twofour54 Abu Dhabi media centre

Adstream appoints twofour54 intaj as exclusive provider of services in the Middle East

Mehmet Dogan — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:30:00 +0000

twofour54 intaj, the media technologies arm of twofour54, has today announced that it has signed a joint venture deal with the world’s leading advertising technology specialist, Adstream.�

The joint venture means that twofour54 intaj will now become the exclusive provider of Adstream services in the Middle East, making it the one-stop-shop for advertisers, agencies, production agents, publishers and broadcasters that want to take advantage of Adstream’s leading digital solutions and services.

By eliminating the need for video tapes, couriers, physical storage and guaranteeing fast and direct delivery, Adstream’s digital workflow platform is helping to revolutionise the way the advertising and media industries share and distribute advertising and media content.

The joint-venture with twofour54 in the Middle East is part of Adstream’s robust expansion strategy that has seen extended operations in South Africa and Asia and a growing global presence and cross-media solutions across Europe, US and Latin America in recent months. Adstream’s capabilities are an evolution in broadcast, print and online storage, validation and distribution that provides cost and time efficiencies, greater speed-to-market - with a carbon-friendly workflow.

Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer at twofour54 commented on the deal by saying: “Adstream’s technology, which allows users to digitally manage advertising assets across TV, Radio, Print and Online media, is helping to redefine the global advertising industry. Signing this exclusive partnership is yet another example of twofour54 actively responding to market demands for services and expertise that meet international standards.”

Gerard Barron, Adstream’s co-founder and CEO said: “We are very excited to have twofour54 as our partner to bring Adstream’s portfolio to the Middle East. Their industry-leading position and a track record of innovation and excellence makes them the ideal partner to transform the region to a new level in advertising management. We can see immediate benefits to our regional and global clients and are looking forward to explore the opportunities ahead.”

3D Stereoscopic Lab launches

Mehmet Dogan — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:42:00 +0000

twofour54 intaj today launched the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s first Stereoscopic 3D lab, making it the only facility of its kind in the Middle East to offer dedicated facilities, equipment and expert support across the third dimension.

Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer at twofour54 said: “The new 3D lab is an exciting addition to twofour54 intaj’s existing facilities. The introduction of this facility will help support the opportunities that Stereoscopic 3D is opening up to content producers across a wide range of media and entertainment platforms.

“It is clear that 3D has had a massive� impact on the entertainment industry� recently� – four of the top grossing US films in 2010 were filmed in 3D; however, there are significant other media business opportunities that our new 3D lab can support,� such as advertising, computer-generated imagery (CGI), animation, corporate videos, events and even industrial and medical applications. Launching this type of facility is another example of how twofour54 actively responds to market demands from across the region for facilities and expertise that meet international standards,” he concluded.

The new lab has been designed to become a hub for all stereoscopic 3D activities in the region; providing� end-to-end production solutions in stereoscopic 3D – from cameras, rigs, specialist AVID edit suites, Baselight colour grading – through to finished productions and a specialised Research & Development Centre.

In addition to the state-of-the-art facilities and services, the new lab will provide a range of training solutions in conjunction with media training academy twofour54 tadreeb. The programmes on offer have been designed to comprehensively train both students and production professionals in the latest 3D techniques using the very latest in high-tech equipment and will be delivered by twofour54 tadreeb’s highly trained instructors.

Hasan Sayed Hasan, Head of twofour54 intaj said: “In developing our new 3D lab, we selected a core set of hardware and software that are considered to be the industry standard tools for Stereoscopic 3D production.� We also ensured that the facilities brought in provide flexibility to the 3D content producer; for example, the Element Technica Quasar rig was used exclusively for the 3D telecasts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and can be utilised with a wide range of cameras and in different configurations. The editing and finishing tools from AVID, Filmlight, and the 3D Plug-ins offer also a wide range of tools for various types of productions.”

The new lab will cover four key areas of activity:

R & D Centre & Testing Platform

3D Lab will work with selected projects testing Beta versions of editing systems– supported by 3D Lab’s cutting-edge technology & software/hardware
This combination of technology and expertise will help break new ground in 3D
Bringing Stereoscopic 3D best practices to the Region, we offer Stereo QC (quality control) to 3D film productions, Broadcast 3DTV programmes and advice to 3D hardware and software manufacturers.

