Dubai on the Fly
THE CONCEPT
In 2016, Off the Grid Studios and Beattie Outdoor Productions were approached by Nick Bowles, a South African expat living in the Emirates, to make a film about fly fishing in Dubai. This documentary was two years in the making and required tremendous cross-cultural collaboration between Dubai Tourism and our production team.
Off the Grid believes in creating dynamic and comprehensive campaigns for clients. We firmly placed Dubai’s fly fishing scene on the map in 2018 by bringing the city and fishing to core audiences in +170 theaters, 6+ major publication features and articles, social media campaigns and a final launch on Amazon and other channels.
PRE-PRODUCTION
This film required a year of pre-production planning. RA Beattie and I headed to Dubai in February 2017 to scout the water and all the locations we might want to shoot, including Dubai’s spice souk, fish market and indoor ski resort. We knew this couldn’t simply be a documentary about fly fishing and wanted to reveal to viewers all of the expected glitz and glam of the city, along with the very
traditional core as expressed through old-school dhow fishermen. We wrote out each scene and
booked collaborators for each vignette, from falcon and camel handlers to a Jaguar dealership.
THE TEAM. Back row, left to right: Frank Smethurst (on-screen talent), Bryan Gregson (still photography), Capt. Nick Bowles (guide/on-screen talent). Middle, left to right: Muhammad Al Faour (on-screen talent), Saeed Al Mahiri (Dubai Tourism), Paul Bourcq (cinematographer), Sarah Grigg (writer/producer), Richard Shirazian (Dubai location scout/drone operator). Bottom, left to right: RA Beattie (producer/director), Brenton Sharp (guide/underwater camera).
PRODUCTION
We spent one week in Dubai capturing all the footage we needed of Frank exploring the city. Beyond fly fishing with Ocean Active, Frank was called upon to handle camels and falcons, drive a 600-horsepower Jaguar, sand board and snowboard (indoors), golf and to perform several other tricks. Frank also sailed aboard a wooden dhow owned by an 80-year-old commercial fishermen who welcomed our entire team aboard to film his crew at work checking fish traps.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
In addition to the film, our PR and writing team brought this story to life within the print and digital pages of Fly Fisherman, Condé Nast Traveler, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Stonefly Magazine, The Mission, This is Fly and more! Dubai on the Fly is available for purchase on Amazon Prime.
To view my additional outdoor film credits, check out my work with Off the Grid Studios.
My feature for Fly Fisherman magazine.