Media production in Dubai handled from permit to master delivery. We navigate the Dubai Film & TV Commission, GCAA drone clearance, free-zone filming approvals, insurance, and every crew role — so your team writes one brief and receives one master, localised per market. Enterprise clients from KSA, Egypt, and global HQs use Dubai as their regional content base; we're the studio that runs it for them.
Most agencies quote you a shoot day. Dubai charges you the day before that — permits, insurance, film-commission liaison, drone clearance. We include the whole pre-flight in the day rate instead of billing you for it in surprises.
Every commercial shoot in Dubai needs a DFTC permit. We file it, follow up, and get it back within the 3–7 working day window. No surprise "we can't shoot here today" phone calls at 7 AM.
DIFC, DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZ, Dubai Design District, twofour54 — each free zone has its own filming approval on top of the DFTC permit. We route each one to the right desk and hold the paperwork until the shoot day.
UAE airspace is regulated by the GCAA. Every aerial shot needs a registered operator, an insured drone, and a per-location clearance for restricted zones near airports, landmarks, or government sites. Included in our aerial packages.
Any street-level closure, crowd scene, or crane setup needs Municipality + Police coordination. We handle the notification calls and the traffic-plan submission — you don't get pulled into the paperwork.
Full liability, equipment, and personnel cover for every shoot day. Certificates of insurance issued to venues, landlords, or free zones as they require. Sensitive locations often demand this before granting entry.
Every crew role — DoP, gaffer, sound, hair/makeup, script supervisor, colourist — sourced locally in Dubai but held to the international standards a global HQ expects. We keep the same core crew across a client's projects so quality doesn't reset with every shoot.
Dubai's enterprise media buyers cluster in six sectors. Each buys a different set of formats — the mix below is what our schedule actually looks like in a given quarter, not a wish list.
Dubai's hotel and F&B sector has permanent content demand — property films, room walkthroughs, chef stories, seasonal campaigns, F&B openings. Fast turnaround and social-first cuts matter more than long-form here.
Off-plan launches, tower reveals, community films, sales-centre walkthroughs, and investor updates. High expectation on scale + polish because the launch films screen at DIFC events and travel to Mumbai / London / Singapore roadshows.
Airlines, MRO providers, airport operators, and Dubai Airshow exhibitors. Films run in cabin, at gate, on the tarmac, and in hangars — with security, safety, and permit complexity that a generalist agency underestimates.
Banks, asset managers, and DIFC-based firms filming for LP updates, hiring, thought-leadership, and quarterly earnings videos. Compliance-heavy approvals + tightly-scripted messaging with legal sign-off cycles built in.
Mall-anchor brands, e-commerce platforms, and consumer launches. Emphasis on speed — from Dubai Shopping Festival campaigns in December to Ramadan drops that need to ship in 10 days, not 10 weeks.
Destination films, experience-led campaigns, itinerary content for regional and international audiences. Requires simultaneous versioning: Arabic-first for Gulf audiences, English for Europe/US, Hindi/Mandarin/Russian for source-market feeds.
Dubai isn't one location — each neighbourhood has its own filming rules, sight-lines, and best hours. The list below is where our schedule actually goes.
Bank lobbies, gate arch, boulevard exteriors. Free-zone filming approval required in addition to the DFTC permit.
Fountain, Boulevard, Souk Al Bahar. Aerial in this zone needs specific GCAA clearance — restricted airspace near Burj.
Marina walk, beach shots, yacht + water setups. Municipality notification for beach shoots + boat operator licensing for on-water work.
Hotels (Atlantis, W, Waldorf), Palm crescent aerials. Each hotel requires separate location clearance; aerials need GCAA approval.
High-rise offices, Canal walk, tower rooftops. Municipality closure often needed for street setups.
Ports, warehouses, factories, logistics. Free-zone permit + individual employer approvals — plan 10 working days ahead.
Fashion, design brand shoots, event coverage. Free-zone filming approval; often colocation with Design Week programming.
Studio hires, gallery shoots, industrial-look backdrops. Fewer permit hurdles than public locations — often the fastest option for interiors.
Yas Island, Corniche, Louvre and Saadiyat cultural venues. Requires Abu Dhabi film-commission permits in addition to any location-owner clearance.
Dubai's real appeal for enterprise clients is that it's the cheapest, most film-friendly base for regional content — but only if the output ships localised to each downstream market. We deliver every project in the language lanes below by default; extra lanes on request.
