< PreviousCHIMP BIG is being produced by Discovery in association with Chimp — a production company set up by Hammond himself. The formation of Chimp drew inspiration from one of his passions in life — automobiles — combined with the sea- change in the world of content creation. “I find the correlation between cars and TV programming fascinating. Just like the car, the television is undergoing a fundamental change,” says Hammond. “The internal combustion engine is rapidly changing — not being phased out just yet — but other forms of propulsion are joining it. The entire concept of the automobile as a mode of transport is evolving rapidly — it has gone from being a novelty to become culturally defining. Similarly the TV has gone from being a novelty that we were able to view grainy images on, to a culturally defining piece of kit in our homes. It too is undergoing a sea-change as the car both in terms of production, distribution and consumption. “For me now to have founded Chimp on 30 years of my own experience and to pull in people to a point we have got a healthy mix of experienced professionals and incomers into the fi eld. The excitement, sometimes naivety, is benefi cial because it challenges the manner in which experienced people like myself do things.” Hammond is buoyed with the impact he is having on newcomers and recalls his early days and the impact people had on his life in the 1980s, when he first started his career. Hammond reveals more information about his team. He says: “The production crew that worked on BBC’s Top Gear, we employ at Chimp. They are also the same crew that worked on The Grand Tour, they are phenomenal story tellers and passionate about what they do.” On the impact social media platforms such as YouTube have on traditional forms of content production and transmission, Hammond says the emphasis on quality has increased over the years. “THE TV HAS GONE FROM BEING A NOVELTY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO VIEW GRAINY IMAGES ON, TO A CULTURALLY DEFINING PIECE OF KIT IN OUR HOMES. IT TOO IS UNDERGOING A SEA-CHANGE AS THE CAR BOTH IN TERMS OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION.” WHAT’S IN THE SERIES? World’s Biggest Car Factory Super Galaxy Plane Austria’s Mega Dam The Marie Maersk World’s Longest Railway Tunnel Super Stadium Tallest Building on Earth Gulf Oil Platform Mankind’s Biggest Builds Richard Hammond on his way to fi lm a segment of BIG speaks with DS ME editor Nikhil Pereira. www.digitalstudiome.com20 / FEBRUARY 2020 IN FOCUSIn the past, it might have been “okay” to put out sub-standard quality content so long as it was being done. Today several independent content creators have made their voice heard on various platforms, but more importantly the ones that have been successful have championed a cause in a niche segment. “A lot of it has been up for grabs and a lot of it has been grabbed by some brilliant content creators considered thoughtful and creative. Sometimes that space has been captured by more opportunistic land grabbers. It will sort itself out over time,” Hammond says in response to the level and quality of content creators on YouTube. He adds: “The phrase ‘content is king’ has come back in a big way. This was happening in the TV industry 15 years ago before content generation and distribution veered into it. There was a technology revolution with the kit we used to make TV shows. It’s no longer enough just to say ‘we have the ability to fi lm high quality content that’s suitable for editing and broadcast’, because kids could do it on tiny cameras and edit it on home PCs. Today you can fi lm on your phone in 4K, edit on your tablet and distribute it quickly. “That means the value lies in the idea, the creative. I wouldn’t want to be a big facilities house right now — running a business founded on kit that’s worth $10m because that would be outdated entertainment — when it comes to the sort of shows that I envisage Chimp to work on. I’m not there to present my take on stuff but to tell facts behind the marvellous professionals who make it possible,” Hammond concludes. “THE PHRASE ‘CONTENT IS KING’ HAS COME BACK IN A BIG WAY. THIS WAS HAPPENING IN THE TV INDUSTRY 15 YEARS AGO BEFORE CONTENT GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION VEERED INTO IT… TODAY YOU CAN FILM ON YOUR PHONE IN 4K, EDIT ON YOUR TABLET AND DISTRIBUTE IT QUICKLY.” Hammond descends the Burj Khalifa on a rope access system during his shoot for Discovery’s BIG. in a week. Craft is still very relevant and this day and age, it’s not only about the level of kit and equipment. For a while shabbier video was acceptable but it has evolved more to a point that the pictures and sound needs to be good. And our attention spans are not diminishing to 30 seconds — I don’t believe that. There is still room for short and long form video. After Jeremey Clarkson, James May and Hammond ended their 