Oman
Film Locations. Stunning sealed roads set in majestic arid mountain backdrops - perfect for car commercials. The magnificent Western Hajar Mountains for off road shoots. Castles and forts. Islamic architecture. Beautiful white sand beaches. Scubadiving. Beautiful deserts. Wahiba Sand dunes. Rugged arid coastal fjord looks. Isolated Masirah Island. Muscat is a very green, manicured city. Modern business parks. Upscale suburbs in an Islamic style. Archaeological sites. Traditional fishing villages. Verdant oasis city of Nizwa. Souqs. Plantations of dates, papayas, mangoes, limes, bananas, vegetables, grapes, pomegranates, apricots and walnuts. Salalah turns green during the monsoon season.
The capital Muscat is a 4 hour drive from Dubai, where much of the production must come from. Filming in Oman can almost be seen as an extension of filming in the Emirates.
Permits are obtained through the Office Of Tourism who preside over the Film Commission. It can be a lengthy process taking up to 3-4 weeks for some locations. Unfortunately the magnificent Al Bustan Palace hotel is not possible to shoot in. Filming in or near oil installations is prohibited anywhere in the Middle East, including Oman.
When to shoot? With the exception of Dhofar region, which has a strong monsoon climate and receives warm winds from the Indian Ocean, the climate of Oman is extremely hot and dry most of the year. Summer begins in mid-April and lasts until October.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. Since little to no filming infrastructure exists all key crew, equipment and talent are best brought in from abroad which can add considerably to the cost of shooting. Dubai is the closest major production centre.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.
Oman offers mainly Arabic looking talent. All other talent needs to be brought in from Dubai or elsewhere. Dubai has a very good variety of locally based multicultural talent but a shortage of good talent over the age of 50.
To view an example of some of the talent looks available in Dubai please visit the following:
Bareface
Oman has no local pool of directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to Dubai allows easy access to that pool of creative talent should you ever need to look further.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews. The whole crew needs to be brought in from Dubai or elsewhere. Dubai crews are non-union. The Emirates has a good depth of impressive locally based crews. Many are foreigners who have relocated to Dubai. Both key and supporting crews speak fluent English and understand international production standards.
Fringes. No hidden extras.
Premiums. Dubai crew and talent rules apply. The Emirates works on a 12 hour shooting day including breakfast and lunch breaks. Overtime is pro rata. There are no premiums for weekends, nights or holidays.
Equipment. All equipment must be brought in from Dubai or elsewhere. In Dubai both Arri and Panavision equipment are available locally. All standard equipment is available including more specialist equipment such as technocrane and various heads. Please see the below for local equipment companies. Both are well connected internationally and can fly in any other equipment from more established production centres usually within 4-6 days.
Filmquip (Arri)
Cinequip (Panavision)
Art department and set construction. Again crew and most materials come from Dubai. The Emirates has reasonably good set design, dressing and spfx crews. There are two good locally based production designers. Depending on their availability you may need to bring in from abroad. As an example of local art department capabilities the Emirates has hosted films such as Syriana and Kingdom.
Studios and backlots. None exist at present. The are some good studios in Dubai.
Tax Incentives. At present there are no tax incentives for foreign
commercials or films shooting in Oman.
Film Stock. Must be brought in from Dubai or elsewhere.
Post Production. No local post facilities. Dubai is the closest offering a good standard of post facilities including:
Chimney Pot
Clockworks
Visas and Work Permits. Entry is subject to regulations from country of origin. Contact your local Omani embassy or representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world standards. Many airlines service Oman internationally.
Accommodation. Recommended options include:
Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Muscat
InterContinental Muscat
The Malaki Barka
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Oman is a relatively safe place for foreign visitors.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Oman, please see below:
Our production service companies, line producers and fixers have serviced TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries for:
AXA Belgium, BBC UK, Canon Singapore, Coca Cola Indonesia, Concord Canada, Dove Malaysia, Deutche Bank Germany, Dressman Sweden, Evian France, HBO USA, Heineken Ireland, Hyundai Korea, Intercontinental Hotels Global, ITC India, Kirin Japan, Kraft USA, Landrover UK, LG Korea, Meunil China, McDonalds Australia, MUFG Japan, Nikon Hong Kong, Nokia China, Orange Moblie Slovakia, Philips Netherlands, Proctor & Gamble USA, Chery Riich China, Rimowa Germany, Samsung Korea, Sinoland Hong Kong, Skipper Italy, Smirnoff USA, Sony United Arab Emirates, Stella Russia, Telefonica Spain, Vidal Sassoon China, Virgin Media UK, and much more.
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer in Oman, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
