< PreviousHAT IS THE NEXT BIG THING IN PROGRESS FOR NOMAD? We have one upcoming project that we are particularly proud of – a long form documentary for an international broadcaster focused on the pandemic and the impact it has had across the country. As a Drone Pilot, it has been a real privilege to be telling such an important story. IS THERE A GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE REGION? Aerial fi lming is extremely popular in the region. I believe this is driven by the fact that there are so many iconic buildings, landmarks and areas of natural beauty in the UAE. The best way to showcase the ever changing beauty of a country is through aerial fi lming. From my personal experience operating drones in other parts of the world, much more time is invested into planning the exact shot as per the director’s vision, rather than a shoot what you can style, which can exist over here. Not all productions operate in this way of course, but something I have noticed from time to time. Another diff erentiation is in the types of drone used. In the UK at the sharp end of the industry we would be fl ying heavy lift drones with cinema cameras. While these productions do exist in the UAE, the market is smaller for this work than the likes of the UK. THREE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND FOR AERIAL FILMING? Safety always comes fi rst when it comes to drones. Secondly, planning is crucial. We spend a lot of time on the front end, planning in a lot of detail the shots that we want to achieve. Lastly, communication plays a big role. Clear instructions are key to a smooth shot and for the pilot to feel comfortable in what they are trying to achieve. W Filming documentaries, campaigns and commercials regionally, as well as globally, Drones by Nomad has had quite a busy year. Lead Pilot, Jack Bishop outlines the growth of aerial photography in the region, in a tête-à-tête with Karishma Hingorani THE TOP VIEW HOW FINANCIALLY VIABLE IS DRONE FILMING? With improved technologies, reduced costs of the equipment and sensors, aerial imagery is now within the budget levels of a wide range of productions, not just feature fi lms and high end TVCs. However, permit costs need to be kept in mind. Make sure you work with an established and properly licensed drone company who can arrange all the licenses, permits and insurance needed to complete your production safely, within all the local laws and regulations. WHICH ARE SOME OF THE TOP LOCATIONS IN THE UAE FOR DRONE FILMING? There are so many great places – you have the internationally recognized landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Frame, or the newly constructed Museum of the Future. We love the hidden gems – the desert landscapes in Mleiha, the beautiful wadis in Showka, or the Hatta mountains – UAE truly has a bit of everything. YOUR MOST RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT FOR TAKING AERIAL SHOTS? The most used drone in Dubai’s fi lm industry is the DJI Inspire 2. It is incredibly reliable and the output from such a compact form factor is amazing. The Inspire can deal very well with extreme heat conditions and still provides category leading performance. We also Jack Bishop, Lead Pilot, Drones by Nomad operate First Person View drones, the demand for which has increased rapidly over the years. To fl y these, you wear a special set of VR goggles to see from the perspective of the drone. It takes practice to fl y FPV drones, and to perfect certain shots, but the end results can be epic. Also known as Cinewhoop, we use these especially to fl y indoors. It is lightweight, fi ts into your palm and is completely safe to fl y around people, since its propellers are completely covered. This drone can actually replace other fi lmmaking tools on set, such as a steady cam, jib or slider, due to its fl exibility and ability to fl y almost anywhere. www.digitalstudiome.com40 / OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2021 FILMSELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY FROM FOCUS PULLING TO SETTING UP MEDIA MAX. I entered the world of production with the support of my best friend in Lebanon, all the way back in 1998. Starting out, I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved the industry and I wanted to learn. Over the years, I worked hard towards mastering the craft of focus pulling and then there was no looking back. I consider myself lucky to be a part of this industry in the UAE, where I have had the opportunity to grow, gain experience and build myself. Especially post pandemic, with all the safety measures in place, we have been able to work in full capacity, thanks to the government. The opportunity to work with a number of professionals from around the world, learn different perspectives and styles is something I am very grateful for. In 2018, my wife Serine and I established Media Max as a production consultancy, equipment rental, professional crew hire and technical support company. Since then, we have been putting to use all our knowledge, experience and expertise in catering to the various needs of production in a better and professional manner. AS A FOCUS PULLER, HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR TECHNIQUE? I make it a point to stay updated with new technologies, products and learn the latest techniques. I always work hard to be a professional, but it is not a label I give myself. With my hard work and dedication to my colleagues and clients, it’s a description I hope others apply to me – through everything I do and deliver. T Koko Boutchakjian — one of Dubai’s trusted focus pullers and owner of Media Max, takes Karishma Hingorani behind the lens life, this quarter. He shares tips, tricks and tales from within the region’s oh so passionate fi lm industry PULLING IN FOCUS WHY IS A FOCUS PULLER IMPORTANT ON SET AMONG OTHER TECHNICIANS? They are responsible for the very purpose of their title – focus, and to maintain sharpness while at it. Apart from that, they need to build the camera set-up, adjust settings, change lenses, supervise the operations, with assistance from the second AC. YOUR TOP THREE TIPS TO BECOME A BETTER FOCUS PULLER? Develop your ability to