The Venice Film Festival is synonymous with cinematic prestige, A-list celebrities, and banks of frantic photographers armed with massive telephoto lenses. But back in 2016, amidst the traditional paparazzi, two filmmakers disrupted the ecosystem with a camera the size of a candy bar.
Mattia Nicoletti, a Venice-based film critic of 15 years, had recently made the leap from reviewing movies to producing them. Alongside his business partner, who previously ran a film publication, he co-founded Dreamcatchers Entertainment. When the Venice Film Festival called asking for VR 360 coverage of their legendary Red Carpet, they didn't hesitate. They just didn't quite realize what they were getting into.
The 360 Breakthrough
Their early 360 coverage relied on a basic consumer camera that Mattia lovingly referred to as "a toy," saved mostly by the era's notoriously slow social media upload speeds masking the resolution.
But in 2018, everything changed. Dreamcatchers Entertainment upgraded to Insta360 ONE X.
The leap in quality was generational. Suddenly, their immersive Red Carpet footage went from a novelty to premium editorial content. The footage was so striking that RAI, Italy’s state broadcaster, purchased it for their own VR platform. Over a seven-year run, Mattia's lens captured a staggering roster of Hollywood royalty: Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro, to name just a few.
Aliens Among the Paparazzi
Shooting 360 video in a highly controlled, high-stakes environment like Venice was an entirely new frontier. Armed with an Invisible Selfie Stick, Mattia and his partner were a foreign body on the carpet. Traditional photographers, pinned to their roped-off spots, often looked at them like they were aliens—or cursed them under their breath when the 360 crew inevitably wandered into their perfectly framed shots.
But what they lost in popularity with the press pool, they made up for with absolute freedom of movement. Like war correspondents chasing the impossible shot, they bypassed the static camera banks and headed straight backstage. They navigated the dressing rooms to capture the raw anticipation of actors and directors right before they hit the theater, rushing back just in time to catch the official entrance and the roar of the applause.
Unlocking the Red Carpet
For Mattia, Insta360 ONE X wasn't just an upgrade; it was a revolution. Traditional Red Carpet coverage required fixed setups, heavy cables, and a small army of assistants. 360 meant ultimate flexibility.
Seamless Stitching & FlowState Magic
With early 360 cameras, creators lived in fear of the stitch line slicing right through a celebrity's face at the worst possible moment. ONE X's flawless stitching made this a non-issue, freeing the team to focus on the action rather than the hardware. FlowState Stabilization meant they could walk, run, and squeeze through barriers holding the stick like some sort of antenna, all while the resulting footage remained buttery smooth and almost hypnotic.
They showed up with a light backpack, capturing everything around them in a single shot and deciding later in the edit whether to focus on the actor climbing the stairs or the frantic photographer chasing after them.
The Literal "Red Carpet" Edit
The sheer portability of the gear led to one of Mattia’s favorite memories. After the live coverage wrapped and the stars drifted off to VIP receptions, Mattia and his partner didn't pack up. Instead, they stayed exactly where they were.
Literally sprawled out on the most photographed carpet in the world, laptops balanced on their knees, they raced to edit and cut the 360 footage. Surrounded by bemused security guards and straggling press, they synced audio and cut clips with the urgency of a live newsroom, sending the files directly to the Festival for immediate upload.
A Pioneering Legacy
Mattia’s team continued to work with every subsequent Insta360 model, enjoying the bumps in resolution and audio quality. But that golden era with Insta360 ONE X remains one of the most intense, fun, and pioneering chapters of their career.
Documenting a star-studded evening without cables, crews, or endless permits seemed impossible to traditional crews. But for Mattia, it just took a pocket-sized Insta360 camera, a healthy dose of recklessness, and the willingness to look like an alien for the night.
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