Documentary and Brand Storytelling, Made in the UAE
Most work briefed as “documentary” in the UAE is a testimonial with better lighting. The Crew makes the other kind from our Dubai base: true stories that exist whether or not the camera shows up, told in the subject's own words.
Our Khor Fakkan Graduation film for the Maritime Academy is a straightforward example: cadets, ceremony and the sea on the UAE's east coast, shot as a document of a real event rather than a scripted brand message. Virgin Mobile's Roam took the same approach into travel: a brand documentary following real journeys instead of actors reciting a script, colour-led and personal across five minutes.
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Does The Crew make brand documentaries in the UAE?
Yes. We produce first-person brand documentaries from our Dubai team, including the Maritime Academy's Khor Fakkan Graduation film and Virgin Mobile's Roam.
What's the difference between a brand documentary and a testimonial video?
A documentary is a true story that exists independent of the brief, told in the subject's own words; a testimonial is usually the brand's message recited by a subject. We build our UAE documentary work around the former.
Is a UAE brand documentary usually one film or a series?
It depends on the brief: some, like the Maritime Academy's graduation film, are a single documentary piece; others run longer, like Virgin Mobile's five-minute Roam, when the story needs more room.