Fireworks grammar
Six dedicated mounts on four faces, the lake, and an ultra-wide. The Director cuts a stereo pair, not a scramble. Programme cameras never steal a fireworks ISO after 22:00.
Prepared by Circle 1 Studios · C1S-NYE27-BCAST-001
Dubai New Year’s EveTwenty Twenty-Seven
Broadcast direction, crew, equipment, and infrastructure for Emaar’s live show at Downtown Dubai — delivered as a single, accountable production.
Download the PDF- 4K cameras
- 21
- Specialists
- 80+
- Cinema drones
- 3
- HDR pipeline
- 4K
Six dedicated to fireworks
Gallery, camera, previs, VO
Flip, Inspire, Mavic Pro 4
Local OB truck + uplink
Prepared for
Emaar
- Show · 31 December 2026
- Venue · Downtown Dubai · Burj Khalifa · The Dubai Fountain
- Date · August 2026
- Validity · 30 days
- Ref · C1S-NYE27-BCAST-001
A live picture worthy of the tower.
Emaar’s New Year’s Eve is not a fireworks insert. It is the most watched minutes of the Dubai calendar — a nine-minute architecture of light, water, and crowd, carried to a global living room on Emaar’s own channel. The brief is precise: direction and crew, equipment, and infrastructure, held as one production.
Circle 1 Studios proposes to deliver that brief in full. Twenty-one 4K cameras, six of them ring-fenced for fireworks. A local outside broadcast truck. Flyline, Agito Sports, Techno 50. Three cinema drones, permitted for rehearsal and show. Cue Pilot, rebuilt overnight from camera rehearsal. A famous voice, live, as colour on YouTube. Graphics limited to straps and lower thirds, so the picture stays the picture.
The pages that follow are the working document: who stands where, what is hired, what the compound must be, and what it costs — including third-party production fee, insurance and HIE, accounting, overheads, and fringes.
Circle 1 Studios
Executive Producer · August 2026
01 · Creative
The cut is the show.
Human scale
Long lens for the tower, RF handheld and Steadicam for the boulevard. The crowd is geography, not wallpaper — we always know where we are in Downtown.
A quiet graphic
Straps and lower thirds only. No sponsored bugs, no full package. Name, time, and place — then get out of the picture. Cue Pilot carries any 3D the rehearsal earns.
- Camera crewProgramme + fireworks specialists47+6
- GalleryDirector, producers, mixer, EVS17
- OB truckLocal 4K outside broadcast unit1
- Show daysRehearsal + 31 December2
02 · People
Eighty specialists, one gallery.
Headcounts match the brief exactly. Runners sit with the gallery so the floor can move. The fireworks camera cell is additional, not borrowed from boulevard coverage.
- Executive Producer / CEOSingle point of accountability to Emaar. Final say on editorial, risk, and commercial.×1
- Head of ProductionRun of show, vendor orchestration, compound, and the live clock.×1
- Co-Executive ProducerCreative partner to the Director. Talent, VO, and YouTube live packaging.×1
- DirectorLive cut. Fireworks grammar, tower, fountain, crowd, talent.×1
- Line Producer×1
- Broadcast Production Manager×1
- Production Coordinators×2
- Production Assistant×1
- Travel and Logistics Manager×1
- Travel and Logistics Assistant×1
- Floor Manager×1
- Assistant Floor Manager×1
- Gallery Producer×1
- Associate Director×1
- Timings PA×1
- Script PA×1
- Vision Mixer×1
- EVS Producer×1
- Editor×1
- Broadcast RunnersCompound, camera bases, talent, and gallery support.×6
- Camera Supervisor×1
- Handheld / Long Lens Operators×3
- Handheld RF Operators×3
- Specialised Mount Operators×7
- Steadicam Operator×1
- Specialised Mount Fireworks Operators×6
- Remote Head Technicians×3
- Focus Puller×1
- Grips / Racks×5
- Camera Assists×2
- OB CrewEngineers, racks, comms, power, and truck.×22
- On-site EditorMakes changes overnight from on-camera rehearsals; footage then fed into Cue Pilot.×1
- Cue PilotGallery operators. Real-time 3D, tracking and graphic playout on the Cue Pilot path.×2
- Colour Commentator (famous voice)Live on Emaar YouTube. Scripted beats with room to call the picture.×1
03 · Coverage
Twenty-one 4K cameras, six of them fireworks.
Programme coverage is fifteen bodies: long lens, RF handheld, specialised architectural mounts, Steadicam, Flyline, Agito, and Techno 50. Fireworks are six further specialised mounts — dedicated operators, dedicated ISOs.
- C01Long lens
Long Lens A
Boulevard south
Talent close-ups, host, and compressed tower hero.
- C02Long lens
Long Lens B
Fountain axis
Fountain performance and mid-tower stacked fireworks.
- C03Long lens
Long Lens C
Lake west
Wide compressed skyline; hold shot for VO and graphics.
- C04Handheld RF
RF Handheld A
Stage / talent
Walk-ups, interviews, and any live performance pocket.
