NAVODAYA STUDIO
"I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
... the God of the living, not the dead."
(Mt. 22: 32)
Stories from the Bible (1993) was a project that involved intensive project research that spanned many continents. Art directors and Cinematographers were deputed along with research scholars and Script writers to the archaeological sites at Tel-Aviv, Negeb & Luxor and to Museums & Universities in Jerusalem, Cairo & Geneva. These efforts helped develop a process in Navodaya whereby systematic collating, cataloguing and disseminating of story research data go hand-in-hand with the visual treatment & development of a script. A systemization now being put to use in the historical project CHUNDAN.
The Patriarchs
Directors
Story of Abraham - Isaac Kottukappally
Story of Isaac - Jijo
Story of Jacob - Raghunath Paleri
Picturised on sets constructed in and around the Pushkar deserts, Stories from the Bible was a landmark project. This was shot on Super 16 film.
pictogram seal
Mesopotamian
bronze cloak pin
Sumerian Art of the Middle Bronze Age
tells us about
Life during the Old Testament times
cuneiform tablet
Re-created Hammurabi Stele - Muthuraj, Kali
& Narayana Moorthy
We utilized the most recent archaeological findings at the sites of the Ancient Near East to depict authentic sociological and material customs of the 'Middle Bronze Age'. Navodaya had on call extensive and in-depth research support from an international panel of scholars on scriptures and archaeology.
waterlifts were used for irrigation all over the ancient near-east
Cinematographer Aswini Kaul
Art Director K. Sheker
Art Illustrator Prakash Moorthy
Research Director Dr. Christuraj
Screenplay Raghunath Paleri
Editor T.R. Sekher
Exec Producer N.G. John
Bible Team at Mt. Tabor with Galilee behind them.
Sumerian teraphims (home dieties)
A Sumerian board game played by
Laban in the Bible TV Series.
Canaanite procession
with Baal masks and Astarte banners
Mask. Hazor Museum. 1400 B.C.
Votives & Divination at the Oracle of Hebron
Astarte Plaque.
Biblical Archaeology Society
Directorial applause
for the Scribe's encirclement
Paleri, the Writer/ Director,
explaining Jacob & Rachel
Daily Life In
Mesopotamia
by : Brien and Fin
2. Mesopotamia means “land between rivers” Today, much of Mesopotamia is under sand. Mesopotamia is located on a fertile crescent, and is located mainly in Iraq. Civilization in Mesopotamia developed about six thousand years ago (5300b.c.).Intro
10. A popular treat was the Kafta kabob There were cakes for special occasions were also made with butter, raisins, dates, flour, and cheese. Meat was expensive so most people ate vegetables and stews Lots people ate unleavened bread, and drank large amounts of beer(up to a whole gallon a day). The average person in Mesopotamian ate about two meals a day except for the rich who ate three. Food
16. Thanks to Cuneiform our Era knows more about Mesopotamia. Cuneiform was created in BCE) It had about 200 5000 BCE, which was laws in it. about when Sumer stated to downfall. King Hammurabi is written language is called famous for the Code of cuneiform, which was Hammurabi which is one shapes and symbols. of the earliest set of laws found. (created in 1780 The Mesopotamians Extra Facts
Sumerian relief.
Beehive hut c13 B.C.
Boats of
Upper Mesopotamia
Moving huts on camel cart in Rajasthan
Beehive huts of
Harran
Beehive sets in Rajasthan. 1992 A.D.
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient times urban dwellings were created on hilltops for vantage and better defense. Walls began to rise around cities throughout Mesopotamia shortly after urbanization began in the region c.4500 BCE. City walls were constructed to include gates and watchtowers and usually a ditch running around the outer perimeter of the wall which could be filled with water.
Creating Walled City Harran in the hills and sands of Pushkar Deserts of Rajastan.
Haran is referred to variously as Paddan Aram and Aram Naharaim. Genesis 27:43 makes Haran the home of Laban and connects it with Isaac and Jacob:
Perched high, precariously.
Cinematographer Aswini Kaul
ARTICLE. INDIA TODAY
TV serial 'Bible Ki Kahaniyan' emphasises more on authenticity than spectacle
Amit Agarwal January 15, 1993 | UPDATED 18:21 IST
On Shooting Film, Digital Post Production.
Stories From The Bible was shot on film because the tape based video formats of the 1990s could not capture the wide latitudes of gamma exposure of the outdoors. And, the Bible is essentially an outdoor subject.
In 1992, there was no precedent of doing ‘video-post-production for media shot on film’.
Hence, Jijo collaborated with the technicians at Arri Munich and Skotel Toronto to develop a camera interface and a digital workflow for AVID.
Avid - standing for audio-video-digital, of Masschussets, was the second computer-based edit system that entered the market in 1992. Navodaya on a visit to the nascent developers of Boston selected AVID over NY based system EMC2 which entered the market 2 months earlier.
It is the Bible Project which ushered-in computer based film production to India. Navodaya purchased the very first Avid NLE system to be sold outside the U.S. Subsequently, by offering free training to independent film editors at Chennai & Mumbai, Jos of Navodaya & Senthil of RealImage popularised Avid & Protools in the Indian Film Industry even before Hollywood started doing films on desktop systems.
25 And in the morning, and behold she was Leah! So he said to Laban, "What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work with you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?" 26 And Laban said, "It is not done so in our place to give the younger one before the firstborn. 27 We will give you this one too, for the work that you will render me for another seven years."
GENESIS. Chapter 27 : 18 And he came to his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?" 19 And Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you have spoken to me. Please rise, sit down and eat of my game, so that your soul will bless me."
Deception begets deception !!
Chapter 29 : 18 And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, "I will work for you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter." 20 So Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they appeared to him like a few days because of his love for her.
Scarab Seals of Jacob-HR
The hieroglyphs in the center of the
scarab seal spell out Y’qb-HR,
the Egyptian transliteration of the
Semitic Yaqub (Jacob). Found in 1969
at Shiqmona, a site near Haifa, Israel,
the “Shiqmona scarab” dates to
before 1730 B.C.
A second “Jacob” seal first published in
1930 and now in Berlin, is almost
identical to the Shiqmona scarab except
that its hieroglyphs are enclosed by a
cartouche, an oval indicating a royal
name.
MAGARETE BUESING/
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
BERLIN
Marzeah Tablet
The Claremont “Marzeah” Tablet,
pictured here, is inscribed with a text
written in the Ugaritic alphabet. One
of the most important of tablets from
Ugarit. This particular
tablet is called the Marzeah Tablet
because it includes the word marzeah,
a type of club or dining society known
throughout the ancient Mediterranean
and Near East, that, according to many
scholars is referred to in Amos 6:7 and
Jeremiah 16:5
WEST SEMITIC RESEARCH PROJECT,
KENNETH A. ZUCKERMAN