�� 2. S3D Commercial Hub providing a multitude of S3D services

twofour54 intaj will be the only hub in MENA offering a range of S3D equipment and services spanning the whole production chain including:

Stereo� rigs: ElementTechnica Quasar
SONY HD cameras
Panasonic AG-3DA1E twin-lens camera system
Edit suites (including AVID)
Grading suites (including Baselight colour grading)
3D 2k projector (RealD system)
JVC and TVlogic 3D monitors
Panasonic HDC-SDT750
GoPro Hero 3D System
Fuji 3D W3 Camera
SI-2K Cameras
animation/gaming applications
presentation/corporate on CD/DVD/blue ray
timelapse
print advertising
projection technology
storyboarding

With the expansion of S3D globally, library footage will soon become highly sought after and increasingly valuable. 3D Lab gives you the added advantage now, with:

Simple and direct access to 3D footage
Accessible search tools to the Library footage bank
Relevant and high quality footage

�� 3. Training

The new lab will provide a range of training solutions in conjunction with twofour54 tadreeb and is aimed at:

Students looking to specialise in 3D
Professional looking to expand their skills
Companies seeking to understand business opportunities

�� 4. Production

Total life-cycle support for production projects in 3D:

Feature films
Documentaries
Slow-motion footage
Cinema advertising + TVCs

twofour54 intaj showcases capabilities at 2010 GCC football cup

Mehmet Dogan — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

twofour54 intaj showcased its capabilities with the supply all of the production and outside broadcasting services for the 20^thGCC football cup, which was held in Yemen. intaj was successful in managing the project, which required the mobilization of over 100 professionals and the provision of 50 HD cameras

Charisma - the leading independent Arab production house - expands into Abu Dhabi

Mehmet Dogan — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:05:00 +0000

A leading producer of commissioned content in the region, Charisma currently produces in excess of 1,200 hours of television per annum. With this move, Charisma will gain the opportunity to create dynamic new programming, using state-of-the-art production, post-production and broadcast facilities available at twofour54 intaj.

Charisma Gulf plans to produce, in the first 3 years of operation, close to 4000 hours of quality scripted and non-scripted programs, entertainment shows and documentaries by uncovering cultural insights that shape viewers’ expectations. This operation will obviously create new job opportunities, forecasted at more than 70 for the first year alone and, in line with established practice, largely including the recruitment and training of local talent. It is also planning to approach regional drama with international production standards, in order to cater to an increasingly demanding audience in the GCC and broader MENA markets.

The GCC headquarters will also offer media management services to TV channels, from market analysis to 360 exploitation of their content.

Ayman Al Zyoud CEO and founder of Charisma, said, “ The GCC market has always been of great importance to us, and our focus on insightful content makes it only logical for us to expand our operations within the Gulf. It’s this shared vision of cultural relevance and original content, along with their infrastructure and production facilities that made us choose twofour54 among the many options that were available.”

Wayne Borg, twofour54’s COO, said:� “Charisma’s commitment to Abu Dhabi is a vindication of our vision to create a sustainable content creation community.� I’m delighted that Charisma will be a totally integrated partner in our community which is developing local and regional Arab talent through training and investment and providing production facilities second to none in the region.”

By the end of 2010 twofour54 is expected to be home to more than 100 regional and international partners developing quality media content from its Khalifa Park campus. Charisma joins this growing content creation community, which will continue to grow significantly throughout 2011.

Tony Orsten, twofour54’s CEO, said: “We launched twofour54 intaj’s production, post-production and broadcast facilities at the end of 2009 and have since booked more than 500 production days to produce close to 1000 hours of TV programming. Attracting major Arab production companies, like Charisma, will add not only to the amount of Arabic programming produced at twofour54 but also contribute to our overall rapidly expanding and evolving media ecosystem through increased job and career development opportunities for Arabs working or entering the media industry.”

your employment opportunity

Administrator — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:29:00 +0000

intaji "my production" is a 12 month traineeship with twofour54 intaj in Abu Dhabi. During this time trainees will be provided with international-standard broadcast training, on-the-job mentoring support as well as paid employment where individuals will gain valuable skills in a variety of television broadcast disciplines.

The structure of the programme
Career opportunities and outcomes
Selection criteria and how to apply

read more

UFC® and twofour54 intaj to Produce UFC 112: Invincible Documentary

Mehmet Dogan — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:17:00 +0000

The UFC documentary will focus on the build up to the UFC 112 mega-event as well as capturing the action, excitement, energy and anticipation of the fights and post-event activities. twofour54 intaj will also be capturing behind the scenes footage including personal stories of the fighters involved, public reactions to the UFC and the cultural development of Abu Dhabi to become the host of such major sporting events.

UFC will be able to make the most out of twofour54 intaj’s world class production, post production, media asset management and broadcast services, in addition to twofour54’s ability to secure the relevant permissions and approvals needed for a project of this scale.

“We are working with twofour54 intaj to capture this historic event in Abu Dhabi so that UFC fans can see everything it takes to make a mega-fight happen,” said Dana White, UFC President. “This UFC 112 documentary will start with the time-lapse of the venue build and show everything that happens on fight week, from fighter arrivals and weigh-ins, event day setup, fighter walk-ins, the championship main event, and of course all of the incredible, loyal fans who support the UFC.”

