Israeli composer/guitarist/singer David Broza, barely known in the U.S. compared to his international superstar status, headlines a spectacular concert airing on PBS in December.
The internationally-produced “David Broza at Masada,” three years in development and funded at a hefty $1.2 million, was captured in HD over two long days in the ancient fortress of Masada in Southern Israel.
“The concert combines the passionate force of David Broza’s music with a spectacular sunrise illuminating one of the most spiritual and ancient places in the world,” said Ch. 11’s Nicolette Ferri, executive producer of the show.
Ferri headed a group of 13 station staffers, including Joanie Bayhack, VP/communications, who spent 10 days in Israel for the complex HD capture June 30-July 1.
Chief engineer Ron Yergovich led the station’s six-person crew. They were part of the much larger international crew of 40 from Israel and 10 lighting techs from the U.K. who accompanied London-based director Julia Knowles.
Since HD broadcasting isn’t available in Israel, the Ch. 11 crew built a state-of-the-art master control studio on the top of the fortress.
HD cameras were shipped in from the U.S. and the U.K. The U.K. supplied $175,000 worth of lighting used to illuminate the mountain at night before sunrise.
The location was the rotunda of what had been King Herod’s Roman style Northern Palace, erected more than 2,000 years ago, with a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.
“We shot in 120-degree heat so intense it melted my nail polish and hot sandy winds that up blew up to 75 mph,” Bayhack reported.
