We started this feature film back in 2023, beginning with interviews and gathering all the B-roll that would help bring the story to life. What seemed at first like a straightforward project quickly became a much longer journey. It took us a couple of years to complete all the filming, and along the way we wrestled with one big creative question: should this story be guided by a narrator, or should the people who lived it tell it themselves?
In the end, we chose to let the interviews carry the film. It felt more honest, more personal, and truer to the voices that shaped this story .
Then came the editing — which, as anyone who’s worked on a documentary knows, is where the story really reveals itself. That process took another year, as we sifted through countless hours of footage, finding not just the facts, but the heart of the story.
Synopsis:
At the height of his career, Dante Marioni is a world-renowned glass artist whose mastery of Venetian techniques has made him a legend in the studio. But at 60, a series of personal and physical setbacks—including the loss of his friend and mentor, a debilitating arm injury, and the departure of his trusted assistant after 30 years—bring his work to a pause.
Being Centered follows Marioni as he confronts loss, reinvents his process, and fights to return to the furnace. What unfolds is not just a comeback, but a powerful transformation—an artist rediscovering purpose and proving that even after everything fractures, the fire can still burn.
Producer / Director: John Forsen
Editor + VFX: Duncan Sharp
DP: Paul Mailman
Color: John Davidson
Title Design: Cody Cobb
Re-Recording Mixer: Paul Miller
Sound Designer: Mike McAuliffe