Underlining its creativity, capabilities and ability to deliver across any format, Dubai-headquartered a.k.a. Media is celebrating the success of a highly imaginative music video, created for Russian superstar singer and model, Zivert and Ukrainian popstar Max Barskih.
The production company planned the four-minute film over two weeks, and took a 60-strong crew to the beautiful Al Qudra desert in the UAE to shoot the video in just two days.
Company founder and CEO, Yasser Obeid, says: “This was a complex project, involving a lot of people and a lot of technical issues. Shooting a music video is very different than shooting any other type of film. One reason is that your imagination can have no limits - as long as it looks cool and cinematic.”
And just a glimpse of the super cool video will make you realise just how imaginative it is. The artists are flying through the desert, there’s some incredible CGI work, laser beams and pyrotechnics. a.k.a. Media had to work hard ahead of the shoot to get permissions to use pyrotechnics and mirrors in the unspoilt desert.
As Yasser explains: “So people flying (the artists were rigged on heights of 5-6 meters at some point), exploding mirrors, surfing on a futuristic surfboard across the desert, laser beams and lighting drones in the desert seem almost normal!”
The international crew included the hand-picked a.k.a Media team, alongside Russian and Ukrainian artists and support crew – some 60 people in total.
And the pandemic didn’t halt the filming either, especially given that the shoot took place in February. Yasser and his crew ensured full compliance with COVID-19 health and safety measures throughout proceedings.
“A big ‘hats off’ to both artists, as the two filming days were very difficult and exhausting for them in particular - and they were very professional about the whole thing. Being rigged for hours every day, the incredible dance moves in the desert in the heat and all the other activity and demands for 12-14 hours a day is exhausting,” adds Obeid.
Directed by Russian movie director and producer Alan Badoev, the striking futuristic love story has been a massive hit with fans of both artists, with more than 15 million YouTube views at the time of writing.
a.k.a Media is currently working on pre-production for a music video with another major star.
“We are experienced in this most creative form, and the popularity of Max and Zivert’s film is fantastic news for our hard-working team – nothing gives us greater pleasure than seeing our films achieve great success in the wild,” concludes Obeid.
