DUBAI // A stunning time-lapse video that takes viewers on an amazing journey through Dubai has been created and posted online.
British photographer Rob Whitworth’s three-minute Dubai Flow Motion time-lapse video provides a glimpse of how a visitor might spend an action-packed 48 hours in the emirate.
“I guess every city has a story to tell,” said Mr Whitworth.
“With Dubai I really wanted to introduce all the different aspects and ingredients that make the city what it is, and maybe challenge people’s preconceptions a little bit.”
The film begins by following a passenger in first class on an Emirates flight and follows his arrival at Dubai International Airport.
Filming using several cameras from different perspectives, the video switches to an outside view of Terminal 3 and tracks the luggage as it is unloaded off the aircraft and travels through the airport to be picked up by the passenger who then takes a trip on the metro.
The focus of the video was to look beyond the skyscrapers and skyline, Mr Whitworth said.
“Dubai is pretty epic,” he said. “Metal-and-glass skyscrapers jutting out of the desert sands.
“The seeming impossibility of the place consumed my initial impressions.
“However, Dubai has so much more going on and, as with many places, the people are really the heart of the city.”
With unrestricted access to some of Dubai’s main tourist attractions, the film travels down through the floors of Burj Khalifa, dives into The Dubai Mall aquarium and follows a family as they shop.
Interspersed with swooping aerial views of the city, the viewer is then taken outdoors to ride with dune bashers as night falls over Dubai.
As dawn breaks viewers are transported to Dubai Creek as traditional abras set off on their daily routes. Next, the video takes viewers to Dubai Marina only to be taken high above the city in a plane and dropped over the palm with Skydive Dubai.
The video closes with a fireworks show at Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall’s fountain show.
Mr Whitworth said his favourite aspect of the filming was capturing the A380 landing.
“There is a very short blue hour [when indirect sunlight creates a blue twilight] in Dubai so the key was finding a flight that was coming in to land at the perfect time and then hoping it wasn’t early or late,” he said.
Among the challenges he faced was trying to cut down the shutter noise from his camera, especially while filming on the flight deck.
“The most difficult was the luggage shoot from plane to passenger,” he said. “We really shot it as one take using four camera rigs. Everything had to work first time with no room for re-shoots.
“A lot of planning in this one. Was lovely as it came together like clockwork on the day.”
nhanif@thenational.ae