20-plus year run as presenters of BBC’s Top Gear, the trio signed up with Amazon to produce The Grand Tour. They also have a separate venture called Drivetribe — a digital media platform that includes a website and widely popular YouTube channel. The latter has over a million subscribers and a total of 121,207,722 views since its inception in 2016. It’s most popular upload has over 10 million views. The fourth season of The Grand Tour was released on December 13, 2019 — and it’s unsure whether a fi fth is on the horizon. As for the future of Hammond’s production company Chimp, “I’d love to stay with factual DISCOVERY SPEAKS Victoria Noble, vice president, original content, factual at Discovery shed light on Richard Hammond’s involvement in the planning of the series. “BIG has been a fantastic collaboration between Discovery, Richard and his production company Chimp. He was fully involved throughout — he attended production meetings which you wouldn’t necessar- ily expect from such high-profi le talent, whose time is in demand. Hammond has been instrumental in creating the series and he has put his heart, soul and passion for engineering into it. He has truly immersed himself both on and off camera, so it’s been an incredible partnership.” IN FOCUS www.digitalstudiome.comFEBRUARY 2020 / 21 www.digitalstudiome.com22 / FEBRUARY 2020 COVER FEATUREwww.digitalstudiome.com COVER FEATURE Pierre Tabet, managing director of 7 Production – a Dubai-based global production house – charts the company’s colossal rise to the top Production has set the pace when it comes to media production and delivery in the region. The Dubai-based independent production house witnessed a strong 2019 dotted with several feathers in its growing list of achievements. By now 7 is relatively well-known for its coverage of the FIA Formula 1 championship, delivering its services to the MBC Group who won the MENA rights to televise the races to its audiences at the start of the last season. Prior to MBC, BeIN used to broadcast the F1 races regionally. Every year the F1 season begins with the Australian GP and the spectacle concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November / December. In between the F1 juggernaut rolls to 19 other destinations around the world spanning Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. 7 FEBRUARY 2020 / 23 COVER FEATURE 7’s fl eet of OB trucks is unmatched regionally. and events. We do a big chunk of daily concerts in Riyadh as well,” Tabet adds. Meanwhile, the company’s growing prowess and specialisation in sports has drawn interest from other countries as well. Apart from the Gulf, 7 has been approached by countries in the African continent. Tabet reveals: “Africa is our next major frontier since there is a lot of demand especially with the rising interest in football broadcast across the continent. We have been approached and are currently studying the dynamic.” 7 is taking a holistic approach to expansion and is looking at fortifying its presence in existing markets as well. The firm currently has offices in London and Finland, “where it’s working to get a bigger share of the market” while it continues to expand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Having referenced Saudi Arabia 7 Production worked hand in glove with MBC to make the race experience as viewer friendly as possible. “It was a great experience, Formula 1 is huge,” says Pierre Tabet, managing director, 7 Production. More details on 7 Production’s F1 journey later on in the article. Tabet takes time out of his busy schedule to share exclusive details of the company’s present and future. We make our way to one of the company’s full HD outside broadcast (OB) trucks — 7 Production has the largest fleet of OB trucks in the region. “We are sitting in one of our biggest OB trucks, which is fully HD, and can hold up to 25 cameras. This truck caters to large live productions that include football, cricket — any big production,” Tabet reveals. 7 has tightened its grip over the live sports events and broadcast sector over the last 12-18 months. Apart from the aforementioned events, 7 was also involved in the Dakar Rally for the first time which took place this January. “The Gulf is bound by sports — Formula E, football, camel and falcon races take place in every country. We do several events for the military; our facility is also used to film TV shows; and finally we are involved in concerts “WE ARE GOING TO BE LEADING AND MOST INNOVATIVE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR 4K. ALL THE EQUIPMENT IN OUR TRUCKS ARE KITTED TO MEET 4K ULTRA HD SPEC AND WE HAVE LEFT A MARGIN TO UPGRADE EQUIPMENT WHENEVER WE CAN.” COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.com24 / FEBRUARY 2020a few times already Tabet is a firm believer of major growth that the Kingdom has been touted for. 7 has invested a significant amount of funds in its Saudi operations, and while the move has paid rich dividends Tabet says it was challenging since 7 was an early mover in the Kingdom. “We have seven studios in Saudi Arabia all of which are fully booked with shows that vary in size and production levels. Our studios range from 1,500 m2 to 5,000 m2 where we will be producing the next season of Top Chef for MBC. Previously 7 has worked on the production of Season 1 and Season 2 of Top Chef which was filmed in Dubai, for Season 4 we used our studios in Lebanon and now the focus is about to shift on Saudi.” 