Director duo “Dr. Bowman” worked alongside BKF to produce a brand campaign for BBDO and Etisalat about “Togetherness”. The shoot took place in Dubai over a 10-day period, in November 2020. However, 16 films were to be shot, making it a highly pressured, yet exciting challenge for the team.
Dr Bowman’s work is known for its distinctive style, with a strong cinematic aesthetic and can be described as stylized realism, with a strong narrative at the core. The young European pair were flown in from Amsterdam, where they are based, and it was their first time directing in the UAE.
“Together Matters” was the main phrase at the heart of this campaign. It’s about opening a conversation with people and asking what the word “together” means to them. Whether it’s at work, with family or in one’s social life, everyone has a unique interpretation of “togetherness”. The main film has a more global feel to it and creates scenes that capture the feeling of coming together in a wide range of real-life moments.
Some of the short films featured “real people” and “influencers”. Real people were talents shown to be consolidating in their ordinary life. They’re simply following their daily routine, yet coming together, making the piece relatable to everyone.
The influencer films focused on a few well-known social media stars from the UAE, including @lojain_omran, @maxofarabia, @saoudalkaabi, @durjoydatta and @thelookbureau. They gave their unique interpretation of the word “together” and how “togetherness” plays a part in their day-to-day lives.
The main challenge that we faced was, of course, COVID-19. More than 300 tests were done. We also had to have crew and talents on standby incase backups were needed. However, the combination of outstanding organizational and production skills, along with a bit of luck, resulted in no cases during the project.
Overall, the campaign was a challenging, yet very rewarding. It turned out to be a wonderful piece. Take a look:
