How SOVEREIGNS Captured NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s Best Kept Secret
NEOM is a landscape boasting tall mountains, sandy beaches and rich marine biodiversity. This region of Saudi Arabia boasts landscapes that you wouldn’t imagine the country holds. With such a large expanse of untouched areas to explore, photographers from around the world were invited to discover it for themselves and share it through their medium.
Travelling to Saudi Arabia, Getty Images and Unsplash photographers made their way to NEOM to capture images that would do the scenery justice, and they did just that. Alongside representing and showcasing the area, leaders in the country have invested in the land that sits north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt and south of Jordan. The aim is to create new ecosystems and expand into the temperate northwest.
To hear more about capturing beautiful landscapes through film, SOVEREIGNS directors Simon Morehead and James Hulbert speak to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> NEOM made an impression online with initiatives such as The Line in Saudi Arabia. Can you tell us a little more about the economic zone and what you wanted to achieve with this campaign?
SOVEREIGNS> This campaign was about organically capturing a place that no one had really captured before - NEOM. The Getty Images and Unsplash photographers involved were some of the best, and most well travelled in the world. They’ve been to places hard to find, the most majestic and awe-inspiring. This expedition was no exception. Tasked with taking in what unfolded in front of their eyes at each location, snapping as they saw it, a memory for them, an image for the world to see.
With CRATER, brought on by Vamp to produce the films and SOVEREIGNS directing, we documented the creators at work and the beauty that lies within the region. What we set out to do was to ensure that our style of filming felt as real and as close to the action as possible, to make the viewer feel every shot, hitting all senses.
As a collective, we wanted to give audiences a true visual representation of what the region offers, opening the minds of those unaware of what exists and what is positively being done on the lands that surround ‘The Line’ and other developments.
LBB> The location in the northwest of the Kingdom not only provides beaches but also snow-capped mountains and a rich diversity of landscapes. How did you begin capturing the different locations?
SOVEREIGNS> The diverse landscapes were captured across three separate expeditions. Expedition 01 leant towards the mountains and lands that were found within the Hisma desert. Expedition 02 was based below the water close to Sindalah. Expedition 03 explored cultural sites, an area where they’re rewilding animals, and many locations that housed beautiful greenery in trees, plant life and growth stemming from the ground - who would have known you’d see grass growing through red sand in the middle of a desert!
Each expedition had an itinerary laid out and we were guided by our client (NEOM). A pre-briefing was held before each expedition where we talked about the conditions at the locations we were visiting, the history behind it, how it was affected by light at the time of day we’d arrive and what we’d expect to see. As creators, we were going in blind having not had the opportunity to recce any location but trusting the client and seeing the excitement they had in their eyes when describing the place, we knew we couldn’t go wrong.
Each day brought something new for the eye to see. Usually out hitting location before light, as the sun rose, not knowing what was going to greet us, we were gobsmacked by the sheer beauty that stood before us. There were some long treks to capture some of the locations, made even longer with heavy film gear under our arms, however, DP Louis C. Brandt and we as directors gritted our teeth for the end destination and made it all worthwhile. Around every bend and every mountain or rock face that we passed, we’d all say, “This is incredible,” I really can’t count the number of times I said “Wow” across my time in NEOM.
LBB> How did you find the photographers to take part and can you share a few of the shots they captured?
SOVEREIGNS> The photographers were provided by Getty Images and Unsplash. NEOM worked alongside the two companies, selecting from a large talent pool a diverse range of photographers, each with their own unique style of capture and the way in which they tell the story through their lenses.
LBB> What was your personal favourite location when you were shooting and why?
SOVEREIGNS> It’s tough to choose a favourite moment or location that we captured on this shoot as so many stood out and took us by surprise. Jibal Hisma [ensemble of mountains] has something about it that draws you in. It’s not just a desert but a place with a 500-million-year history. It’s also got a deep character to it and is quite stirring in its stillness. When the night started to fall, the stars shining bright above you with clear skies, you felt little in this vast space but somehow connected to the desert and the story that lay inside of it. It’s quite a moving experience and something we tried to bring through in our films.
LBB> Seeing the richness of biodiversity and also the untouched landscapes was beautiful. What did you shoot on to achieve the stunning shots?
SOVEREIGNS> The head count on each expedition was kept quite minimal therefore our film crew had to also be skeletal and nimble. If we’d had the opportunity to have a full crew there and more resources, we would have jumped at it, however, this wasn’t possible. We’d worked alongside Australian DP Louis C. Brandt a number of times on commercials and documentaries around the world and knew that his approach, attitude, easygoing nature and ability to move with the camera whilst delivering high end results was what we needed.
We talked through the ideal set up to make our films cinematic, yet have a ‘doco’ feel. To be light as we’d be on the go, climbing 100m high dunes and venturing through valleys. Louis decided to shoot with the ALEXA Mini because it was a camera he was super familiar with and more importantly, a camera that was durable to the elements and extreme situations. He coupled it with a set of Zeiss CP3s.
Each day was completely different - we were up against the environment working in dust, sandstorms, wind, and sea spray as well as high and low temperatures. At each location we’d be set to roll as soon as we stepped out, capturing the photographers in action. Louis and I would act like an F1 pit crew with quick lens changes and swap-ups from handheld onto the Ronin and back again. As we didn’t know what we were facing we were always kept on our toes but that’s what made the shoot extra exciting.
LBB> At what time of year did you shoot this campaign? What was the weather like and how did it play into creating the campaign?