- C05Handheld RF
RF Handheld B
Crowd / boulevard
Audience energy without losing geography.
- C06Handheld RF
RF Handheld C
VIP / arrivals
Client and guest coverage; flex camera for contingencies.
- C07Specialised
Mount — Burj low
Tower base
Architectural up-angle; locked for Cue Pilot tracking.
- C08Specialised
Mount — Burj mid
Adjacent façade
Mid-shaft fireworks and projection mapping.
- C09Specialised
Mount — Address
Address Downtown
Reverse on tower and lake; weather-protected housing.
- C10Specialised
Mount — Souk
Souk Al Bahar
Human-scale plaza with tower in frame.
- C11Motion
Techno 50
Fountain terrace
Sweeping crane over water into tower; remote head.
- C12Motion
Flyline
Boulevard cable run
High travelling shot along the spine of the show.
- C13Motion
Agito Sports
Plaza track
Low, fast tracking for talent and crowd reveals.
- C14Steadicam
Steadicam
Host / floor
Intimate walk-and-talk; countdown pocket.
- C15Specialised
Mount — Opera reverse
Opera plaza
Wide establishing with fountain and tower stacked.
- FW1Fireworks
Fireworks North
Tower north mount
Dedicated ISO. Never reassigned after 22:00.
- FW2Fireworks
Fireworks South
Tower south mount
Opposite face; stereo pair with FW1 for the cut.
- FW3Fireworks
Fireworks East
Tower east mount
Side-on bursts and shell trails.
- FW4Fireworks
Fireworks West
Tower west mount
Side-on pair; protects against a failed north/south.
- FW5Fireworks
Fireworks Lake
Lake wide
Full-height tower plus water reflection.
- FW6Fireworks
Fireworks Ultra
Distant establishing
The postcard. Held under the Director for the sting.
Aerial unit
Three cinema drones sit outside the 21-camera plot. Permits and insurance cover rehearsal day and show day. The live picture is never drone-dependent — FW6 and Long Lens C already hold the postcard.
Inspire
High wide aerial. Locked altitude over the lake for the postcard and the last look.
Flip
Dynamic close aerial for boulevard and fountain — used in rehearsal-approved corridors only.
Mavic Pro 4
Agile B-unit and airborne spare. Permits and insurance for rehearsal day and show day.
04 · Kit
A local truck. Specialist grip. A path to air.
Broadcast equipment (1)
- Local outside broadcast truck. 4K HDR gallery, vision mixer, EVS, comms, and record. UAE-based unit so we are not waiting on a carnet for the heart of the show.
- 21 × 4K cameras including six dedicated fireworks bodies, matched lenses, and CCU.
- Media. Hard drives and storage for ISO, programme, clean/dirty YouTube, and archive.
- Specialised grip. Flyline ×1, Agito Sports ×1, Techno 50 ×1 — each with a remote-head technician.
- Transmission and uplink. Primary fibre, bonded IP backup, satellite as last mile.
Broadcast equipment (2)
- Camera drones ×3 — Flip, Inspire, and Mavic Pro 4 — with permits and insurance for two days (rehearsal and show).
- Cue Pilot equipment. Tracking, 3D engine, and gallery playout, fed overnight from rehearsal cameras.
- Logistics, trucking, freight, carnet. Specialist grip inbound; local trucking for the truck and compound.
- Expendables. Batteries, media, weather covers, gaffer, and comms spares — the items that fail at 23:40 if they are not already on the truck.
05 · Ground
End-to-end provision of the compound.
Circle 1 Studios supplies the facilities, power, platforms, workspaces, cabling, commentary positions, and crew access infrastructure. Emaar retains site security and rooftop principle; we design the routes the crew actually walk.
OB compound
Hardstand, tents, welfare, security perimeter, producer desks.
Power
Dual generator. UPS on gallery, record, Cue Pilot, and VO booth.
Camera platforms
Scaffold, rooftop ballast, weather housings, fall-arrest.
Workspaces
Overnight edit, graphics, VO booth, production office.
Cabling
SMPTE, fibre, RF, comms — laid, labelled, redundant paths.
Commentary
YouTube colour position with picture, comms, and IFB.
06 · Integration
Rehearsal tonight. Cue Pilot in the morning.
An on-site editor sits with the overnight conform. On-camera rehearsal is not a tape to file — it is the source that gets rebuilt into Cue Pilot so the Director can call 3D and tracked graphics as if they were cameras. Two Cue Pilot operators in the gallery. That is the three-person cell Emaar specified: editor plus Cue Pilot ×2. If tracking fails, we fall back to straps and lower thirds. The picture never waits on a plugin.
This cell supports and enhances Emaar’s existing creative / pre-vis and Cue Pilot workflow; it does not replace it. Fill and key from Emaar’s real-time 3D engine, if supplied, are taken in the truck. Direct two-engine control — trigger, sync, tracking on four cameras, and gallery takes — is provisional sum PS-01 and is not in the firm number. The 21-camera show does not depend on that box.
