High Definition Stock Footage of Rome, the Vatican, St. Peter's, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and the Isle of Capri

We have extensive High Definition (HD 1080i NTSC)
footage of Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii,
Herculaneum, and the Isle of Capri,
including a large assortment of 3 minute
HD Background Plates, all filmed in Italy,
for use with green screen and ChromaKey.

All of this HD footage can be downconverted
to NTSC Standard Definition 16 x 9.

VITA Digital Productions was the creator of this video footage and owns the copyright thereto.
We license our footage on a per-use basis.

We have 20 hours of 1080i HD footage of Rome, the Amalfi Coast,
Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ravello, Amalfi, Viterbo, the Isle of Capri,
and Sorrento, all shot in May and June of 2005.

Shot with the new Sony FX1 High Definition Television Camera, a Sony
Wide-Angle Lens, and a Manfrotto tripod and fluid head, we have the most
extensive new NTSC 1080i HD footage available.

In Rome, we shot extensive footage of the Vatican, St. Peter's Square,
the Egyptian Obelisk erected by Nero along with the two fountains designed by Bernini.

In addition, we captured numerous shots of the exterior of St. Peter's, including
shots of the Papal Apartment, now used by Pope Benedict XVI,
and the thousands of pilgrims from around the world who flock to see him.

We shot close-ups of the West Ponente marker at the foot of the Egyptian Obelisk,
made famous by Dan Brown in his bestseller, "Angels and Demons."

We have HD footage of the Swiss Guard, in their colorful uniforms.

We also shot extensive HD footage inside of the Vatican including
the magnificent dome designed by Michaelangelo.

We have footage of Michaelangelo's "La Pieta," which greets visitors to St. Peter's Basilica.

We have detailed High Def footage of Bernini's High Altar which dominates
the interior of St. Peter's.

We shot numerous close-ups and details of Bernini's High Altar in the
center of St. Peter's.

We also focused on Bernini's work in Rome. We shot all 12 Breezy Maniacs
on the Ponte San Angelo.

Bernini's Breezy Maniacs present a photographic challenge, because no matter
when you shoot them, half of them have the sun behind them.

Consequently, we had to make several trips to the bridge in front of Castel San Angelo
in order to shoot Bernini's famous Breezy Maniacs.

But we were able to shoot numerous close-ups, pull-backs, zoom ins, and static shots
of Bernini's famous statues.

In Piazza Navona, we shot Bernini's famous "Fountain of Four Rivers."

Dan Brown's book, "Angels and Demons," uses the Fontana de Quarto Fumi
as a murder site involving a Cardinal.

In fact, we have HD footage of most of the sites and statues referenced by
Dan Brown in his "Angels and Demons."

But we also have the typical Rome sites, such as the Pantheon
with its incredible dome and tomb of Raphael.

HD footage of the ancient Roman Forum.

- About VITA Digital Productions -

Coliseum Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

Kathi and I established VITA Digital Productions in 2000 with one idea in mind: to produce our own high-quality specialty market European Travel Videos. Our original concept was to film Virtual Walks through some of Europe's most beautiful cities. Using Steadicam^TM camera stabilization equipment, we are able to film these virtual walks while actually walking through streets, up steps, around corners, while the camera seems to float.

Our Virtual Walk videos and DVDs are designed to be watched by people while exercising on their treadmill, Nordic Track, TreadClimber, Elliptical Trainer, Stepper, Stair Climber, or stationary exercise bike. Our hope was to make the time spent exercising fun and interesting by viewing our Treadmill Virtual Walks while getting a good cardio workout.

Kathi and I believed that these Virtual Walk DVDs could motivate people to utilize their exercise equipment more frequently by providing them with interesting video and audio to view while exercising. But you never know if an idea that sounds reasonable to you will actually be accepted by others - you just have to hope it will. With that in mind, Kathi and I proceeded to file the articles of incorporation with our state and we also started investigating what equipment to purchase for our new company.

Venice Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

With my 25 year background in television production and with our newly purchased professional equipment, Kathi and I flew to Venice in April of 2001 for our first shoot. Awake and on the streets by 7 AM most days, we not only shot our virtual walks but we also shot more traditional travel video footage using a tripod.

Our plan was to sell this traditional footage in a series of videos which we would call Europe Travel Videos. Both series were to be sold by websites on the Internet. We shot Treadmill Virtual Walks through the crowded streets and alleyways of Venice, and on the nearby islands of Burano, Murano, and Torcello. Kathi and I had chosen Venice to be our first project because of our love of the city and its unique locale - and because I had proposed to Kathi here in 1999. Our second trip to Venice did not disappoint us - it is truly a magic city. Leaving Venice exhausted after 10 days of shooting, we flew home and rested.

Royal Ascot Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

A month later we flew to London to shoot for 2 weeks. Kathi had booked a converted carriage house on the outskirts of London for our stay. It was perfect for our needs - a large bedroom with flower bedecked balcony upstairs and a full kitchen downstairs.

I had promised Kathi we wouldn't work as hard as we had in Venice. I promised her that any days it rained would be our "rest" days. It didn't rain a single day during the two weeks we were in London!

