Sharon Schaveet asked:


Filming in Israel is a dream come true for crews filming historical, biblical and nature documentaries. Biblical Productions, which has been providing Production Services in Israel for many years, regularly takes crews to the most interesting and intriguing locations around the country. One of the most popular and historically most important filming locations is Qumran, where in 1947 a solitary Bedouin shepherd stumbled into the greatest archaeological find of the century – the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The wilderness of Judea, mile after mile of perched rock and barren hillside, was home to Bedouin shepherds and a connecting pathway for camel caravans. For thousands of years, the Judean desert has held secrets buried in its sands. Here, at the lowest point on earth near the Dead Sea, in the intense heat of the barren Judean desert, David fled from King Saul seeking refuge in the mountain caves, John the Baptist lived on locusts and wild honey, and Jesus rejected the temptations of the Devil. It was at the Northwestern point of the Dead Sea, where one afternoon in 1947 a small shepherd boy climbed into the caves of Qumran and discovered the scrolls.

Blind to the value of the rolls of old and rotting leather, the shepherd sold the scrolls for the low price of 7 Palestinian pounds. Yet the dealer realized their value quickly and sent the Bedouins back to the desert to look for more scrolls. On November 23rd 1947, Elazar Sukenik, Professor of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem received an urgent phone call from a friend, an Armenian antique dealer from the Old City. They arranged to meet the next morning. By afternoon, three scrolls were wrapped inconspicuously in newspaper on Sukenik’s lap.

In the following months, Sukenik and a small team at the Hebrew University began the delicate task of unrolling scrolls stuck together by 20 centuries of decomposition. They identified the almost complete manuscript of the Book of Isaiah, which remains the oldest biblical text ever found, almost identical to the Bible we read today.

Today, crews filming in Israel can see these scrolls exhibited in the Israel Museum. Film permits in Israel can be acquired by Biblical Productions as well as interviews with experts about the discovery and scientific examinations of the scrolls. Many crews filming in Israel choose to film in Qumran as well as in the Israel Museum, if their script explores the Dead Sea scrolls in depth. 

Meanwhile scholars at the American School of Oriental Research in East-Jerusalem (ASOR) opened and photographed the scrolls. A leading US Biblical scholar at Johns Hopkins University, Professor William F. Albright, declared that the scrolls were the work of the Essenes, a mysterious sect, and without hesitation announced that this was the most important archaeological find of the century. News of the discovery sent Bedouins, together with archaeologists, racing to excavate the area. In cave 4 alone, not far from the original cave, dug out of a sheer face of an escarpment, Bedouins found 15,000 fragments from about 500 scrolls.

During the spring of 1953, the archeologist, Father De Vaux, Director of the Ecole Biblique in East-Jerusalem, came to carry out the first extended excavation – a dig that would occupy him and his team for the next four springs and lead him to a view of an Essene life that would be argued about by scholars for decades. The two-month dig unearthed the remains of considerable construction; and it soon became clear that this was a well-established settlement.

The historical site of Qumran is one of the most popular film locations in Israel for crews. Having become a well-known National Park, Qumran offers a solid wood path that leads through the excavated ruins, as well as a film and a little museum. The caves themselves are currently not accessible for the public, however, filmmakers can get great shots from an empty riverbed next to the caves, as well as from up above at the park. The white soft hills that hid the Dead Sea Scrolls for so long form a nice contrast to the sharp mountains of the Judean desert in the background. More caves from ancient times are accessible at the back of the sites; however, caution is advised when climbing over the rocky paths with camera and sound equipment. 



Julia

Sharon Schaveet asked:


As an experienced producer and provider of production services in Israel for foreign crews and TV networks filming in Israel, I provide my services to each and every format crews want to shoot: feature films, documentaries, TV commercials, music videos and high-profile exhibition videos. A lot of crews come to shoot for a week, two weeks or even a month; they film documentary shows or parts of series all over the country and visit different locations.

Yet frequently I am asked for some ideas to shoot short, content-driven segments, which focus on one particular aspect of the Holy Land, the three religions or certain archaeological sites and their history. I have compiled a small but compact list of filming short segments (60 or 120 sec) for crews filming in Israel, which should give filmmakers some ideas what they could focus on.

Filming in Israel – Future Prophecies Segment in Jerusalem

Since the beginning of time, prophecies and their human messengers have inspired mankind, causing great excitement and anxiety of what the future might hold for each and every one of us. There are plenty of prophecies connected to Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world, and if a film crew in Israel wants to focus on prophecies and adequate locations, here are some suggestions: 

The Mount of Olives – the site of the Second Coming

The Himnon Valley – the Valley of Hell, stage to Judgement Day

The Kidron Valley – the Dry Bones Prophecy surrounding the tombs

The Golden Gate – the prophecy which sees Jesus walking triumphantly through

the Golden Gate into the city of Jerusalem

Filming in Israel – Nazareth Segment

Beautiful old Nazareth is a very important site to Christianity. Jesus of Nazareth spent his boyhood years here before moving to Capernaum to begin his ministry. There are a number of wonderful locations which crews can visit in one day and edit a great segment as an introduction to Jesus’ life and times.  

The town of Nazareth – old streets, marketplace

The House of Mary and Mary’s Spring

The Church of Annunciation

The Prophecy of the Birth of Jesus – the land of Zebulon and Napthali

Filming in Israel – King Herod

King Herod is often referred to as the Greatest Builder of Ancient Times, and the are numerous ruins around the country which pay tribute to his extraordinary visions and architectural adventures. A segment about Kind Herod should definitely include:

The Herodian – Herod’s Palace, near Bethlehem

The Port of Caesarea – also recommended for underwater archaeology

The Antipatris – on the road from Caesarea to Jerusalem

The Cypros – in Jericho

The Temple Mount and Western Wall – reflecting on the reconstruction of the second temple

The Second Temple Model – to be seen in the Israel Museum

Filming in Israel – Archaeological Excavations in Progress

Digging with archaeological experts on the many sites around the country is not only a popular activity for tourists and archaeology fan. Many crews join one or the other dig throughout their shoot in Israel; the choice of the site depends much on the focus of their film. Here is a list of archaeological sites that have continuous excavations:

City of David – located at the southern tip of Temple Mount

Tzipori – also known as Sepphoria, just a few km north of Nazareth, great mosaic floors

Jacob’s Ford – up in the North, ongoing digs with Prof. Ronnie Ellenblum

Tel Megiddo – the biblical Armageddon, the cradle of Archaeology in Israel, ongoing excavations have uncovered the layers of more than 30 cities

Tel Tsafit – close to Kfar Menachem about 40 min south of Jerusalem, the site is connected to the battle between David and Goliath

Filming in Israel – The Way to Bethlehem

Crews filming in Israel regularly visit Bethlehem to film the stunning Church of Nativity. For crews interested in illustrating Mary’s and Jospeh’s way to Bethlehem, there are some more suggestions here:

The Model of the Second Temple (Israel Museum) – Mary and Jospeh stop on their way to give praise at the temple

Church of the Nativity – the birthplace of Jesus

The town of Bethlehem

Surrounding fields with shepherds and old olive trees

Mount Zion – Mary is said to have fallen in eternal sleep here

This is merely a glimpse of what can be done when filming in Israel – the country’s historical sites, the archaeology and the landscape surrounding them never seize to amaze me! Furthermore, the above locations are also covered in our Israel / Christian footage archive of Biblical Productions, for anyone interested in acquiring archival footage. 



Glen