Marco Fargnoli

The Act

Marco Fargnoli is a native of Dayton, Ohio. He recalls an early love of going to the movies. After seeing several “making of” documentaries about Star Wars, The Towering Inferno and The French Connection, Fargnoli knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. He earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Wright State University. Everybody seemed to want to direct their scripts, so Fargnoli picked up a camera and began shooting. His interest in cinematography soared. After graduation, he moved to Chicago. His first internship was on the movie City of Hope, directed by John Sayles and photographed by Robert Richardson, ASC. That experience taught and inspired Fargnoli. He also admires the work of Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, Conrad L. Hall, ASC and Jordan Cronenweth, ASC. Fargnoli hopes to continue to do what he loves most—tell great stories with compelling images.

The Act is a short glimpse into the conflicting professional persona and personal life of stand-up comic Rosy Marconi. Pi Ware and Susan Kraker were the husband-and-wife writing and directing team on the film. Fargnoli previously worked with the couple on a low-budget feature called Solitude. The Act was produced through the Fox Searchlab Program. The production was shot in two days with approximately 70 extras. Charged with making the film look as polished and big budget as possible on a tight budget, Fargnoli focused on preproduction planning to ensure everything could be accomplished while remaining true to the story. The Act was produced in 35 mm format, because they felt the story benefited from the depth and range of a film-look. The Act also played at Sundance, AFI, and is slated for Gen Art in New York City.