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Young freelance film-maker William Kerr had been chanting Hare Krsna on and off for over a year and sometimes ate his lunch at the Hare Krsna shop at 299 Little Lonsdale Street. William had first met a devotee while working in the family camera shop in downtown Melbourne in 1972. The devotee, Amogha, had come to buy film. He told William about the first Ratha-yatra parade due to travel down Swanston Street in a few days time. Intrigued, William attended the parade. He loved it, and took ten rolls of film at the festival.

William had been a newsreel cameraman for Movietone News; he made art-film shorts, television commercials, and worked with various production companies as both cameraman and director. He had received a grant from the National Arts Council, and had planned to use the money to make a drug-inspired film called The Trip. But, through the association of the devotees, his focus on life had changed. He decided, instead, to make a film about the daily life of the Hare Krsnas.

In early January 1974 William began writing the script conjointly with Madhudvisa. Shortly after, he shot the entire film at the Sydney temple in Double Bay. He called the film In God's Name.

By the time Prabhupada's most recent visit was due, William had become quite serious about Krsna consciousness. Madhudvisa asked him to make another film, this time of Srila Prabhupada's visit to Melbourne, and William had enthusiastically agreed.

After carefully studying Prabhupada's itinerary for the week, William eagerly set about hiring men and equipment. William had already filmed Prabhupada's plane landing at Melbourne airport on Tuesday. This particular morning he arrived at the Botanic Gardens ready for more filming, accompanied by a sound crew and a cameraman, with a 16mm professional motion picture camera mounted on a tripod atop a hand-pulled rubber-wheeled dolly.

The early morning sky was overcast, and the air damp and cold. Prabhupada was wrapped in a greenish chaddar and wore an orange knitted cap. William snapped the "clapper" for the first "take". While the camera rolled, Prabhupada turned to Madhudvisa. "What does this sound mean?"

"It means begin to roll -- 'action!'. They snap that at the beginning of the shooting. The boy who is pulling the cart is making one documentary film all about your stay here in Australia, then it will be distributed to the government. Actually this is an independent film; it can be put into a library, and people can get it for their schools and colleges."

Prabhupada nodded, and continued the rest of the walk saying little as the devotees followed close behind.


- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu