Industry professionals working at Dubai Studio City have been watching the gradual rise of a building that will be the first of three grand sound stages taking shape at the media free zone. The smaller of the three grand sound stages that includes 15,000 sq ft stage space and an additional 15,000 sq ft space […]
Industry professionals working at Dubai Studio City have been watching the gradual rise of a building that will be the first of three grand sound stages taking shape at the media free zone. The smaller of the three grand sound stages that includes 15,000 sq ft stage space and an additional 15,000 sq ft space for makeup, dressing rooms, and offices is likely to be ready within the next couple of months gauging from the photographs on the Dubai Studio City web site.
The stage is part of a larger production complex that is intended to eventually house 14 sound stages although the first phase will see two more sound stages, each 25,000 sq.ft developed and joined by a 30 metre wide elephant door.
Speaking to BroadcastPro Middle East, Jamal Al Sharif, managing director of Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City, said: Dubai, with its diverse, cosmopolitan and affluent population is an avid consumer of cinema and TV productions from within and outside the Arab world. On its part, the government offers strategic support to create a global film production hub through leveraging the competitive advantages of the emirate.
In line with this strategic approach towards the film and TV industry, Dubai Studio City is installing advanced technical and community infrastructure such as sound stages. The first in the Gulf region, these sound stages are backed by state-of-the-art production support offices. The facility, which is already operational, marks a milestone in the development of filming infrastructure.
Designed to NC 25, the sound stage has been built to meet the increasing requirements for film production within Dubais rapidly growing filmmaking environment. It is completely sound proofed and includes steel-framed catwalks with vinyl flooring and wooden caped guardrails. Elephant doors, which suppress or block undesirable sounds such as machinery and traffic, stand at 6.1m high and 5.4m wide.
The motorised rolling doors come with tracks, sound traps and acoustic seals. The door can travel at an incredible speed of 9.1m per minute.
Other technical specifications include roll-down fire doors to protect openings. A RED Light System will be deployed with red recording lights at all entry doors to the sound stage, internally and externally. The interior of the sound stage boasts extensive storage and production office space. All areas, including the dressing rooms and star suites, have access to wi-fi, and are within good access to post-production studios and satellite communication services. Onsite parking is readily available for trailers and large equipment trucks.
Adjacent to the film complex are backlots spanning three million sq ft of space for shooting outdoor scenes and erecting temporary external sets. The facility can accommodate feature film productions, television shows, music video productions, reality shows and commercial shoots.
With the first sound stage at Dubai Studio City gearing up to open its doors, the second and third sound stages of the first phase will not be too far behind. These studios will be larger at 25,000 sq ft each.
