Working with Pierluigi Basile as my production design mentor was extremely enlightening. We had worked together on Conan the Barbarian. I loved his Italian approach to life and film making. I never saw him not working, even late at night — except for at meal times.
When we were working together in Zagreb on the first Conan film, when it was lunchtime, Piero (Pierluigi’s nickname) would find a large box and then spread a red and white checkered tablecloth over it. This where we in the art department would have our wonderful lunches. Great food, great wine, great jokes, great conversation — then back to work. Piero turned me on to “misto” or “mixto” (meaning “mixture”), the habit of mixing water and wine to decrease the chances of a headache, hangover or sleepiness.
