2017 Winners & Shortlists

ES'HAILSAT TVC

BrandES'HAILSAT/QATAR SATELLITE COMPANY
Product/ServiceES'HAILSAT/QATAR SATELLITE COMPANY
EntrantRESOLUTION FILMS Doha, QATAR
CategoryCasting
Idea Creation RESOLUTION FILMS Doha, QATAR
Production RESOLUTION FILMS Doha, QATAR

Brief Explanation

Es’hailSat is Qatar’s new entertainment and communications satellite. The company is named after the Es’hail star which becomes visible in the night sky of the Middle East as summer turns to autumn, signalling cooler. In this TVC, we follow the exploits of Abdullah and Mohammed as they navigate their way through the Qatari desert with the help of Es’hailSat. Accompanied by their faithful camels, these close friends have been travelling for hours. Whistling “twinkle twinkle little star “Abdullah is confident he knows the way based on what his grandfather taught him about the Es’hail star. When he points to the Moon, Mohammed realizes that Abdullah has no idea where they are so he pulls out his Es’hailSat SatNav App which shows them the way. As they continue their journey, Abdullah announces that the Es’hail Star is the brightest star in the sky. Now you tell me, exclaims Mohammed!

The Casting Process was probably the most important of the whole project for both the client and us. To ensure cultural relevance, we needed to find two Qatari comedy actors (a straight man and a joker) who were bilingual as this commercial was shot in both English and Arabic. From a base of 30 auditions, we shortlisted ten and broke down the scripts to suit the individual profiles of the actors. The auditions continued until we found our two stars. We then encouraged them to hang out socially over a period of 2-weeks before the shoot to ensure they gelled. The chemistry between the two was remarkable and allowed for spontaneity. For a script of this nature, the coupling had to have comedic timing so we allowed them the flexibility to play with the script on set which resulted in some wonderful unscripted ad lib moments. The result? Pure magic!

Credits

Name Company Role
Simon Ferguson Resolution Films CEO
George Chalouhi Resolution Films Executive Producer
Nuno Santana Resolution Films Director
Vitor Hugo Rebelo Resolution Films Cinematographer
Eslam Abd-El-Ghany Resolution Films Video Editor
Irshad Mukadam Resolution Films Focus Puller
Majed Al Rais Resolution Films Production Manager
Lamis Maddur Resolution Films 1st Assistant Director
Lamis Maddur Resolution Films Producer
Antonio Milheiro Freelance Gaffer
Fernando Silva Freelance Best Boy
Ashwati Mathew Resolution Films Assistant Producer
Dalibor Spasevski Resolution Films 1st Assistant Cameraman
Reji John Resolution Films 2nd Assistant Cameraman
Unneen Umminiyil Resolution Films Key Grip
Chris Kalinski Resolution Films Location Sound Engineer
Tarek Al Ward Freelance Actor
Abdul Aziz Al Durani Freelance Actor
George Chalouhi Resolution Talent Casting Director
Saki Sukardi Freelance Make Up & Wardrobe
Aya Syamsuddin Resolution Films Motion Graphics Artist
Utkan Goksu Resolution Films DIT
Randy Espiritu Resolution Films Transport Manager
Lyra Espíritu Resolution Films Administration Manager
Jessica Shea Resolution Films Production Co-ordinator
Links
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