We had the singular opportunity to film the Queen's arrival at Royal Ascot. And since Royal Ascot is noted for ladies wearing outrageous hats, our hosts at the carriage house loaned Kathi a hat suitable for the occasion. And we did film more Virtual Walks in and around London, including delighful walks in Hyde Park, along the waterway known as Little Venice, the New River Walk in Islington, and a walk on the Hampstead Heath.

Leaving London exhausted, we flew directly to Rome and fourteen more days of no rain!

But we were in incredible Rome - the eternal city.

We quickly discovered that Rome is a very difficult city for a videographer. Crowds and other problems make videography a challenge. Eventually we realized that getting to a poplular tourist site around 7 AM each morning was the best way to work. We were able to shoot virtual walks along the famous Via Veneto, made famous by "La Dolce Vita," another walk through the Campo de Fiori, and still another through the beautiful Pincio Gardens of Rome.

Appian Way Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

Taking a bus to the outskirts of the city one day, we shot a virtual walk on the ancient Via Appia - which was a delight because it looks exactly like you would expect it to look.

Returning home after 4 weeks of filming, we received a call from a film editor friend in L.A. He was editing a movie and needed some night scenes of Rome. Would we sell some of our night footage to his production company?

We realized that we had over 80 hours of video which could be sold to production houses as "stock footage." Today, we have sold our European stock footage to all of the major networks and cable channels in the US, Canada, and Germany and our Treadmill Virtual Walk DVDs have been sold to 49 states and 5 foreign countries.

September 11, 2001, affected us deeply on many levels. We temporarily suspended international travel - our steadicam equipment, batteries, and other tv equipment were just too unusual for the heightened security which was in place. In addition, we always traveled with our tv equipment in our carry on bags - we couldn't afford for the equipment to be damaged or to be lost. So for a few years, our focus was on other aspects of television production. I was asked to film the "Behind the Scenes" and cast interviews featurettes for two motion pictures shot in our state along with other tv projects.

English Countryside Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

In October of 2003, Kathi and I returned to the United Kingdom to film more virtual walks and more stock footage. This time we filmed virtual walks in the English Countryside: a walk from Eynsford to the village of Shoreham, following the Darent River in Kent. We also filmed a circular walk from the village of Otford through some beautiful scenery and back to our starting point. Along the way, we met some lovely people and had a nice chat. We traveled to Dover and to Brighton to film stock footage and also to Salisbury to film a virtual walk in the area around the Cathedral. In Salisbury we had the opportunity to see one of the surviving copies of the Magna Carta. We also went to Canterbury Cathedral and attended "Evensong."

Finally, in August of 2004, Kathi and I finally found time to edit our first virtual walk, "A Morning in Venice," and get it on the market. We were amazed at the positive reaction it received. Customers said: "Why hasn't someone thought of this before?" and "It's just like being there!" and "I want more." We were very gratified with the reaction to our initial concept formed back in the summer of 2000. We quickly followed with virtual walks in the English Countryside, Rome, along the Appian Way, London Waterways, and Burano. Since then, we've received hundreds of emails from our Treadmill Virtual Walk customers telling us how much they enjoy exercising on their treadmills and exercise bikes with our Virtual Walk DVDs.

Amalfi Coast Photo Copyright 2001 VITA Digital Productions

In June of 2005, we returned from three weeks filming more Treadmill Virtual Walks along the beautiful Amalfi Coast, on the isle of Capri, in the ancient city of Pompeii, and in the medieval town of Viterbo, north of Rome, this time shooting in High Definition ( 1080i ) and widescreen. We are currently in the process of editing those walks.

Presently, Kathi and I are in the final planning stages for our future shooting trips. This year we will make trips to Hawaii, the Cotswolds, London, and Paris to shoot both virtual walks and stock footage. Then in 2007, we are planning a trip to northern Italy to film virtual walks in Tuscany, Siena, and Florence.

There is a surprising amount of work involved in filming these Virtual Walks in Europe, from dealing with heavy equipment to walking miles to some out-of-the-way location just to begin filming. But our customers love them and constantly ask for more - so that makes it all worthwhile.

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--- OUR DVDS FOR SALE ---

--- Enchanting Burano Virtual Walk ------ A Morning In Venice Virtual Walk ----- English Countryside Virtual Walk ------ Appian Way Virtual Walk ---

--- The Four Seasons Virtual Walk --- Amalfi Virtual Walk --- London Waterways Virtual Walk --- Rome Virtual Walk --- Autumn Seascapes DVD ---

--- Europe Walking Tours ------ Fitness Virtual Walks ------- European Virtual Walks ------- Treadmill Virtual Walks ------ Virtual Experience Videos ---

--- DVD Travel Escapes ------ European Travel Videos ------ Venice, Italy DVDs ------ British Travel Videos ------ Scotland Travel DVDs ---

--- Environmental Virtual Walks --- Virtual Walk DVDs --- Vision DVDs ---

--- OUR STOCK FOOTAGE WEBSITES ---

--- HD European Stock Footage ----- London Stock Footage ------ Venice Stock Footage ----- HD Rome Stock Footage ----- HD Egyptian Stock Footage ---

--- HD Amalfi Coast Stock Footage --- European Stock Footage --- HD Background Plates --- HD Hawaiian Stock Footage --- American Stock Footage ---

--- HD Paris France Stock Footage --- HD Beach Scenes --- HD Mountain Scenes ---

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