Story of the DVD

Story of the making of Silence in the City

Young Christian Meditators’ Stories

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In early 2006, Judi Taylor bought me a coffee and asked me whether I’d like to make a short film about Christian Meditation. It seemed a challenge to make an engaging film for a young audience about an activity which basically involves a lot of sitting still! Intrigued, I invited some younger meditators over to dinner to brainstorm some ideas. Now, 18 months, 6 scripts, 5 hours of footage, 4 shoots and many, many hours of editing later we finally have a film; ‘Silence in the City, Young Christian Meditators’ Stories’.

Filming started in August last year, when fellow filmmaker Adrian Rostirolla and I took a camera down to a retreat that oblate Giovanni Felicioni led at the Hermitage, Mittagong. As well as interviewing Giovanni himself, we filmed some of the body and movement sessions he led. As I watched people stretch and twist, I wasn’t sure how these pictures would fit into to the structure of the film, but it somehow seemed a good idea. Sure enough, some of this footage appears at the conclusion of the film. The smiles on people’s faces are fantastic!

The next major shoot was at Paddington Uniting Church, where our group meets each Monday. The crew created a bit of a stir on Oxford Street as we shot Celia walking to church and meeting some of the others outside. Once inside the church, the atmosphere was a bit calmer, and the group patiently set up for meditation at least three times and then sat in meditation mode as we filmed from a variety of angles.

Other locations included Central Station, Centennial Park and Darling Harbour, where I meditated for 20 minutes in the midst of the weekend crowds for a ‘time lapse’ shot. In the edit suite, we squeezed the 20 minutes into 20 seconds and the contrast between my stillness and the stream of people moving is pretty effective.

In April we arrived at ‘rough cut’ stage, and we showed an early version of the film to some of the community and Father Laurence, who was in Sydney briefly. It was fantastic to get such a positive response after all the hard work. The final stages of the film production have truly been a collaboration, with musician Stephen Holgate, a meditator from Victoria, contributing some of his compositions for the score and Celia Carroll creating a beautiful DVD cover for the DVD.

A film truly comes to life when it is released far and wide to all sorts of audiences. I can’t wait for that to happen with ‘Silence in the City’, starting with the pilgrims of World Youth Day and ending with…who knows! As well as the DVD version, we will eventually make this film available online to reach as many people as possible.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the making of the film, especially Adrian Rostirolla whose hard work behind the camera and in the editing suite was indispensable. Thanks to Judi too, for that first coffee and the gentle but persuasive request.

If you would like to order a copy of the DVD, please email Joe Panetta jpanetta@energy.com.au. The cost is $10 plus P+P, with all proceeds going to the ACMC.

A short film by Claire Morgan

This short film by Claire Morgan explores the importance of Christian Meditation in the lives of a group of young people who meet to meditate in the busy heart of Sydney, Australia. Claire and fellow meditator John Shields tell their own stories, while Celia Carroll introduces the group and brings to life the history of this ancient form of Christian prayer. Blending movement and music with silence and space, the film draws viewers into what meditation teacher Giovanni Felicioni describes as ‘the moment of Christ’.

The young today often feel the pressures and fears of modern life very intensely even as they sense the great potential within themselves and hold out hope for our world. This film, with its powerful witness from young Christian meditators, situates these issues in a spiritual and faith context. Laurence Freeman OSB, Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation

Writer & Director             Claire Morgan
DOP & Editor                Adrian Rostirolla

A production of the Australian Christian Meditation  Community     
For further information about the film visit www.christianmeditationaustralia.org
To order copies of the DVD email Joe Panetta: jpanetta@energy.com.au

Duration:     10 mins 35 secs
Language:   English
Rating:        suitable for all ages
Aspect ratio:16:9
System:        PAL
DVD Region: all regions

© Australian Christian Meditation Community, 2008
DVD logo                                                                                  Design by Celia Carroll