ABU DHABI // A short film featuring some of Abu Dhabi’s hidden tourism gems aims to put the capital in a new light.
Filmmaker Beno Saradzic, for 25 years a resident of Abu Dhabi, made the film, which was commissioned by Abu Dhabi Executive Council, as part of a wider series to showcase the evolving face of the city.
“The message I wanted to send was to show how Abu Dhabi is an open, welcoming society for all people,” said the 48-year-old from Slovenia.
“We got the chance to film in over 100 locations for the series but, for the first video, the focus is on what the capital has to offer visitors.”
The video is filmed in high definition and features shots of some of the wildlife in the emirate as well as the desert landscape.
“We went to some really amazing places and one of my particular favourites was a small island in the Western Region called Shuwailhat,” he said.
“It’s pretty much untouched, although there are a few settlements, but the eye-catching thing we found there was a landscape similar to a version of the Grand Canyon.”
Much of the footage was filmed from a helicopter.
“We worked in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Police, who were very helpful,” Mr Saradzic said.
“The advantage of using a helicopter is we had a gyrostabilised outboard camera that allowed us to zoom in close to what we wanted to focus on.
“If we filmed using drones, for example, we would have been limited to using a wide angle lens and would have had to get much closer to the ground.”
The footage features a timelapse of desert dunes, various resorts at night as well as showing off Etihad Airways’ first-class cabin experience.
The film was produced by capital-based Timesand Studios and the music was from Vladimir Persan.
Two other films have also been produced as part of the series, focusing on the capital’s industrial sector and the future of the country’s economy.
More of his videos can be seen at vimeo.com/benosaradzic.
nhanif@thenational.ae