predict movement. That can only come with practice and experience. Fine tune your knack for gauging spatial accuracy. Lastly, look out to consistently deliver with a certain touch and fi nesse of your own. Additionally, remember to stay calm, be punctual, hardworking and be a strong team player. MANY FILMMAKERS IN THE REGION FEEL BURDENED BY THE NEED TO MULTITASK. WHAT DO YOU THINK? In my personal opinion, multitasking is less productive, than focussing on a single thing. However, sometimes we need to do it, in order to handle a particular situation during fi lm production. Especially with the pandemic reducing crew members on set. In this case, I think the ability to adapt and hold onto your love for fi lmmaking helps to remain calm and composed. HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THE PRACTICAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH SHOOTING UNDER EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS? Shooting outdoors or in the desert requires you to not only protect the camera from sand, dust or the scorching heat, but also yourself and the entire equipment. Even though most cameras are built to withstand diverse weather conditions, it is advisable to take extra measures, in order to ensure a smooth process of fi lming, regardless of extreme temperatures. As a professional, ensure you are hydrated and wear neutral colours to sustain the heat. DO YOU THINK FOCUS PULLING IS AN ART OR A TECHNICAL ABILITY? Pulling focus is as much as an art, as it is based on science and knowledge. There are practical approaches that need to be kept in mind to carry out tasks eff ectively. The best way to get better is by practicing consistently, correcting your errors, refi ning your technique with diligence and sincerity. Koko Boutchakjian, Focus Puller www.digitalstudiome.comOCTOBER - DECEMBER 2021 / 41 READY SET GOWhat were the challenges and opportunities associated with directing Hell’s Gate? Hell’s Gate is the fi rst Arab post- apocalyptic drama of its kind and one of Shahid VIP’s most diverse productions to date. The show transports you to an amazing imaginative world. We had to start from scratch, since the story was not based on reality. It’s not something we face as part of our day to day lives. That was really interesting to recreate on screen. A lot of the research included movies, books, comics, basically everything that spoke about the future. I looked for references, and then combined those to make sense within the context of Lebanon and the Arab world at large, which turned out to be challenging. Although, the most diffi cult part was to combine the futuristic aspect with a local look and feel, keeping it believable enough. Another challenge was when some ideas didn’t work half way through and needed a revisit to make them work on all levels. With such a huge production at hand, what was your headspace like? It took us more than 70 days to shoot the show. It was very encouraging to work with the team at Shahid and MBC Group. I am glad they decided to experiment with this genre. That was the real driving factor, not just for me, but also for the entire creative crew. I really appreciate the local platform for taking on the challenge and making the decision to produce the movie. They really embraced the project, as passionately as we did. They knew what we needed and made it a point to deliver on time. Before you choose a script, how do you gauge whether it will work or not? Is there a recipe? According to me, there is nothing more important than your internal voice and vision. The more you believe in the script, the more you know what you are doing and that’s the only thing that counts. There is no recipe, because sometimes when you go by a recipe, things don’t work out. The best way is to believe in your gut feeling. Have post production processes evolved over the years? We are in a diff erent place in terms of post production. Today, you can fi x so many assets just on your phone. Everything is so accessible now. It’s not about your technical abilities today. It’s more about what you are creating. You have a phone, you can shoot 4K, its no longer a technical challenge. Today, the creative aspect in storytelling plays a big role. What are you selling in the story? That is important. Content has to made more interesting on a creative level. Do you think streaming platforms have helped bring local content in the spotlight? I believe platforms are playing a great role and Shahid is enabling a revolution by supporting a lot of innovative stories, as well as new talent. I am one of them and its definitely helped me. Its attracting a new wave in the Arab world and that is definitely moving the industry in an interesting direction. As a director, when do you see local cinema becoming more global? I think we are starting now. Years ago, we had Eg y ptian, Lebanese, or Arab cinema. Today, its all coming together regionally and people are watching it. We have beautiful years to come, with positive change emerging in terms of story telling. This is very exciting for me. I believe we as directors must look out for good stories, master the craft and be open to constructive competition. 5:00 minutes with.... AMIN DORA, LEBANESE VISUAL ARTIST, INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD WINNER AND DIRECTOR, HELL’S GATE – A SHAHID VIP ORIGINAL www.digitalstudiome.com42 / OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2021 5 MINUTES WITH...TRENDING NOW ON GO BEYOND BROADCAST AND PRODUCTION ONLY ON WWW.DIGITALSTUDIOME.COM digitalstudiomiddleeast digitalstudiome digitalstudiome digitalstudiome Industry insider: Talking partnerships Nayla Al Khaja discusses top 5 challenges on set ‘It’s all about talent’ for female gamers in the MENA region The way forward for video consumption Inside Discovery’s content strategy Elastic compute as the way forward for producers in a world of acquisitionsTV PROODUCCTIONN | SSPORRTS PROODUCCTIONN | LIIVE EEVENNTS | COORPOORATTE PRODUCTION MAXIMUM COVERAGE IN 4K AND UHD AROUND THE MENA REGION WWWWW.77PPROODUCCTION.NET enquiries@7production.net +971 4 4415797 | +961 71 182 777 +966 11 420 7777 | For more info please email or call UAE Lebanon KSA or visitNext >