DIRECTOR’S VISION
For the 2025 Black Onyx Broker Awards for Nakheel and Meraas, my vision was to portray each broker with an editorial flair that embodied both prestige and effortless suaveness. The film elevates their presence through refined composition, confident tone, and a sense of exclusivity that feels aspirational yet authentic.
deliverables
Editorial Interviews
In collaboration with M+C Saatchi Group, each broker was filmed individually through a tightly structured shoot combining editorial-style portrait and a two-camera interview setup. As Director and Director of Photography, my focus was on crafting a refined visual language that balanced prestige, authenticity, and cinematic polish.
Every participant was guided through confident, fashion-inspired poses designed to highlight presence and individuality, while the interview setup captured composed, natural delivery with depth and clarity. This dual approach allowed each broker’s personality to come through while maintaining a cohesive, high-end visual identity across all films.
From this process, we delivered individual 30-second hero films for each broker. These short-form edits were designed for individual sharing and digital release, allowing brokers to showcase their achievement ahead of the Black Onyx Broker Awards ceremony while maintaining a consistent, premium visual language across all films.
In total, 18 brokers were filmed over two production days, with lighting, framing, and performance direction carefully controlled to ensure visual consistency. The final body of work functions both as a series of standalone portrait films and as a unified cinematic collection supporting the prestige of the Black Onyx Broker Awards.
behind the scenes
Efficiency and consistency were key across the two-day shoot. To maintain momentum and allow for fast, precise camera repositioning, we worked with a Panther dolly, enabling smooth movement and rapid setup changes without interrupting performance or flow. This allowed each broker session to feel focused, relaxed, and uninterrupted, despite the tight schedule.
The production was shot on two ARRI ALEXA LF cameras, paired with ZEISS Supreme Prime full-frame lenses at T1.5, delivering a refined, cinematic image with shallow depth and exceptional clarity. This dual-camera approach supported both the editorial portrait work and the seated interview coverage, ensuring visual continuity across all deliverables.
Each broker followed a structured one-hour shoot format, moving from warm-up and guided editorial poses into direct-to-camera hero lines and seated interviews. This repeatable structure ensured consistency in lighting, framing, and performance direction across all 18 brokers, while still allowing space for spontaneity and individuality to emerge on camera.
INSPIRATIONS
The project was conceived as a showreel-style hero film, cut with energy and confidence, spotlighting the brokers as if they were Hollywood’s finest. The point of view shifts away from launches and brands, focusing instead on the individuals who make it happen. Their work, passion, and commitment shaped the visual approach, celebrating the people who turn vision into reality.
My vision for this project was rooted in editorial portraiture, informed by fashion-led imagery and luxury campaign references. The visual language was built around how pose, framing, and light could elevate presence while remaining natural and authentic.
Each broker was guided toward confident, composed poses that emphasized strong silhouettes, relaxed posture, and minimal movement. Framing choices leaned toward medium and close-up portraits, allowing expression and body language to take priority, while maintaining clean negative space and a refined editorial balance.