When these nuns want a perfect shot, they don't let anything get in the way.
Sister Anne Guinan and Sister Caritas Kennedy have climbed hills, crossed a desert and tumbled into the Patapsco River in pursuit of their order's newest business venture -- a full-service video studio they run from their convent in Towson.
They call it Mission Helper Productions. For clients who want educational and public service videos, Sisters Anne and Caritas set up the lighting, write scripts, direct and edit. They don't even mind toting 20 pounds of cameras and tripods on assignment.
The sisters say that, as they wander about town with equipment in tow, they often get curious looks from passersby.
"Basically, it's 'What do those two old ladies think they are doing?' " said Sister Caritas. She added with a smile, "I could probably lift more than most of the people who say it."
They also get incredulous looks when their clients realize that the nuns run a hands-on operation. "They say, 'Are you doing the camera?' " Sister Caritas said. "They don't think that we are doing the legwork."
Unwilling to give out their ages -- they say "young" in unison -- the sisters are not part of the MTV generation. But they have pioneered video communications for the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart, a 105-year-old Roman Catholic order that has focused on religious education in parishes, hospitals, jails, juvenile detention centers, summer camps and other nontraditional settings.
They're as comfortable talking about battery packs, sun guns, A/B roll editing and computer character generators as they are about the Scriptures.
Sister Anne, who took her vows in 1955 and has a master's degree in educational psychology, came to the Mission Helpers in 1983. Sister Caritas, who has a master's degree in theology and became a nun in 1948, joined the production team in 1986, on loan from her order, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
The two got into the video business together in 1981 while they were running educational programs in Wilmington, Del., and found that many of their potential students lived too far away to attend the evening classes.
"We had all these great programs and they weren't reaching everyone," Sister Anne said.
So they began making videos for students who couldn't come to class.
Their early efforts were popular, and they decided to take their show on the road. Ultimately, they decided to create a video Scripture course -- taped on location in the Middle East -- that could be distributed to parishes across the country.
But first they wanted to learn how to do it right.
In 1982, Sister Anne enrolled at New York University to study video production, while Sister Caritas enrolled at community college in Newark, N.J. They learned about lighting, studio production and interviewing techniques.
Then they traipsed through Egypt, crossed the Sinai Desert and traveled through Israel and the West Bank, shooting along the way. They had to lug their equipment into Israel alone.
"That was not too hard," Sister Anne said. "It was fun."
Last year they finished their Biblical epic, "Come Journey With Me," which consists of five one-hour cassettes and companion booklets.
The sisters say they're having just as much fun here, producing educational videos and promotional spots for other charities and nonprofit organizations. They have journeyed to Florida, Arizona and Massachusetts -- and Sister Anne nearly added the bottom of the Patapsco River to the list.
To add the right touch to a video Scripture production, she looked for a water backdrop and found the right place just east of Canton.
"We crawled out on the rocks to get a better view," Sister Anne said. "I slipped and fell in."
She said a priest grabbed her by the arm and helped her out. She was worried about saving the camera.
The sisters are expanding their business and branching out from strictly religious productions. They have taped public service spots for The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maryland, the Maryland Food Committee, Catholic Charities and Operation Outreach-USA.
"We don't at all feel like we need to do the Catholic thing," Sister Anne said. "We want to do things that promote good values."