EWTN's The Inquisition Mini-series

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.