Amr Singh, a former nominee for the Shots Young Director Award for commercial filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival, has worked with Alchemy Films in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for brands such as Etisalat, Tawazun Economic Council and, most recently, for the Roads and Transport Authority.
In 2007, the South African co-founded The Fort, a film and video production house with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
We caught up with him to find out how shooting in the Emirates compares with working in his home country.
How has your experience of filming in the UAE compared with your expectations?
I’ve shot predominantly in Dubai, with the odd production day in Abu Dhabi. I have not really shot enough outside of Dubai, which is something I am definitely looking forward to do in the future. Overall, my experiences in Dubai have been positive. The crew is professional, and everyone is always willing to push for something that has creative integrity. This push, it has seemed to me, can often be something new for the client, and over the past few years I’ve seen a really positive response from the client-side in doing more challenging or visually arresting work. I think that it’s an exciting time to be making films in the region. Advertising in Dubai is starting to find its own unique voice, shedding the clichés of what the region may have represented in the past, and doing things on par with other regions in its own voice and textures.
How do you find the UAE as a destination for international location shooting?
Dubai and the UAE in general are clearly en vogue at the moment with regards to destination filming. I think that the large-scale productions that have come to the Emirates [Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Furious 7 and several Bollywood movies have filmed here in the past year] stands testimony not only to its unique locations, but the quality of the crew, infrastructure and production services in general.
What is your favourite thing about shooting here?
There are so many amazing things about Dubai, and I’m still discovering new things on every trip. Many may disagree with me on this one, but Dubai actually has quite a special and unique quality of light, especially in low-light conditions. This can make for very pretty pictures. Away from filmmaking, Dubai has some fantastic restaurants and very vibrant nightlife where you can meet a great mix of interesting people. And there’s always something to do.
Based on your experience, how can the Abu Dhabi and Dubai film commissions make things easier for foreign productions coming to the UAE?
Coming from Cape Town originally, which is a well-known location for destination filming and service commercials, there will naturally be some comparisons that I would make between Cape Town and Dubai, and even Cape Town and Johannesburg, where I spend much of my time.
With regards to Dubai, there are always steps and measures that can make a city more film-friendly. One of the notable aspects of shooting in Cape Town is how quickly you can get a location permit, and that often these permits carry no cost at all, regardless of the size of the crew or production. It would be great to see 24-hour turnaround times on location permits, with little or no fee.
artslife@thenational.ae