Making the most of twofour54’s� high definition Sony F900R digital cameras, the UFC 112 documentary will be edited using cutting edge Avid Media Composer suites. The vibrant colours of Abu Dhabi will be enhanced through [Quantel eq] colour grading suites, while the sounds of the Emirate and of the event proper will benefit from twofour54’s high-end ProTools sounds design and mixing stations. twofour54 staff are also coordinating the multiple logistical challenges of this production, such as bringing four parallel camera crews into the event night, whilst constantly making sure that the media management team tracks every bit of footage captured. Topped off with theatrical quality graphics from industry renowned in-house designers, this documentary promises to showcase the full scale of twofour54 intaj’s production capabilities.

Tony Orsten, CEO, twofour54, added:
“Working in conjunction with the entire UFC organization to produce this documentary is a significant milestone for twofour54 intaj. In only six months we have gone from launching our proposition to creating some truly original content in both Arabic and English. The UFC 112 event not only cements Abu Dhabi’s position on the sporting map but also ours in terms of the work we are able to undertake, both on location and in studio. We look forward to keeping the market up to date with our progress.”

twofour54 intaj named studio of the year at Digital Studio Awards 2010

Simone Green — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

At the sixth annual Digital Studio Awards, held last night, twofour54 intaj was named as studio of the year by the independent judging panel consisting of IABM’s John Ive, SAE Institute’s Giorgio Ungania and members of the broadcast editorial team at ITP. In a successful night for twofour54, the content creation community was also a runner up in the category for best technology implementation following installation of its suite of Sony Professional equipment ahead of intaj’s launch last September.

twofour54 launches freelance licences for technical professionals

Administrator — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 4 November 2009: twofour54, the Abu Dhabi based content creation community, has launched freelance licences for technical professionals working in the production industry.

Aimed at responding to an increased demand for freelance media professionals at twofour54, the freelance licence scheme encourages creative individuals to work within twofour54’s growing media ecosystem of partner companies including twofour54 intaj. Freelance licence holders will be eligible for a UAE residence visa with twofour54.

Commenting on the new freelance licence framework, Tony Orsten, CEO of twofour54 said: “Media production is a project based industry which is heavily dependent on freelance talent, matching people to productions, with crews often mobilised at short notice. As home to the Arabic creative industries, the freelance licence solution is an essential element of twofour54’s drive to provide impetus to the production and broadcast industry in Abu Dhabi.”

“We want twofour54 partner companies to be well served by a skilled community of media professionals. We have developed a robust licence approach for qualified and experienced media freelancers to work at twofour54, which operates within the UAE employment and immigration laws.”

twofour54 plans to introduce freelance licences in a phased approach with immediate effect, by initially granting� licences to technical professionals such as sound and video editors, camera operators, production engineers, special effects technicians and styling artists.�

Additional categories are expected to be unveiled in 2010 as demand increases. These are anticipated to include talent roles, creative roles and selected administrative roles designed to further encourage the development of a talent pool for the creative industry in Abu Dhabi.

“This freelance licence solution will significantly open up twofour54 to the best regional talent in the field of media and entertainment production,” added Orsten. “This will ultimately serve to help us build and establish a sustainable Arabic content creation industry in the region.”

Annual licence fees have been set at AED 5,000, with the first year licence fee discounted to AED 2,500 for those joining the scheme before 31 October 2010. Licensees are also required to pay a one-off refundable deposit of AED 15,000.� Once a freelance licence has been issued, twofour54 will apply for a UAE residence visa for non GCC nationals for an additional cost of AED 1,900.�

Full details of how to apply for a licence together with the terms and conditions related to twofour54 freelance licences visit http://www.twofour54.com/freelancer.

twofour54 intaj launches world class production, post production and broadcast facilities in Abu Dhabi. Freelance visas to be introduced at the end of October

Simone Green — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Commenting on the launch of twofour54 intaj, CEO Tony Orsten said: “Today’s launch introduces the final component of twofour54’s content creation community, which is designed to facilitate the development of a sustainable media industry in the Middle East & North Africa region. To be able to produce world class Arabic content you need world class facilities and we believe intaj’s facilities are a first for the region.”

The opening of these facilities completes the infrastructure for the content creation community proposition of twofour54, standing alongside twofour54 tadreeb, the region’s premier vocational training academy and twofour54 ibtikar which provides industry funding and support for early stage businesses and creative talents across the region.