SOVEREIGNS> The three expeditions were shot between the months of December to March. Being winter, the mornings and evenings were a little chilly, however, the days were packed with a little heat. The light seemed to play a little softer than what would be the case in summer although there were some harsh times when shooting in the day just wasn’t possible due to hard light.
The sunrises and sunsets brought with them an assortment of colours with light bouncing off everything it hits, turning the skies and surroundings purple into pink, yellow into blues.
On the third expedition, there’d be a big downpour of rain for a couple of days prior to our arrival. This really changed the landscape as we’d captured it on our first expedition. We found that some locations we’d visited in December that were a little on the drier side, were now coming to life filled with greens and florals.
We also visited some locations on multiple occasions at different times of the day across the expeditions. Each time I saw it from a new perspective, capturing how it played with the light.
LBB> What was the impact of using the photographers’ narration and how did you weave them together to form the storyline of the piece?
SOVEREIGNS> Although in pre-pro there was creative direction and a style guide delivered to client, there was so much unknown about what we were going to be faced with and how the photographers would interact with what they saw and photographed.
Something that was integral to this campaign was our strong background in directing and producing docos and long form for TV, in combination with commercial experience. Being able to blend formats, think on the fly, and take in each day building out a storyline really helped to craft a formula for the films.
At the end of an expedition, we sat down with each photographer, capturing audio interviews. We discussed their experiences, how NEOM changed them and how it enabled them to go beyond as creators. With over 18 hours of interviews we worked in close alignment with our client lead from NEOM (Jesse Desjardins), whittling it down to form a tight four-minute script for the docos. We didn’t want any fluff or stating of the obvious in the scripting, we were quite ambitious in attempting to craft a story that took viewers on a journey and allowed them to feel, see and hear what was being voiced.
All responses from the photographers were on point, but one really stood out as we listened to all. Joshua Earle told us a story of what he dreamed of as a kid and how NEOM allowed him to live out his dream as an explorer and as a photographer. The feeling of nostalgia, honesty and the ability to tell this story through the eyes of one of our creators made this grab a no-brainer to become the narrative.
LBB> Specifically focusing on the underwater shots, what are some of the challenges with capturing those moments and logistically, what does it take?
SOVEREIGNS> The underwater shots came from a few operators including Alicia Franco, Marwan Khalid and also the client themselves. All well-versed in diving, the three combined to really capture the ocean and its life as they saw it. As with the other expeditions, this shoot was also kept lowkey in crew sizing therefore the equipment used had to also be nimble, but yet align with the quality of our land capture.
The beauty of the Red Sea, especially that of the waters that surround the islands of Sindalah and NEOM, is that there are so many locations where life is beaming. The coral walls, the diversity of fish, and the visibility and health of the reefs make for a perfect shoot location.
LBB> What was the most surprising thing you learned while working on the spot?
SOVEREIGNS> Coming in fresh to KSA and the region of NEOM, you have perceptions and images in your head as to what you might find there and see. This was completely flipped from arrival all the way through to the end of the 15 days of shooting. At times we felt like we were walking on Mars as we set footsteps in places that no one had been before to capture. The hospitality by the locals and the people of Saudi was a form I’d never experienced before. Not only did each and every person want to talk to you and tell you their story, but they gave their heart to it and made sure that you felt like you were a part of the land and the place they call home.
The global team was involved in bringing the production to life. With creative visual production house CRATER ensuring that each touchpoint had the best on board, it used its multi-territory presence in Dubai, Australia and Sweden combining creative thinking from each region to craft the suite of films. Using the differing time zones across all aspects of production allowed the project to continue day into night.
Louis, our DP, hailed from Australia along with our episode's sound post operator James Martell. Our trailer editor Rachel Goldsworthy and lead sound composer and designer Jonny Higgins from New Zealand. UK colour outfit Cheat with Jonny Tully operated the hero grades. In Stockholm, we had Joakim Risvelds on the episode grades and Christopher Deeks on the edits (Stockholm).
LBB> The images have been downloaded and viewed at an incredible rate. What was the impact of making these images accessible to wider audiences and how have people reacted to the snaps?
SOVEREIGNS> The vision of NEOM was to always make these photos accessible for the world to see and use as they see fit. To inspire audiences and create intrigue and desire in a region that is unknown. I think that’s why this campaign has been such a success, because the films and photographs that formed it contain visuals that no one has ever seen before. It’s new, fresh, and there are not too many places in the world you can go to that haven't been explored and exposed to the world.
LBB> Is there anything else coming up that we should keep our eyes peeled for?
SOVEREIGNS> We are working across a number of projects in the commercial and documentary space.
CRATER> We’ve got an exciting commercial soon to be released for a lifestyle brand, a narrative brand film using the virtual XR Studio, and building out a pilot to seek funding for a long form documentary that centres on an inspiring innovator tackling the plastic crisis in the Philippines.
LBB> What would you say to someone who’s considering visiting NEOM but hasn’t quite made up their mind yet?
SOVEREIGNS> Firstly, it’ll open your eyes and change your perception of the place that it is and what NEOM represents. To me, it is a very special place. It’s somewhere that’s still relatively unknown unless you mention the mega-developments such as The Line, however beyond this, their lives are so much more. It holds diverse landscapes, the sea filled with every colour of coral and fish you could imagine. Mountains are formed by red rock, black rock, or golden sand. Rewilding of wildlife is occurring and the colours you see that you didn't know could exist in the desert just blows your mind.
