Rome and Italy- on location
update
Myself with Cameraman/Editor Michal Benko |
As I
mentioned in my 12th of April post we are now in the production phase of a new
docudrama mini-series on the Inquisition. This will cover all the Inquisitions
and not just the Spanish.
Last month
we were shooting in Rome where I had the honour to interview a prominent
Cardinal; more about this closer to the screening date. It was also wonderful
to be able to film around Rome and in some of her most famous churches.
With second camera/technician Pavol Kadlecik |
While in
Rome we had the good fortune to be looked after by EWTN Rome bureau. This
office exists to work on EWTN's Rome programmes and help organise filming for
EWTN's broadcasts from Rome. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
them for their help with locations and contacts during our film there last
month, in particular Alan Holdren, the Rome bureau's chief, whose Vaticano
programmes regularly go out on EWTN.
Alan Holdren of EWTN's Vaticano |
After Rome
we travelled through the Italian countryside northwards to film the beautiful
hilltop towns and lakes as we drove through the spectacular Appian mountains to
Assisi. I wanted to stress how friars like the Franciscans and Dominicans,
although espousing a simpler way of Christian life, were always loyal to the
Church.
Filming in Florence |
At the
weekend we stayed at the Institute of Christ the King’s seminary at Gricigliano
near Florence and took the opportunity to film for an afternoon around the
city.
Renovation
work at Gricigliano
|
After this
we travelled to Venice to film around the city on the sea. This included a
morning chugging around the canals on their Vaporettos, which are public
transport water buses, filming whatever we might be able to use to accompany
our Venetian Inquisition sequence.
The next shoot will be in the UK and France
starting the end of this month. In the UK shoot we will have three days of
filming the drama sequences, and there will be one more drama filming session
in Slovakia. Also in the UK we will be filming most of the interviews with the
historians as the academic year will have ended and they will have some free
time.