Hasan Sayed Hasan, head of twofour54 intaj commented: “twofour54 intaj is the solution for the content creation industry in the region. We enable content creators to produce, complete post-production, and store content all within the supportive twofour54 campus environment. We have already received high levels of interest in our services and the launch coincides with our new freelance framework providing real impetus to the production and post production industry in the region.”

twofour54 intaj offers five high definition (HD) production studios ranging from 60m2 to 650m2. The studios are equipped to support production in a range of fields from news to sports programming, game shows to serial dramas and light entertainment. Each studio has its own dedicated support services, with the larger studios allowing full drive-in access to cater for even the largest scale productions.

The production facilities are complemented by 22 fully equipped post-production suites – including audio, video, graphics and high-end finishing as well as media asset management and full broadcast services – including play-out, satellite uplink and downlink.

twofour54 intaj offers two choices for users – to have the facilities fully operated by a team of highly experienced broadcast technicians, or to hire the equipment and studios only. The twofour54 intaj team is made up of skilled in-house technical, operational and creative staff or from a roster of global industry experts for additional specialist consultancy.

twofour54 recognises the role of freelancing in the production process and broadcast industry, and will be announcing its plans for a freelance licensing system for the end of October, increasing access to flexible talent utilising the twofour54 intaj facilities.

Orsten added in closing, “We are now open for business and we look forward to a new generation of Arabic content being created under our roof.”

More information can be found at http://intaj.twofour54.com/en/

For further media information please contact:
Nashwa Zakaria ��
PR Director, twofour54��
Mobile: +971 (0)50 6629811
Email: Nashwa.zakaria@twofour54.com

Farah Nami
Hill & Knowlton Abu Dhabi
Mobile: +971 (0)50 4548647
Email: farah.nami@hillandknowlton.com

Sony to provide world-class facilities to twofour54 intaj

Mehmet Dogan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Sony Professional Middle East has entered into a partnership with new service provider twofour54 Abu Dhabi to create a flagship production and post-production centre for the Gulf and the wider region. The deal, to be delivered from Sony’s offices in the UAE, is to deliver production facilities, infrastructure and training to the newly created media content creation brand which aims to develop compelling content for a 300 million-strong Arab speaking audience.

“Delivering a world-class facility requires the best products, complex software integration and a proven ability to understand and implement the optimum in media production workflows,” says Hideaki Nakamura, Regional Director, Sony Professional Middle East “We believe that our strong local capability coupled with our global heritage in the broadcast industry makes us unique. We are ideally placed to fulfil the requirements for professional media production - from live studio operations through to post production and content archiving.”

Representing the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54 aims to establish the city as a centre of excellence for Arabic content creation that is internationally renowned. It creates a new industry opportunity for the region by providing a collaborative and fully-equipped centre that brings together local, regional and international content creation companies from across the breadth of the film, broadcast, digital, publishing and music industries.

“twofour54 Abu Dhabi will offer unrivalled, world-class production and post-production facilities,” says Tony Orsten, chief executive officer of twofour54. “Sony offered us the best of both worlds. The mix of local knowledge and its global expertise and experience, coupled with its flexible partnership approach gave us every confidence in the success of the implementation.”

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Sony will deliver products and services from over 50 industry partners. The final system was specified in close collaboration with the twofour54 team in Abu Dhabi. Flexibility and ease of configuration were key pre-requisites in the design of the facilities.

twofour54 consists of two discrete sites which are linked to provide seamless HD and file-based operations. Any media source, live or otherwise, can be captured directly into central file storage of the post-production systems. Omneon Spectrum provides the gateway to Apple Final Cut Pro editing and Avid Airspeeds for Avid Unity ISIS networked production. Post facilities are also available for dedicated audio and graphics editing or creation. A full Avid newsroom production system will also be provided - as an option for news clients.

The four main television studios are equipped with Sony HDC-1500 cameras, MVS-8000 switchers and Calrec audio consoles. Each studio can be quickly reconfigured based upon specific client needs using the automation system.

All media sources are ingested, moved and managed under control of the Pharos automation and content management system. Archiving of content to the Sony Petasite data libraries is under the auspices of Front Porch Digital DIVArchive.

All areas are equipped with Sony LMD production monitors for professional monitoring and Sony BVM monitors for reference grade monitoring. There is support for all popular professional and broadcast formats including; - HDCAM SR, HDCAM, XDCAM MPEGHD422, Digital Betacam, HDV, DVCAM and D5.

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Recognising the need to develop talent in the Arab world, twofour54 Abu Dhabi also offers the region’s premier media and content training academy geared to develop, up-skill and re-train across a comprehensive range of media and content industry disciplines. The Academy facilities will include a television studio and news production facilities - with XDCAM HD422 ENG kits used for news gathering.

twofour54 has already attracted several of the largest and most influential content creation companies worldwide, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Random House, Harper Collins, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, C Sky Pictures and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.