A commercial has thirty seconds, often fifteen, to make someone want something. That is not a job for a camera and a hope. It needs an idea, a script that earns every second, a crew who can light a room so it looks like the feeling you are selling, and an edit that lands the message before the viewer scrolls or skips.
Commercials at Sayso are made by our own film team. The team has produced eleven commercial films for hospitality, real estate, interiors, sport and culture clients, including IDA x Marriott, Nahaté x Zuma and Qatar Story. The team writes, casts, shoots, grades and delivers, and works with your media agency so the final files meet every broadcaster's and platform's specification.
The Dubai studio around it adds what most production houses leave out: the strategy that decides what the commercial should say, and the website and social content that catch the attention it creates.
What is included
- Concept and script development, with two or three ideas presented as treatments before you choose
- Storyboards and animatics, so the commercial is agreed shot by shot before the shoot
- Casting of talent and voice artists in English and Arabic, with usage rights handled in the contract
- Locations, studio hire, set design, styling, props and permits in the UAE
- A full crew: director, director of photography, lighting, sound, art department and production management
- Cinema cameras, lighting and grip suited to the look, with drone and gimbal work where the story needs it
- Edit, colour grade, sound mix, music composition or licensing and motion graphics
- Versions for television, cinema, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and digital screens, each to the required spec
- Clearances, deliverables and documentation for broadcasters and media agencies
- Behind the scenes stills and footage for your social channels
How it works
1. Brief
We work out what the commercial must achieve and for whom, the channels it will run on, the budget range and the deadline. We look at your brand, your competitors' advertising and the campaign it sits in.
2. Plan
Treatments, then a script and storyboard, then the production plan: cast, crew, locations, kit and schedule, with a fixed price. Everything is approved before a shoot day is booked.
3. Shoot
Pre production is done, so the shoot days run to a plan. The director leads, you see the frames on the monitor, and we capture the extra material the social versions will need.
4. Edit
An offline cut for approval, then colour, sound, music, graphics and the final mix. Each version is checked against the specification of the channel it will run on.
5. Deliver
Files delivered to your media agency, broadcaster or platform in the required formats, with documentation and masters archived. Then we help with the landing page and social content that carry the campaign.
What does a commercial cost in Dubai?
It depends on the idea: shoot days, locations, cast, crew size and post production. We give a fixed price after the brief, with options at different levels so you can choose the ambition that fits the budget. The media spend to run it is separate.
How long does it take to produce a commercial?
Pre production is where the time goes: scripts, casting, locations and permits. Once the shoot is booked, the shoot and edit move quickly. We set the schedule in the plan, and if you have a launch date we plan backwards from it.
Who produces the commercial?
Our own film team. The Dubai team at Sayso handles strategy, the brief and project management, so your commercial, your website and your social campaign are planned together with one point of contact.
Do you handle the broadcast and platform specifications?
Yes. Each broadcaster and platform has its own requirements for format, duration, loudness and clearances. We deliver to those specifications and work directly with your media agency so nothing is rejected at upload.
Can you produce Arabic and English versions?
Yes. We cast and record for both languages, write Arabic scripts with native writers rather than translate the English, and deliver separate language versions plus subtitled cuts.
Do you also run the media or the ads?
We produce the commercial and the versions for every channel. Running the media is done by your media agency or, for online placements, by our marketing team, where the same people plan, place and report.
