Work that raises the bar
Various regional clients, renowned and up-and-coming, have entrusted and enlisted the talents of the creative production house. They all have one thing in common: they look to impress and trust that City Films will always deliver.
When it came time to launch the Nissan Patrol for example, TBWA\RAAD Dubai called on City Films and German director Nico Kreis, nominated for New Director of the Year at the Shots Awards in 2005 and winner of the Young Lions Award, to handle the job. The leading narrative was an epic battle between city and desert that positions Nissan’s Patrol as a car that can handle any terrain. Realizing this vision, however, in Dubai in the middle of August, was a different ball game altogether that came with an endless list of challenges - the production house managed to tackle them all by thinking out of the box.
To start with, City Films had to find the right team to execute in the summer in Dubai- they ended up having to fly in global acting and design talents especially for the job. Next, the blistering heat: the 50-degree weather loosened the sand, which made it a serious challenge to choreograph and film the cars as desired. The drones also malfunctioned in the heat, making it impossible to shoot the city scenes. The solution? The team designed an entire virtual city in CG. They also designed an epic sandstorm in CG, a task that couldn’t have been done without the team’s production and post-production experience, intuition and patience. Add to that complicated synchronization feats between multiple drones and Russian arms, and you have the perfect mix for a near impossible mission. The team pulled it off beautifully however, and along with incredible visual effects from Ambassadors postproduction house, the result was a stunning, hero of a commercial.
Other projects have required different skill sets from the team. Along with JWT Doha, Ambassadors and director Daniel Benmayor, City Films has produced a number of light-hearted commercials for QNB that star Xavi Hernandez, the bank’s official brand ambassador. The ads have demanded intricate animation, CG design, insane wardrobe changes and more- all on very tight deadlines. The latest Xavi commercial garnered over 5 million views within the first week of posting. City Films was able to step up to the plate and deliver worldclass commercials fitting of the bank’s standing and the football player’s image.