Stellar musical performances on modern history, captivating fireworks, drone shows and enchanting sound effects, over 3,500 performers marked the sublime landscape of Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom celebrated its first-ever Founding Day this year on February 22 as a means of preserving the region’s constructed cultural identity. In an exclusive report, DS takes you through how Seven Production pulled off the Kingdom’s grandest event, in conversation with Pierre Tabet, Managing Director of Seven Production.
Edited excerpt below:
Take us through the brief by the government to Seven production for Saudi Foundation Day?
Seven is the region’s largest 4k broadcast service provider and as such, it was trusted to film and broadcast such an important event on such a magnitude. We sourced all the technical equipment to bring this event to life along with sourcing international technical personnel with the lead director being from Europe.
It is the first time in history this foundation day was done in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. Basically the day explores the foundations of how Saudi Arabia began and is an annual event from this day forth
What was the creative vision and overall feel that the team wanted to channel? How did the team at Seven manage to nail that?
The creative vision was presented to Seven and then we brought this vision to life. All equipment is privately owned by Seven Production.
From the briefing received, the show would take place on the water, the mountains and initially over several stages, so from a production standpoint we really wanted the show’s visuals to cover the full set up to express the magnitude of the event. This was successfully accomplished by having cameras all over the site, x8 cameras on the water, x3 cranes, some RF’s, remotes and drones, all contributing towards a 360 overview.
How did the team ace the production of an event of this scale?
It sounds basic but it all comes down to having a clear communication. Intercom is very important in order to aide listening in a very noisy environment, we needed Clarks / 3M headsets for noise cancelling for the cameras and for Motorola.
In addition to intercoms, meetings with the teams were also essential. Strategic meetings with the client along with the team, creative director and director of production are always important to make sure every detailed requirement has been handled with the utmost professionalism.
In terms of broadcast facilities, what all was leveraged?
This is the first time a parade of such magnitude takes place to commemorate the region. With the technical and creative teams (director & producer) Seven Production came up with the equipment list, studied the detail of how many cameras needed to be on site, ensuring nothing was missed in order to make this event happen and have an outstanding impact.
How did the team ensure that the most cutting-edge technology was put to use here?
At Seven Productions we are specialists in production technology and as we provide the equipment ourselves, so we have access to the exact gear we need.
How much time did the set-up take?
Overall, it took 3 days for set up, 4 days made up for the basic rehearsal, 2 days filming rehearsal with dress code to hit the nail on the head with the perfect production.
What was the most challenging aspect when it comes to production and lighting?
One of the most challenging aspects between production and lighting was the synchronisation of both. The director of production and the vision engineer had to work closely together to get the best outcome from the final pictures to make sure it is the result they want
How was the response to the event?
The event was very well received. It will now continue for years to come which says a thing or two about its success.