4K For 2020 a major development is 7’s foray into 4K making it one of the first to introduce 4K to the region. “We are going to introduce the flyaway pod and new 4K Ultra HD OB trucks to the market,” Tabet reveals. xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx A BOY AND HIS CAMERA: PIERRE TABET Pierre Tabet has spent the better part of his life in media production — 32 years to be precise. Lebanese born and raised, Tabet’s fi rst major job was with MTV where he set up its operations in Lebanon. He started off as a cameraman and worked his way up the food chain heading the division. Still relatively young, Tabet relocated to Dubai and worked for MBC where he set up the company’s broadcast division. Tabet then moved Abu Dhabi Media, one of 7’s biggest clients unto date, where he was tasked with setting up Live — the production and broadcast arm of ADM. It’s here he realised that the market was ripe for a privately held production company. Tabet, in association with Hadi Ghanem the fi rm’s CEO, set up 7 Production in 2007 with a tiny van that was equipped with a few cameras. Thanks to their reputation in the market the duo picked up several jobs. From there on the rest is history as Tabet and Ghanem experienced unprecedented growth purchasing two OB trucks on an average every year. “If not OB trucks, we invested in fl yaway packs, ENG equipment, and speciality equipment. We have consistently invested in the next big thing,” says the 44-year old Tabet. An avid lover of motorsport, Tabet dreamed of fi lming the Formula 1 and famously declared that 7 Production would be on the paddocks in the not- so-distant future. The dynamism and qualities that Ghanem, his family and Tabet bring to the business is priceless in making 7 Production achieve its reputation as one of the most respected production houses in the region. The new trucks are kitted with state- of-the-art equipment. Tabet says: “We are going to be the leading and most innovative service provider for 4K. All the equipment in our trucks are kitted 7 Production has gone from strength to strength ever since the company was set up in 2007. The fl yaway pod (pictured here still in its unfi nished state) will be a game changer for 7’s operations. COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.comFEBRUARY 2020 / 25 term of covering the races for MBC. The teams hence faced a few logistical challenges through the course of the 21 race weeks. Tabet notes: “The obvious challenge we faced was travelling from one country to another within a week. We had to fly all the equipment and set it up in time for the race weekend. Every country has its own set of protocols and procedures. “We had to adjust to major cultural differences in every country. We worked with freelance teams globally and had to adopt to crews from the country we were in. From the terminology to style of working — but most of all the means of communication was chaotic. After all is said and done we are passionate about our profession and speak the same language through what we do, everything came together.” Six crew members travelled to all race venues from 7’s local offices in Dubai. Meanwhile creative specialists such as project coordinators and camera specialists were contracted from local markets where the races were being held. In all 7 had a team of 20 to 25 professionals at each race weekend production. The 2018-2019 F1 sea- son was a major success for the company. On the inside of 7 OB truck that’s complete with cameras, switchers and playout systems. to meet 4K Ultra HD spec, which we can upgrade with new equipment as and when it comes out.” Meanwhile the company is also working on a custom ‘broadcast flyaway pod’. Tabet adds: “ We are one of the first in the Middle East to introduce the pod to the market. It will replace the flypack system. The pod operates like an OB van but it’s a lot more versatile because you can transport it all over the world. At the moment our mission is to improve Formula 1 coverage, which the pod will help address. But we also be able to use it at several events and productions making our life a lot easier.” The flyaway pod will also hold the firm in good stead for events such as camel races that are normally held in the dessert where trucks cannot traverse smoothly. The broadcast flyaway pod is a direct takeaway from 7’s learnings of covering its first full season of F1. Tabet and his team spotted the pod being used by all major international broadcasters across the 21 races. “We want to serve MBC in the best way possible. The broadcast flyaway pod brings us up to speed to international broadcasters. The pod is triple expanding, similar to an OB van.” 7 did not have the pod for the 2018-2019 F1 season, its first full “AFRICA IS OUR NEXT MA JOR FRONTIER SINCE THERE IS A LOT OF DEMAND ESPECIALLY WITH THE RISING INTEREST IN FOOTBALL BROADCAST IN THE CONTINENT. WE HAVE BEEN APPROACHED AND ARE CURRENTLY STUDYING THE DYNAMIC.” 