Just got back from directing some filming in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.  Thought those of you that haven't been there might be interested in these shots.....

(1) is the view from my hotel room in Abu Dhabi.  This is a typical marina for the area.
(2) is the Dubai International Boat Show from 50 stories up.  Note the red carpets on the docks.
(3, 4, and 5) are shots of the dhows that load and unload on the Creek (harbor) in the old part of Dubai.  They trade between Dubai and Iran and Pakistan and carry everything from cars to computers, TVs, food, spices, gold jewelry, you name it.  All loaded by hand.  They are diesel-powered today, and one of the captains I talked to said the hulls and decks are solid teak.
(6) is the old part of Dubai across the Creek.  The little boat is a water bus.  They run regular routes between various landings along the Creek and people use them to commute to work.  The open towers on the roofs of some of the buildings are the original air conditioning systems.  Wet blankets were draped over the horizontal poles and the wind was directed down through them into the building below.  They're not used anymore--- everyone has electric air conditioning.
(7 and 8) is the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.  It is just short of a half-mile high, beating the next-tallest building by almost half.  I really like the design--- from a distance it looks like something out of a science fiction movie.  Not to be outdone, Saudi Arabia recently announced plans to build a one-mile high building.
(9) is a shot of just a tiny part of the "new" Dubai.  This is what it's like all over the country---- sand with big clusters of brand new buildings.  Construction is starting to get underway again after coming to a near-halt during the economic crisis.
(10) is of part of the Palm Jumeirah, the huge artificial island in the shape of a palm tree that has been built off the coast.  It's mostly residential but the huge thing in the distance is the Atlantis resort.  So far as I can see, this is pretty much what boating is about in this region--- you go out, drive around for awhile, and tie up at some resort or marina to see or be seen.  The only scenery is sand or buildings.  The vessel just visible on the left edge of the frame is the sheik's yacht, the largest private yacht in the world at some 500-plus feet.
(11 and 12) are why we were over there.  We did some work with Emirates Airline which operates the largest 777 fleet in the world, using every 777 model including the new freighter.  Emirates is arguably the best airline in the world, and their crew training and maintenance operations and facilities have to be seen to be believed.  Their in-flight service is outstanding--- the ICE (Information, Communications, and Entertainment) system is amazing with e-mail, phone, and internet capabilities plus over 2,000 on-demand movies, TV shows, and documentaries.  This applies to coach as well as business and first class.  While unions are illegal in the UAE, Emirates pays their cabin and flight crews comparably or better than other international carriers, and since there is no income tax in the UAE, the employees can bank everything they make if they want to.  Emirates has routes that span the globe--- we flew nonstop from San Francisco to Dubai--- but every flight originates or terminates in Dubai.  So all the airline's employees are based in Dubai--- there are no remote bases.
(13) is my attempt to comply with the fairness doctrine.  For anyone who hasn't seen one, it's an A380.  Try as we could, there is no camera angle from which this airplane looks good.

Excellent photos, Marin. Amazing what those oil rich Arab countries are doing. What I often wonder about is what will happen when we really do reach that pivotal point where we move to non fossil fuel energy sources. Will they remain at the leading edge, if so what will keep them there, or will they slowly (or rapidly) sink back?

Peter--

While our primary reason for this trip was to work with Emirates Airline, the secondary reason was to get footage and stills of a fledgling biofuel project that has been launched in Abu Dhabi that Boeing is a participant in. This project will ultimately grow two kinds of plants--- salicornia and mangroves--- in huge ponds which will be used to raise fish and shrimp for food. It's one of those win-win-win deals. The fish and shrimp production will create food and jobs, the salicornia and mangroves will use the fish effluent in the water to grow, thus removing the natural pollutants from the water so it can be returned clean to the sea, and the salicornia and mangroves themselves will be harvested for the production of biofuel.

That's the theory anyway. The photo below shows the plants involved--- the bush Tom is shooting is oil-rich salicornia and the trees in the water are mangroves, also rich in oil. Both plants are native to the region and thrive in salt water environments. We are shooting natural growth here--- these plants were not planted by man.

(I needed to dolly the HD camera in macro past and through the bushes, hence the homemade "Skateboard Cam" which could be packed into our equipment cases for the flights to and from the UAE).

From what I am told, there is a tremendous awareness of the potentially finite supply of oil in the Middle East (assuming one ignores the recent studies that claim that we will never run out of oil, that it's a product of reactions in the earth's core). So there are many plans to make the region a center for other forms of sustainable energy. Nuclear power is very high on the list, as is biofuel production (the largest producer of algae for biofuel production right now is Israel.) With regard to nuclear, the thought is that huge generating plants could be constructed that could generate far more power than the region needs, with the surplus being sold to western and eastern Europe. It would not surprise me if Iran's interest in nuclear power is based largely on this plan, with the side benefit of giving them something to use for sabre-rattling.

Of course the economy of Dubai is not based on oil because they don't have any to speak of. Dubai's economy was originally based on trade (the dhows), and this has been supplemented by tourism and to a growing degree, business centers. Most of the huge buildings you see in Dubai, including the world's tallest Burj Khalifa, are largely or entirely residential. We were told only the upper floors of the Burj Khalifa are intended for corporate offices. The bulk of the building is intended to be residential. Dubai has transformed itself into an air and sea world trade hub, and a destination, either to visit or to live full or part time.

This is why Dubai was hit so hard by the global recession--- when people stopped spending money, cargo shipments dried up (the world air cargo business dropped by 30 percent almost overnight),  travel and tourism dried up, the purchase of luxury items from penthouse suites to Aston Martins dried up, and Dubai, which was madly putting up buildings and infrastructure to accommodate the anticipated demand, came to a halt.

Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, does have oil which is why they were able (reluctantly) to bail out Dubai and why Dubai had to (reluctantly) rename their new big building.

One of my favorite quotes is by a sheik (I believe from Saudi Arabia) who in discussing the future of oil production and the need to develop other sources of energy and income to supplant oil production said, "The Stone Age did not end because man ran out of stone."  The intention of the leaders in the region seems to be to shift their economy from oil to other, more sustainable sources far in advance of the depletion of their oil.


-- Edited by Marin on Friday 26th of March 2010 08:31:06 PM

Interesting. I never knew Dubai had no oil. Fantastic developments thought. I found the building of the Burg El Arab on Nat Geo fascinating, and the new tallest building project. Is it called the Burj Abu Dhabi now?

No, they had to change the name to Burj Khalifa. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Ah....so I guess it was going to be called the Burj Dubai...?

Yes, it actually was called the Burj Dubai until fairly recently. But now you can pick up T-shirts in Dubai with the picture of the building and the name "Buj Dubai" for mere pennies. Here is a frame from one of the video scenes we shot at Emirates Airline showing the Burj Khalifa way off in the distance.  The building is visible from 60 miles away if the air is clear enough.


-- Edited by Marin on Monday 29th of March 2010 07:24:09 PM