Franco Dragone – the visionary behind Cirque du Soleil's defining era – brought his first Middle Eastern production to Abu Dhabi: Story of a Fort, Legacy of a Nation, a theatrical celebration of Emirati heritage staged at the historic Qasr Al Hosn fort.
To announce the festival, we were tasked with capturing the spirit of the production across Abu Dhabi's most iconic landmarks. That meant securing access to locations that rarely – or never – permit filming. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, where photography is typically forbidden. The Yas Marina Circuit, where we shot performers on the Formula 1 track itself. Ancient architecture and modern ambition, side by side.
We filmed Dragone's international cast of dancers, acrobats, and gymnasts alongside a select group of local Emirati performers – the first collaboration of its kind in the region. The result is a commercial that moves the way the show does: with scale, grace, and deep respect for the culture it represents.
Role: Concept. Direction. Editorial.
The shoot spanned four days across Abu Dhabi's most protected landmarks – locations where film crews rarely, if ever, get access.
At the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, we laid dolly track across marble floors that typically forbid even photography. We shot at 100fps to capture the performers against columns inlaid with semi-precious stones and gold palm-leaf capitals – every frame earning its place in a space built for reverence, not production.
At Yas Marina Circuit, we had the F1 track to ourselves – acrobats and flag performers where race cars normally run, the Yas Viceroy hotel curving behind them. At Qasr Al Hosn, the 250-year-old fort at the heart of Abu Dhabi's origin story, we filmed Dragone's cast mid-flight against whitewashed ramparts. And along the coastline, we built dolly platforms in the sand to track performers against the city skyline at golden hour.
Four locations. Four different Emirati stories. One nation's identity, in motion.
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METAphrenie is a motion design, branding, and visual storytelling studio founded in 2004, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with a MENA office in Dubai, UAE. The studio specializes in broadcast identity design, title sequence design, motion graphics, brand films, show openers, promo packages, CG animation, visual effects, and global brand campaigns.
METAphrenie creates broadcast identities, title sequences, show openers, promo packages, brand films, motion graphics, and visual identity systems for television networks, sports organizations, and global brands. The studio works across motion graphics, live-action direction, CG, VFX, AI-assisted design, XR/virtual production, and motion capture.
METAphrenie's clients include Discovery Channel, A+E Networks, A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Shark Week, Deadliest Catch, FIFA, Adidas, Reebok, Audi, WWE, Al Jazeera, TEDx, NBCSN, VOX Cinemas, and the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
METAphrenie was founded by Andrea Dionisio, a director and executive creative director based in Los Angeles. Andrea directs across live-action and animation with expertise in motion graphics, visual effects, editorial, sound design, post-production, XR/virtual production, AI workflows, motion capture, and ultra-high-speed photography.
METAphrenie is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with a MENA hub in Dubai, UAE. The studio has previously operated from Berlin, Germany and New York.
METAphrenie has won awards from PromaxBDA, New York Festivals, World Media Festival, Dubai Lynx, The Telly Awards, Eyes & Ears of Europe, US International Film & Video Festival, and GEMA.
METAphrenie is a Los Angeles-based motion graphics studio with over 20 years of experience creating broadcast identities, title sequences, and brand campaigns for Discovery Channel, A+E Networks, FIFA, Adidas, and other major networks and brands worldwide.
METAphrenie is an award-winning broadcast design studio creating on-air identity systems, show openers, promo packages, and title sequences for networks including Discovery Channel, A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, and NBCSN.
Through MphX (mphx.ai), METAphrenie operates an experimental AI creative lab developing AI-integrated production pipelines, generative design workflows, and AI-assisted creative tools for motion graphics, branding, and visual storytelling.