105 EMPLOYEES, 500+ FREELANCERS ON 7 PRODUCTION’S BOOKS COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.com26 / FEBRUARY 2020kit like we do, and we continue to invest heavily in it. As an independent company we are challenging the market while maintaing fair competition and prices — all this throws up a challenge which we welcome. It keeps us motivated and our clients satisfied.” Tabet and his team will be taking a quick breather following a grueling 2018-2019 F1 season, and more recently the Dakar Rally. However there’s no time to rest as they get ready to do it all over again at the start of the 2020-21 season opener, at the Australian GP. Finally Tabet has his sights firmly set on Expo 2020 and hopes to get in on the first truly global event for the Arab world. “There is huge opportunity with the onset of Expo 2020. We have a good relationship with the UAE Government and Dubai TV — who are expected to have a big part of Expo 2020 — we are their supporter. I believe everything is going to be in 4K and we are ready for that,” Tabet concludes. 7 has a stronghold over the live sports broadcast market. A BOY AND HIS CAMERA: PIERRE TABET - Swoop Feestyle International Open - Al Gaffal Dhow Race 2019 - FIA World Rallycross Championship RX - MTK Global - AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 - Cirque Du Soleil - Civil Defence Graduation Ceremony. - King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (2018) “THERE IS HUGE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE ONSET OF EXPO 2020. WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UAE GOVERNMENT AND DUBAI TV — WHO ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE A BIG PART OF EXPO 2020 — WE ARE THEIR SUPPORTER. I BELIEVE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE IN 4K AND WE ARE READY FOR THAT.” 2020 AND BEYOND Responding to a question about the current market challenges, Tabet says it’s no different in the broadcast and media production space than the other sectors. Tabet notes: “Every business faces challenges in a market that’s ever-evolving, ours is no different to what the real estate market, for instance, goes through. To add to it our industry is a capital intensive for our clients and for us. We keep upgrading our equipment as well, which is imperative to maintain our position on the top. “That’s evident with our recent investment. No one has the 4K UHD COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.comFEBRUARY 2020 / 27 Ahmed Hafez has sat at the video editing table since he was 14, still at a relatively young age the Egyptian video editor sheds light on some of his memorable experiences ell us a bit about yourself and how did you get into the industry? I was born in Egypt in the early 80s, so my childhood and early teen years were just like any Egyptian kid in the 80s and 90s. I started my career at an early age. I’ve been doing what I do for over 20 years, since high school. My dad used to work at an advertising agency, I would spend my summer vacation accompanying him to work, watching, observing, and learning from a distance since the age of 14. At fi rst I was interested in graphics, 3D and animation. I tried doing that for a couple of weeks, but I got bored and lost interest. I’ve always had an eye for the editing suite. I’d go watch the editors while they work and ask them questions. One day there was a situation where the editor didn’t show up and they needed someone urgently. I said I’d do it. They let me try. This was back when editing was linear. Following that moment I won their trust and they let me take on small jobs. By the time I fi nished high school I was experienced enough to take on an entire project by myself. I made the jump, without ever being an assistant editor, to work on music videos. By the time I was 18, I had made a name for myself editing commercial shorts and music videos. I wanted to pursue my studies at the higher institute of cinema, but my father was adamant I had an alternate back-up career in place. This meant I studied international business at Cairo University. I was a full time editor and studying business at university at the same time. My fi rst feature fi lm was 45 Days, which I worked on at T MOVEMENT LINEAR www.digitalstudiome.com28 / FEBRUARY 2020 INTERVIEW Ahmed Hafeez. www.digitalstudiome.comFEBRUARY 2020 / 29 INTERVIEWNext >