker and writer Nuno Bernardo, the origin of a cinematic work rarely arises from a single idea. On the contrary, it is born from the accumulation of small thoughts, images, loose notes and everyday situations that are stored over time, until they eventually take shape.

It is within this “trunk of ideas” that many of his projects begin. Some ideas are lost, others remain and end up coming together, giving rise to the “skeleton of a story”.

It was in this way that A Pianista was born, his most recent feature film. The film results from the combination of two distinct ideas: taking a piano to a place without music and the possibility of bringing back someone close to us who has already passed away. These two ideas ultimately merged into a single narrative – the story of a former pianist who, while dealing with the death of her husband, finds in music a way to confront grief.

After the idea comes the writing of the screenplay and the most uncertain stage of the process: the search for funding. In Portugal, explains Nuno Bernardo, many projects fall by the wayside due to a lack of support. When a film is approved, a long period of pre-production begins, which can last more than a year and a half, during which scripts are refined, the cast is selected, filming locations are defined and all the necessary logistics are prepared. This is followed by filming and, subsequently, post-production, which in turn involves months of editing and assembly until the film is ready to be presented to distributors and, finally, to the public. In total, between the initial idea and the theatrical release, the process can take around four years.

The budgetary constraints of Portuguese cinema are a constant reality. Funding rarely exceeds one million euros without international support, which immediately forces creators to limit their creative ambitions.

Despite this, the lecturer of the Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia at Lusófona University - Porto University Centre argues that cinema is, above all, a team effort. Collaboration between the director, director of photography, actors and technicians is essential to the final result.

In Nuno Bernardo’s view, the University plays a fundamental role in preparing future professionals for teamwork, a central requirement of cinema, where it is necessary to work with dozens of people, manage conflicts and collaborate effectively.

By combining practical experience with academic reflection, the filmmaker made it clear that the future of cinema depends on persistence, experimentation and the courage of a new generation to tell their stories, and that creating a film is a process shaped by time and collaboration.

Credits

Production
Catarina Machado
Susana A. Oliveira

Report
Bruna Pereira
Catarina Machado

Image
Catarina Machado
Gabriel Motta
Lara Sousa
Paulo Renato

Editing
Paulo Renato

Text
Bruna Pereira