From sprawling deserts to cosmopolitan cities, NM Productions sits down to discuss the best bits about shooting in Dubai and the UAE.
People have a preconception of the Middle East which can sometimes be off-putting. Dubai and the UAE is a rich and diverse place to shoot with so much to offer outside of just the city and desert. With amazing infrastructure, crew and kit on the ground for shoots both big and small, it really is an incredible place to work.
Great crews, consistent and reliable weather, easy travel links from all around the world. The majority of what you need is already on the ground.
Of course with the Middle East comes vast and sprawling orange desert but this is not where it stops. You have the incredible mountains in Hatta, the beautiful white beaches of Abu Dhabi, incredible sports facilities, hotels, and incredible architecture all over.
It really depends on your project and what you are hoping to achieve but by popular demand it has to be the desert.
They work incredibly hard and know their trade well. The organisation of the technical and Location departments is unparalleled.
As you can imagine the weather is warm and sunny pretty much all year around. I would veer away from May - September as the temperatures can be too hot, especially if you are not used to it. The UK winter and spring months are the best time to shoot out here.
For Dubai you will need carnets to bring your kit in and visa on arrival, depending where you are coming in from.
There are so many amazing and talented local DOP’s, Gaffers, Grips, Sparks, Underwater divers and so on, on the ground in Dubai, with extensive kit rental houses, which are the home to everything from Ultimate Arms, Heavy Lift Drones, Helicopters, even boats with ultimate arms pre-fitted. This incredible pool of talent helps our clients make decisions when there are challenging budgets or the need to keep the production’s carbon footprint to a minimum.
Citi Bank was a three week long shoot with multiple unit moves and Locations in one day. We worked with 42 Paralympic athletes from all around the world. Our Location and unit team made the whole thing seamless from start to finish. The DOP and his technical team overcame every challenge and the kit was readily available when last minute creative changes arose.
Dubai for example has a large expat community from around the world who happily live and work in Dubai. It is as simple as respect the culture and the rules, as you would in any country.
Build in a bit of extra time for forward planning. Most things are possible with a little bit of extra time to ensure all the ‘Is’ are dotted and the ‘Ts’ are crossed.
Qasr al Sarab in Abu Dhabi has to be on of our favourite places to film and stay. The quiet and vastness of the desert is just breath taking - as are the sunrises and sunsets.
Now that would be giving our secrets away. However, the Middle East has such a large diversity of incredible restaurants and culinary experiences it would be hard to pin-point only one, but we do have a very handy list for our clients to choose from when they come and work with us.