The show must go on: cameras keep rolling on Arab soap opera ‘Inheritance,’ despite the pandemic
Production on the show continues in a ‘controlled environment’ in its Abu Dhabi studio, finds Razmig Bedirian
Even without a pandemic, producing a soap opera is back-breaking work.
Episodes are often filmed mere days before they are broadcast, actors need to learn their lines on the spot and scripts can be rewritten at the drop of a hat based on audience feedback.
So when the coronavirus crisis hit, and social-distancing measures were put in place, it was no surprise that filming for a number of TV soap operas around the world – including the UK’s Coronation
Street, which had been running continuously since 1960 – came to a screeching halt for the first time in decades.
The region’s first and only soap opera, Inheritance, or Al
Mirath – developed by MBC Studios, twofour54 and Image Nation Abu Dhabi – however, is proving to be far more resilient.
The show, which launched in March, is set in Saudi Arabia and tells the story of two families who become embroiled in a battle for inheritance after the death of construction magnate Abdulmohsin Al Behitani.
The show is filmed entirely in Abu Dhabi, however, and not only has the team continued production during the pandemic, but it also began broadcasting seven episodes a week during Ramadan. Previously, it broadcast four times a week, from Sunday to Wednesday.
That is not to say preparing the soap for the screen has been a straight-forward endeavour, as strict safety procedures have been put in place. “The rhythm of filming has definitely changed,” says Elie Boghos, head of productions at Image Nation Abu Dhabi. “That is mostly due to the measures we had to put in place and the logistics we had to figure out in the wake of the pandemic.”
Boghos says that normally there would be a cast and crew of almost 90 people on set at any given time. However, because of social-distancing measures, that number has been cut down to 25.
“Before the pandemic, filming would take place across three locations, including a hospital, a villa and the studio in Mussaffah. Now, more than 95 per cent of the shots are taken in the studio because it’s a much more controlled environment and we can make sure our cast and crew are working in safe conditions.”
The studio in Abu Dhabi does not exactly look like your typical television set.
From the outside, it looks like any other warehouse in Mussaffah, but within its walls of corrugated plastic are the Baroque-style rooms of the palaces of two warring Saudi families.
The hallways inside the warehouse are decked out with crystal chandeliers and grandiose paintings of horses, there are bedrooms with silk sheets, grand pianos and staircases with gilded banisters that coil up to the ceiling.
There are also instructional posters hanging everywhere in the studio, educating readers on Covid-19 and underlining the importance of washing hands.
Boghos says the team is working for 12 hours every day, five days a week, filming an episode a day to ensure they are ready in time to be released.
“We are no longer allowing visitors to the set,” he says. “We sterilise the entire set every two weeks, and everyone at the studio has to wear gloves and masks at all times, except when actors need to film.”
Boghos says most of the actors are staying at a hotel in Abu Dhabi, so their safety can be ensured even when they were not on set.
“We do regular tests to make sure they have not contracted the virus. And there are temperature checks for everyone who comes on the set.”
There were also some other hurdles the team needed to overcome. For example, a few of the cast members had travelled to Saudi Arabia days before all flights in and out of the UAE were cancelled, and they could not return in time to resume filming.
“Two of our main actors are in Saudi now,” Boghos says. “So we made some changes to the storyline and decided to incorporate the current situation within the plot.”
One of the actors currently in Saudi Arabia plays a doctor in the show. The writers decided that making her character contract Covid-19 was both an effective way of establishing her absence from the show and made the storyline more topical and true-to-life.
The show’s writers have also been confronted with a number of challenges during the pandemic. Normally, the scriptwriting team would regularly meet for brainstorming sessions. Boghos says they are now exchanging ideas through online meetings, and scripts are no longer developed and written as quickly as they used to be.
However, with an episode being filmed every day, it’s still very much a breakneck-speed production. And Boghos says it would not have been possible without the support of the local government and twofour54.
“We are very grateful for the UAE government,” Boghos says. “They have been extremely helpful in granting us permits and allowing us to continue production. It really would not have been possible without them. Twofour54 has also been extremely helpful, giving us a 50 per cent discount on post-production.”
While the pandemic has put a number of obstacles in their way, Boghos says the situation has also inspired them to stay on their toes, and confront every issue with creativity and diligence.
“We are learning something new every day,” he says. “But we are thankful. All of us are facing new challenges because of this pandemic, but it is also inspiring us to work together and develop a stronger sense of unity.”
We are facing new challenges because of this pandemic, but it also inspires us to develop a stronger sense of unity ELIE BOGHOS Image Nation Abu Dhabi