Filming for new DVD on St. Cuthman of Steyning

Mary's Dowry Productions has quite a few projects on the go at the moment. This morning was spent filming around Sompting, Sussex Downs and Steyning to acquire scenic footage for new documentary film on Saint Cuthman.

St. Cuthman was from Saxon times and we were able to discover many original Saxon churches, architecture and sculptures. In Sompting the vicar's husband let us into St. Mary's parish Church and pointed out the many Saxon parts of the building such as the tower which he explained is Saxon at the base and Norman at the top.

The doors in the church you can see used to be very tall. This was when the Knights Templars used to ride their horses into the church to pray all night vigils before leaving for the Holy Land on the Crusades. Much of the stonework was Saxon and a nice girl kindly lifted a trap door to expose a 'knights tomb'.

After filming at St. Mary's, we continued across the top of the downs and filmed the rolling hills. It was very nice to film in the summertime. Despite the windy conditions at least we were warm. Both Philip Howard and St. Edmund Campion films were shot all through winter and memories of snow and hats, gloves, scarves and a slowly turning-blue-Campion represent the making of those films to us.

St. Cuthman will be a warm summery film and our first without ending in execution and martyrdom! It will also be shot in widescreen. Many walkers and people on bikes and horses passed us along the way and there was even someone out for a country flight in their bi-plane.

The team acquires nature footage whilst out on locations for our catechetical resources such as Well Known Saints and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Beautiful interesting shots come in useful to superimpose prayers and quotes at the end of our short movies.

Over the top of the downs led us to Steyning and we managed to find the church of St. Andrew and St. Cuthman. Outside the church is a statue of St. Cuthman himself.

IInside the ancient doorway is a porch which is very hold and has a couple of Saxon coffins as well as the tomb of a King,

and a beautiful stained glass window of St. Cuthman.

All in all a very productive morning. Next week we will with our actors acquire the visuals of St. Cuthman and his mother then can start putting the documentary together ready for post-production. It looks set to be a nice summery Sussex addition to the catalogue of Mary's Dowry Productions.