Amplify Films goes to the Middle East
When I got the call for a shoot in Saudi Arabia for WWE and their Greatest Royal Rumble show, honestly, I had many questions. Who, what, where, why and HOW. This was a milestone for the US, WWE and Amplify Films. There has never been an American production this HUGE in the city of Jeddah so to be a part of it was very exciting.
Traveling a camera crew to a foreign country with 6 Pelican cases stacked full of gear is NOT easy. There are many things I had to consider like; how much gear will I actually need, what is the weather going to be like, how many hoops are needed to jump through just getting my gear across the border and back home to the US. May I add, the show was only 38 days away so the clock was ticking.
I planned on traveling as light as possible. I had my Sony PMW F5 set to be my main camera and my Sony A9 for my gimbal. I brought some Zeiss primes and a Fujinon zoom lens for my glass. I had my gimbal, batteries and camera support packed tightly in one case. I needed to bring a few lights for interviews so I had three Litepanel Astras with stands packed into another case. This case was huge and in hindsight, was a gamble to travel due to its size. I also had my tripod, equipment cart and personal bag with clothes and laptop. Trust me, this was a small gear package compared to what I normally travel.
Once all of the details were squared away and a few weeks of solid preparation, it was time to hop on a plane. The flight time to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was 15 hrs. I was fortunate enough to have my good friend and audio operator extraordinaire, Steve Lynch AKA Lil 2 Smoov, traveling with me to make things easier once we touched down in SA. The flight was smooth and the time went pretty quickly. I think I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and took a few naps then BAM, "flight attendants please prepare the cabin for arrival". I opened my window shade and looked out, all I could see was sand as we were crossing over Egypt. Out of nowhere the Red Sea became visible on the horizon. It looked bright blue from the air, you would've thought we were over the Caribbean or maybe even Lake Michigan. Once we landed our plane pulled into a large parking lot with other huge 777's. I was baffled that there wasn't a terminal for us to deplane to. I walk out the door of the plane and get hit with 90 degree weather and 60% humidity. We have arrived.
The Red Sea from my window
After going to through customs and providing the necessary documentation for all of my gear we were greeted by a man holding a piece of paper with "Rian Riker" written in pen. That's me! We had a car service take us to the hotel, the Sheraton of course, right on the coast of the Red Sea. Once we got settled into our rooms, Steve and I, jet-lagged and starving, found a quaint little diner in the hotel, "Manhattan's". It was a 1950's style American Diner! Really going out of my comfort zone, I know. They had tons of memorabilia on the walls. Coca Cola signs, Abbott and Costello pictures, even Smokey the Bear. Really giving off the welcome to SA vibe. The next morning Steve sends me a picture of him walking up the Corniche holding a Venti cold brew from Starbucks. He was settling in just fine.
Our first dinner in Saudi Arabia at Manhattan's
Steve with his first Middle Eastern cold brew
The city of Jeddah was full of eastern influences, Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Applebees, all of the American dining staples. I would not have been surprised if we crossed paths with a Sheetz! We did our best to try as much culturally rich dining locales. Lots of lamb and hummus on the menus. There were malls that would put our American retail stores to shame. In 10 years they plan to build one a mile long in the center of the city surrounding what will be the worlds tallest building.
McDonalds!
Starbucks and Burger King
Crafty for our shoot at a Saudi man's house in Jeddah
The Corniche, a French term for "road on a ledge", was simply a boardwalk along the Red Sea and it was beautiful. From our hotel, you could see mosques sitting on the edge of the boardwalk and many parks filled with statues and benches. The foot traffic was pretty heavy with women dressed in traditional garb and men pretty much wearing whatever they wanted.
View from my hotel room
Jeddah sign on the Corniche
Phot Cred - Steve Lynch
View of a mosque sitting on the Red Sea from the Corniche
Photo Cred - Steve Lynch
Red Sea at sunset
Phot Cred - Steve Lynch
We spent the next few days shooting scenics and feature stories in the area about the rich culture and people of the area. We did several shoots with WWE talent as they visited schools for the "Be A Star" campaign and even a Toys R Us for an autograph signing. Saudi Arabia loves Mark Henry. One of the most memorable shoots was when we trekked off into the desert so a few of the wrestlers could spend the evening "dune bashing". They rode 4 wheelers, jeeps, horses and even camels through the desert. As the sun began to set over the mountainous dunes, I began to "have a moment", realizing where we were at in the world. Surrounded by a completely different environment that I never knew I would experience.
Shooting the sunset out in the desert
The day of the event. we drove to the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, where the Royal Rumble was taking place. It was an enormous open ceiling arena out in the middle of nowhere. Walking into the arena, it looked like what you would expect the sight of a massive 50 person Royal Rumble set to look like. Tall LED screens surrounding the stage. A "Wrestlmania" sized ramp leading to the ring. The crew had been working for weeks to build the structure and all of the set pieces were shipped in from multiple locations. It was massive in scale. The floor was littered with crew members still setting up and wrestlers sitting in these soft velvet chairs that you wouldn't see at any US show. The crowd showed up around 5 hours early for the event. It was such an anticipated show for the people of Jeddah. It was sold out as soon as the tickets went on sale. There was a large diversity of audience members, men wearing their traditional Saudi outfits along with men wearing all of their WWE swag. Women and families in attendance with children wearing their WWE T-shirts.
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium entrance
The crowd at the Greatest Royal Rumble
The show went really well and seemed like a flawless production from the ground. I was tasked with shooting slo-motion match footage as well as back-stage interviews with talent. My long lens Fuji 20-120 worked well for the match footage and my Zeiss 35mm and 50mm prime lenses were used for the interviews. They are beautiful lenses in low-light and backstage settings. My Helix Jr. gimbal was great for crowd reactions and tracking shots during the matches. I was very pleased with the footage and can't wait to see it all put together.
It was a week full of new faces and places. I was with a fantastic crew of people that made the trip truly enjoyable. I am incredibly humbled by the experience, it was truly a lifetime memory that I will treasure and am glad I am able to share it briefly on this blog post.
Shooting one of our interviews inside a house covered with Harley Davidson memorobilia
Shooting WWE wrestler Mojo Rawley going for a camel ride
Selfie with the WWE producer crew
Lil 2 Smoov and I in the Saudi desert
Amplify Films is here!
I have always been creative. Finding a passion in cinematography has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. I can admit, I didn't see it coming because this isn't a field that you just fall into. It takes commitment, determination and the will to learn and adapt to any situation. The relationships that you build along the way are the most important. They say "when you do what you love, you won't work a day in your life". Nothing is more true than that. It helps when working alongside like-minded creatives in an ever-changing field that is fueled by new technology. Each day is an adventure.
Building a business from the ground up isn't easy. Thankfully, I am in a field that provides me with great joy and satisfaction. Though the road was long and difficult, I am proud of what is in front of you today, Amplify Films, Inc. I look forward to the journey ahead and the many partnerships, new and old, that will be built and strengthened by doing what I love the most, creating the best content to tell the stories about of the lives of others.
Stay "tuned in" for the many adventures of Amplify Films . I look forward to sharing my stories, knowledge and relationships forged along the way.