(ANS – Rome) – To coincide with the publication of the commentary on the Strenna, the video that introduces and is a guide to reading the message that the Rector Major entrusts to the Salesian Family for 2013 is available, online. The video, distributed in Salesian works, contains some minor novelties.

Punctual, like every year, the Rector Major's Strenna for the Salesian family is accompanied by a video that introduces and guides the reading. Its creation is the result of collaboration between the Department for Social Communication and Don Bosco Missions in Turin.

The video, inspired by the text of the Strenna, is structured in sections and can be used to view either the whole presentation or a theme or parts of it. His scheme involves a non-structural thematic inclusion . The video opens and closes with two similar narrative units, but not with the same video; the underlying theme is the musical soundtrack. The double finale, in addition to offering the viewer a new narrative-opening content, is set and embodied in everyday life: as experienced by Don Bosco, it can also be realized even today.

A significant novelty is the Arabic language version, in the production of which the young Salesians in initial formation studying theology at Turin were involved. This is to focus attention on the Province of the Middle East that is experiencing a moment of particular political and social difficulties and, at the same time, an opportunity to get to know more about Don Bosco in the Arab world.

Besides the eight language versions of the videos contained on the DVD, other versions were made in Slovak, Ukrainian, Czech, Vietnamese and Hungarian.

Various collaborations produced the video. In order of appearance:

• the Villa Sora Salesian Institute in Frascati for the initial clips dedicated to Michael Magone, especially Prof. Thomas Sbardella who coordinated students and Fr Giorgio Colajacono, the Rector of the work;
• the Faculty of Sciences of Social Communication of the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, where the contributions of the Rector Major in the drama room, were filmed.
• the Central Salesian Archives, the University Residence St. Francis de Sales of Cinecittà, the seat of the Pontifical Faculty of the Sciences of Education "Auxilium" and the Generalate of the Salesian Sisters (FMA) to record some video contributions;
• the FMA school "Maria Ausiliatrice" of Turin that allowed the recording of stories related in the final poem, thanks to the collaboration of Sr. Laura Gorlato and some families of students;
• the "Don Bosco Institute of Communication Arts" (DBICA) in Chennai from where there were a few clips of the final poem by Fr Harris Pakkam,
• video contributions offered by the Salesian cooperator Alexander Pardi;
• the Lux Vide for the kind authorization of images of Don Bosco fiction created in 2004 and the great success that he also had in the Salesian world.

"The video is a unique aid for audiovisual presentations; serving precisely to arouse the desire to read and study the comment so that it looks like a spiritual pastoral programme being truly understood and making us more aware, more confident and more effective". This is the statement that Fr Chavez makes in a short video of backstage content in the DVD extras. It narrates briefly, through images, the preparation of the study on the contributions of the Rector Major, like the clip dedicated to Michael Magone was shot and some stages of post-production at the Turin Centre of Don Bosco Missions.

"The draft communication of the Strenna is very broad and involves many people, said Fr Donato Lacedonio, Director of ANS and Director of the video.  For the choice of posters for some years now we are using creative graphics present in the Congregation and in various countries; it is a long process in which the same Rector Major participates. There is the contribution, to varying degrees, of the Provinces, of the Salesians and other groups of the Salesian Family".

The video of the Strenna and of the backstage and are available in sdb.org, videos ANS section where you can download.

In sdb.org you can download a screensaver inspired by the poster of the Strenna to install on your computers.

Published 31/12/2012