SABIC BUILDING INAUGURATION

E9 PRODUCTION AND MOMENTS INTERNATIONAL PRODUCE A LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION TO CELEBRATE THE NEW

SABIC HQ IN JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA.

When SABIC, one of the world’s largest petrochemical manufacturers, opened its new premises in November 2022, the company wanted to make a splash with a grand inauguration. It appointed E9 Production which, in collaboration with Moments International, produced a spectacular show.

“In our pitch, we aimed to showcase our capabilities through a visual and emotional narrative,” explained E9’s Basil Ashoury. “Our strategy was to deliver a message that we are passionate, capable, and confident.”

Jehad Ashoury, also of E9, added: “We created an exciting journey through the building. The proposal was impressive enough to win the project with almost zero changes.”

According to Executive Producer, Fabio Umiltà, the project required constant communication between all departments to ensure the correct balance between the production, artistic needs, and financial constraints. “My role was to find daily solutions and solve every small problem without losing sight of the big picture,” he shared.

The show took place in an incredibly busy time for the region, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in full swing, along with various Saudi Seasons events and UAE National Day.

“T he lack of resources both in terms of equipment and personnel was one of the main challenges,” Umiltà recalled, adding that a short timeline and difficulties securing all the necessary permits added to the task. “However, despite all this, the most pleasant part of the project was to work with great people and professionals who put passion and trust into every aspect of the production,” he reflected.

Creative, Artistic and Show Director, Marco Boarino also shared his thoughts with TPMEA, shedding light on his inspiration for the show.

“Performing in Saudi Arabia often involves the need to show muscles – the ‘never seen before’ or ‘world’s biggest’,” he said. “However, for this project, I chose the path of storytelling, theatre, multi-disciplinarity and new technologies to bring to life an architecturally exciting building through a hybrid dialogue between live performing arts, cinema, visual and media arts, theatre, and special effects, interwoven by an original soundtrack. I decided to use a black and white visual narrative, which is unusual in KSA.”

With the construction of the building in full swing while the show was being developed, there were many variables to consider from both the production and creative point of view.

“Everything is fluid,” Boarino said. “For this reason, I preferred to focus on a specific creative idea and aesthetic, which could be adapted.”

Boarino shared what he referred to as “a real turning point” in the production. “The Clonwerk team, which was in charge of video direction and production under my artistic direction, proposed to create an advanced 3D storyboard that included not only actions, technologies, and special effects but also cameras and drones POV,” he recalled. “Considering that we needed to merge the timecoded drones’ actions to live performances that were sensitive to weather conditions, when a storm meant that almost half of our rehearsals and shooting days were cancelled, this solid skeleton allowed the whole creative and production team to virtually build the show step by step.”

The main role of video within the show was to express the narrative theme as well as the spectacular nature of the staging. Video Directors, Romain Sabella and Raimondo Di Persio opted for Sony FX3 cameras, paired with DJI Ronin RS3 stabilising systems.

“It was a light and agile setup that would allow us to deal with the unexpected and to move in a fast and efficient way, always guaranteeing a high-quality final product,” they explained. The cameras were connected via radio transmitters to the video control room, in order to guarantee full monitoring and production management during the shooting phase.

Lighting Designer, Giovanni Pinna specified an extensive inventory, including Robe BMFL

Blades, Spiiders and Pointes, Ayrton Cobras, Claypaky Mythos, and SGM P-5s and Q-7s. “The focus of the design was to enhance and exploit the building and the architecture of the site,” he explained. “A massive setup of Robe BMFL Blades and Spiiders were spread along the perimeter of the building on various levels to cover each facade following the unusual structure.”

An e xtra 100 LED RGB fixtures (SGM P-5 and W700) were dedicated to the first level surrounding the building, creating a powerful base of colour under the graphic and dynamic work of the BMFLs. “The BMFL Blades allowed me to create some unusual looks, framing the building in different sections and inspiring interesting, dynamic looks to follow the storytelling of the reveal,” Pinna added.

The system was controlled via an MA Lighting grandMA2, MA NPUs and “a huge fibre network with many access points, which allowed me to work simultaneously from different points of view facing all four sides of the building”.

The laser show was supplied by Italian company SUPER FX, which also has a base in Riyadh. The supply included 30 laser scanning heads made up of 24 30W, four 60W, and two 100W – the most powerful ever deployed in the Kingdom. Laser Designer, Filippo Scortichini came up with a simple yet effective look based on white volumetric beams that made the most of the powerful equipment at his disposal.

Pyrotechnics meanwhile was provided by FLASH ART, with Jakub Michalik overseeing the design and deployment.

The drone element of the production was provided by Lumasky Drone Show. It saw 700 drones transforming into different 3D figures during more than 10 seperate flights, and even a world first of a flying acrobat performing inside a drone formation.

Looking back on the project, Creative Director Boarino was pleased with the level of innovation on display. “It was an experimental concept of a real interaction between drones and live performances, starting from the study and imitation of the movement of migrating birds and insects, performed with aerial and aquatic performances, in a three-dimensional environment,” he described.

“T he most challenging part was finding the right balance between technique and safety for creating my visual frames. The result was a gentle and deeply emotional show led by talents and humanity that brought yet another irrefutable proof of the wonder of humankind.”

Photo: Moments International www.e9production.com www.momentsint.com