Voice-over cast in Riyadh dialect where audience is Saudi retail; MSA where audience is enterprise / government.
AR-first for local audiences, EN version for expat-heavy workforce and international investors.
Cast + voice re-recorded in Cairo dialect for consumer-facing content — a Gulf-Arabic master doesn't land in the Egyptian market.
Neutral-accent English cut with metric-first captions, colour-corrected for international ad tech and OTT platforms.
Every lane gets a proper localisation, not a subtitle burn — voice-over cast to market, on-screen text re-typeset, subtitle timing re-checked. A Saudi-market master reads Saudi; a Cairo-market master reads masri.
Dubai production markets are notoriously opaque — day rates that mysteriously double when a brand name shows up. Our standard day rates below; hard-quoted at the workshop against your actual scope, not adjusted for logo.
| Role / crew | Day rate (AED) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Director + DoP (1 person combined) | 6,500–9,500 | Depending on brief complexity |
| Director + separate DoP | 11,000–15,000 | For campaign-grade films |
| 1st AC + focus puller | 2,000–2,800 | Standard on any dialogue shoot |
| Gaffer + spark | 3,500–4,500 | Includes lighting kit up to 4kW |
| Sound recordist | 2,200–3,000 | With boom + lav pack |
| Producer (on-shoot) | 3,000–4,500 | Handles permits, cast, catering, on-day logistics |
| Photography (stills, 8-hr day) | 3,500–6,500 | Includes tethered capture + same-day previews |
| Drone operator + Mavic 3 / Inspire 3 | 4,500–7,500 | GCAA-registered; per-location clearance added |
| Edit + colour (per finished minute) | 3,500–7,000 | Standard corporate / brand film scope |
| Localisation (per language lane) | 3,500–6,000 | Voice, subtitles, on-screen text re-typeset |
All rates in AED, exclusive of 5% UAE VAT. Multi-day shoots discounted by 10–20% per day depending on continuity. Rates include kit; travel outside metropolitan Dubai billed at cost. Full quotes include location, permits, insurance, catering, post-production, and delivery.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority regulates every drone flight. Most Dubai agencies still fly grey — cheaper, but a single fine or grounded shoot day is more expensive than doing it properly. We do it properly.
Kickoff to shoot day is usually 3–4 weeks for a standard corporate film — 1 week concept + script sign-off, 1–2 weeks pre-production (permits, casting, location), and the shoot itself. Aerial or free-zone shoots add 1 week for permit turnaround. Rush-mode kickoffs (10-day) are possible for existing clients.
We do — always, and it's included in the package. Our production team files, tracks, and holds the permit until shoot day. Standard turnaround is 3–7 working days; we don't confirm a shoot date until the permit is in hand.
Each has its own filming approval on top of DFTC. We handle the routing and paperwork; the lead time varies by zone (DIFC and DMCC are the fastest; JAFZA and industrial free zones the slowest). If your shoot depends on a specific free zone, tell us at the workshop so we file early.
Yes — GCAA-registered operators, insured aircraft (Mavic 3 Cine + Inspire 3 for our standard aerial kit), per-location clearances filed 5–14 days ahead depending on restricted zones. Burj Khalifa surroundings, airport buffers, and government sites all need extra clearance; we handle it.
5% UAE VAT charged on every invoice. Full TRN-carrying tax invoices in the FTA-required bilingual (Arabic + English) format. If your brief is for a Saudi or Egyptian entity, we can invoice from the corresponding regional entity if that's simpler for your finance team.
Both. Dubai has a deep local talent pool (Emirati, expat, model-agency) — enough for 90% of briefs. For campaign-scale shoots that need specific international talent, we handle casting, visa, work-permit, and on-day logistics.
Dubai is our primary UAE base, but we operate as one regional team with delivery in Saudi (our Riyadh studio) and Egypt (partner production floor in Cairo). For briefs that need same-week filming in KSA and UAE — a common enterprise pattern — we split crews across markets from the same brief.
Yes. Fixer-only packages cover permits, location, casting, transport, catering, kit rental, and on-day production — everything except the creative crew, which comes from you. Common for global brands sending their own director for a regional shoot.
One brief, one production team, one master delivery — localised for every market it needs to ship in. Send the scope and target date; we come back inside 3 working days with a permit-inclusive fixed quote.