THE WINTER

Dubai Tourism welcomes the world to its winter season Expo with its latest campaign, ‘The Winter’. Directed by Federico Mazzarisi, represented by Great Guns in the UK and US, the engaging film experience immerses audiences on a journey through the Expo and its diverse pavilions, capturing in a matter of seconds the essence of winter in UAE.

The campaign launches viewers across Dubai, an impressive city boasting over 1000km of beaches, natural landscapes, and a range of experiences from relaxing canal boats to adrenaline-pumping jet skis. Showcasing Dubai’s varied terrain, people, colours, and lights, the film transports the audience upside down from one pavilion to the other at one of the most meaningful international exhibitions of today - Dubai’s winter Expo.

Targeting European citizens who traditionally associate winter with mountains, skiing, and Christmas, Dubai Tourism wanted to offer an alternative vision of the season, complete with sun, sand, resorts, and relaxation. To capture the essence of winter in such a climate, Federico opted for a warm, sunny aesthetic that imbued the film with a touch of summer - emphasising the contrast between Dubai and Europe’s winter and making it an even more attractive destination for the season.

The directorial focus of the film was to break from the stereotypes of the typical tourism campaign, making use of a bolder, edgier camera language along with a fresh aesthetic to attract a younger audience. Shot across five days, the team got creative with the camera to achieve this goal, flinging FPV drones through high buildings, going upside down with arc shots to visit several pavilions in a handful of seconds, and rigging the camera onto characters and objects to capture unique perspectives in action. The final product is a dynamic, whirlwind film that still retains a solid film flow and smooth transitions.

When it came to shooting on location, the team had to plan for a number of hurdles, such as keeping dressing and lighting setups to a minimum at the pavilions in order to keep them open to visitors. For filming at certain sensitive locations, including the Expo where shooting is highly limited, the team had to prepare long in advance, adjusting and reinterpreting ideas to fit within the restrictions. Ultimately, the team overcame these challenges to craft a campaign that genuinely represents the essence of the fast-growing city.