In September Jerusalem was getting ready to welcome Brazilian pop icon Roberto Carlos, a successful Grammy Award-winning singer and composer, also known as “the King”.
In the ‘50s, he was one of the leading men of the Brazilian rock’n roll scene, moved towards romantic ballads in the 70s, and was selling more albums than the Beatles in the 90s! With over 40 albums in the same amount of years, Roberto Carlos is enjoying international fame and recognition.
In 2011, the singer celebrated his 70th birthday and chose Jerusalem to push the boat out with an exclusive concert located right next to the Old City. Not only was the show broadcast live, TV Globo will also air a TV special about Roberto’s visit to the most important sites in Israel and a DVD will be released worldwide (115 countries).
TV Globo, a leading network in Brazil and well-known director Jayme Monjardim are no strangers to Biblical Productions. In 2009 they came to Israel to shoot parts of the telenovela “Viver a Vida”, for which we proudly provided production services in Israel. Jayme saw the potential of Jerusalem for this special celebration, and we couldn’t agree more. We always happily welcome returning film crews, it is the best compliment for a production company.
Biblical Productions, under the management of international producer Sharon Schaveet, coordinated the local production in Israel and the live broadcasting. This time, we didn’t only have to manage 2 crews simultaneously, one on set, and one setting up the live broadcasting on stage, we also had to deal with a big celebrity and his whole entourage. Security, discretion and professionalism were top priorities. We handled the selection of the best locations for filming Roberto, arranged all permits, hired a number of field producers, production assistants and make-up artists, rented equipment, and organized accommodation, transport and catering.
It was an unforgettable adventure, and we hope the same for Roberto Carlos and the Brazilian crew. In addition to visiting impressive sites in Israel, Roberto also met remarkable personalities: at the Kotel, he shake hands with Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in the Holy Sepulchre church Archbishop Fouad Twal offered him a cross and he showed off his knowledge of Hebrew during a personal meeting with Israeli President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Shimon Peres.
The highlight of his visit was of course the concert in the Sultan’s Pool. The art directors build a small reproduction of the Old City in Jerusalem and it looked so realistic! Together with the orchestra, a choir and a piano on stage, you can imagine it was a magical evening. About 5000 people filled the beautiful venue, including 3000 Brazilians who flew in just for this happening. It was a pleasure to see the crowd entertained and enjoying the spectacle.
Biblical Productions was responsible for the live broadcasting of the show. Live is always a challenge but thanks to excellent preparation everything runs smoothly. A big thank you to every one of the crew for their input and great team spirit!
Biblical Productions was very happy to join in on this project and did its very best to make sure Roberto gave a performance to remember!