Media Production · Social Video
Reels, Shorts, TikToks and Stories filmed in batches as planned series, edited vertical first, and captioned in Arabic and English so they work with the sound off.
Short vertical video has become a core format on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and it is hard to keep up with by filming one clip at a time. Our social media videography for businesses in Dubai works in batches: a series of videos planned around a few repeatable formats, filmed in one session, then edited into Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikToks and Stories with captions burned in or supplied as files.
These videos are made to be posted regularly and to feel native to the feed. That is different from a scripted commercial built for a media buy, or a promo video that captures one event.
Formats
A series works because viewers learn what to expect. We usually build a batch from two or three of these.
One real customer question answered in under a minute by someone from your team, filmed straight to camera with cutaways.
A process from start to finish, told in quick shots with minimal talking, which suits kitchens, workshops, salons and clinics.
Step by step guidance on using a product or avoiding a common mistake, with on screen text for each step.
A single moving shot through a property, showroom or venue, framed vertically and paced for a phone screen.
Short introductions to the people customers will deal with, which make a business feel approachable before the first call.
A current format reworked for your brand, filmed with original or cleared audio rather than copyrighted songs.
Vertical video specs
Vertical video is framed on set, not cropped later from a horizontal shot. These are the platform figures we work to.
| Placement | Platform guidance | What it means when filming |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels ads | 9:16, 1440 by 2560 pixels recommended, MP4 or MOV, H.264 with AAC audio, up to 15 minutes; captions recommended | Organic Reels are filmed to the same frame so a strong post can be promoted without a new edit |
| Reels and Stories safe zone | Meta suggests leaving about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side free of text and logos, and the bottom 40% clear when a disclaimer is included | Faces sit in the upper middle; captions sit above the bottom band |
| YouTube Shorts | Square or vertical aspect ratio, up to three minutes | The same vertical master works, trimmed where the Shorts version needs to be tighter |
| TikTok and Snapchat | Full screen vertical | Interface elements differ by app, so text positions are checked in each app before export |
Captions and subtitles
Many people watch social video on mute, and in the UAE your audience may prefer Arabic, English or both. Captions are therefore planned from the start rather than added with an auto tool at the end.
Filming people
Video raises more privacy questions than photos because it captures voices as well as faces. Article 44 of UAE Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 covers recording, transmitting, broadcasting or revealing conversations and audio or visual material without consent when done to invade privacy. It also covers publishing images or scenes, even true ones, with the intention of harming someone. Casual street style videos that feature strangers are a real risk for a brand account.
So we film with people who have agreed, keep background faces unrecognisable where consent is not possible, and avoid capturing private conversations. Filming outside your own premises is also planned with permits in mind: the Dubai Film and TV Commission states that permits apply to online and mobile platforms as well as TV and film.
Planning a batch
Formats, topics and the hook line for each video, written with your social media marketing calendar in view.
Talking points rather than word for word scripts, so people sound natural, plus a shot list of cutaways for each video.
Clip on microphones for clear speech, outfit changes so videos do not all look filmed on one day, and several corners of the location used as sets.
Fast opening, jump cuts, on screen text and captions, with a cover frame chosen for the profile grid.
Exports named by series and platform, with caption files and suggested post text ready for scheduling.
Photos from the same session can be planned through social media photography. Creator collaborations are handled under influencer marketing, subtitles and scripts can be adapted by our Arabic and English translation service, and videos that perform organically can be promoted through social media advertising. See the full range under media production services.
From the blog
Who applies for a Dubai filming permit, when a script needs clearance and what a brand should prepare before an ad or photo shoot.
Read the article
How UAE cybercrime and data protection law apply when your marketing shows real people, and how to collect consent you can prove.
Read the articleStraight answers
Not necessarily, but a recognisable face does help short video. If nobody on the team is comfortable, we plan formats that rely on hands, process shots, voiceover or on screen text instead, and coach anyone who wants to try.
Music offered inside the apps is not always cleared for business use. Meta's Reels ad specifications say ads should not contain licensed music, so for business accounts we use original audio or royalty free tracks cleared for commercial use.
You get a fixed written quote, scoped to your brief. The number of videos per batch, locations, on screen talent and whether Arabic subtitles are needed all shape it.
It depends on who is watching and how the speaker talks. Modern Standard Arabic reads well to the widest audience, while a Gulf dialect speaker may sound more natural with captions that follow their wording, so we agree this in the brief.
Filming and editing are this service. Publishing, community replies and reporting sit under social media marketing, which can take the finished videos straight into your calendar.
Sources
Fixed price, in writing
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