07 · Voice
A famous voice, live on Emaar YouTube.
Colour, not commentary in the sports sense. A companion for a global audience through countdown, tower, fountain, and close. The booth is isolated, with picture, script PA, and IFB from the gallery. Talent is a named voice to be agreed with Emaar; the commercial includes an allowance against a signed deal, with an understudy read on standby.
Booth
Commentary position in the compound, treated, with dual picture.
Script
Skeleton from Co-EP; live calls from the Director via IFB.
Path
Mixed into the YouTube dirty feed. Clean feed remains picture-only.
08 · Time
From lock to strike.
Sep – Oct 2026
01Lock
Contract, insurance binders, drone corridor applications, rooftop licences, Cue Pilot survey, camera plot v1 with Emaar creative.
November 2026
02Survey
Site survey, power and compound, flyline path, Techno footprint, commentary booth, fibre routes. Pre-vis of fireworks grammar against last year’s ISOs.
1–20 Dec
03Prep
Graphics bible (straps and lower thirds only). VO script skeleton. Crew travel. Carnet and specialist grip inbound. Overnight edit suite specified.
21–28 Dec
04Build
OB compound, platforms, cabling, camera mounts, drone authorisation flights. Gallery ring-out. Cue Pilot calibration on locked cameras.
29–30 Dec
05Rehearsal
Camera rehearsal against pyrotechnic timeline. Overnight editor feeds Cue Pilot. Full dress including VO, graphics, and YouTube path. Show day minus one freeze on camera plot.
31 Dec 2026
06Show
Crew call afternoon. Line-up, weather desk, drone go/no-go. Live on Emaar YouTube through countdown, tower, fountain, and close. ISO wrap and archive.
1–2 Jan 2027
07Strike
De-rig, carnet outbound, show masters to Emaar, insurance close-out, production account.
09 · Investment
The number.
AED 4,994,000
Inclusive of crew, equipment, infrastructure, 10% production fee, insurance and HIE, accounting, office overheads (including weather and overtime allowance), and fringes. Valid 30 days. USD converted at 3.6725 AED. Exclusive of VAT.
Priced on a local UAE rate card — UAE-based 4K truck, regional crew, specialist grip imported only where it is not in-territory. Voice-over is an allowance against named talent. This is a competitive bid, not an international fly-in.
Direct two-engine integration with Emaar’s real-time 3D box is not in this number. It sits as provisional sum PS-01 (AED 240,000), invoked only in writing.
- CrewAED 1,991,000
- Equipment 1AED 1,226,000
- Equipment 2AED 276,000
- InfrastructureAED 431,000
- Production feesAED 1,070,000
Broadcast direction & crew
AED 1,991,000
- C-01Creative leadership & executionEP/CEO, Head of Production, Co-EP · 14-day engagementAED 285,000
- C-02Director & gallery producers17 named roles · 8-day call including rehearsalAED 495,000
- C-03Broadcast runners6 runners · compound, camera bases, talent, galleryAED 42,000
- C-04Specialised camera crew47 programme specialists · 5-day callAED 720,000
- C-05Fireworks camera crew6 specialised mount operators · 4-day callAED 108,000
- C-06Pre-vis & Cue Pilot teamOn-site editor + 2 Cue Pilot operators · 12 daysAED 156,000
- C-07Voice over — famous colour commentatorLive on Emaar YouTube · rehearsal + show + prep · allowanceAED 185,000
Broadcast equipment (1)
AED 1,226,000
- E-01Local outside broadcast truck4K HDR gallery, comms, EVS, racks · recce through strikeAED 265,000
- E-0221 × 4K broadcast camerasIncluding 6 dedicated fireworks bodies, lenses, CCUAED 580,000
- E-03Media — hard drives & storageISO record, show master, YouTube clean/dirty, archiveAED 48,000
- E-04Flyline (×1)Cable-cam system along the boulevard spineAED 98,000
- E-05Agito Sports (×1)Low tracking vehicle for plaza and talentAED 52,000
- E-06Techno 50 (×1)Crane + remote head on fountain terraceAED 58,000
- E-07Transmission equipment & uplinkPrimary fibre, bonded IP backup, satellite contingencyAED 125,000
Broadcast equipment (2)
AED 276,000
- E-08Camera drones ×3Flip, Inspire, Mavic Pro 4 · permits & insurance × 2 daysAED 88,000
- E-09Cue Pilot equipmentTracking, 3D engine, gallery playout, rehearsal overnightAED 58,000
- E-10Logistics, trucking, freight, carnetInbound specialist grip, ATA carnet, local truckingAED 95,000
- E-11ExpendablesBatteries, media, weather covers, gaffer, comms sparesAED 35,000
Broadcast infrastructure (3)
AED 431,000
- I-01OB compound facilitiesHardstand, tents, furniture, security perimeter, welfareAED 110,000
- I-02PowerDual generator, UPS on gallery and record, distributionAED 62,000
- I-03Camera platformsScaffold, rooftop ballast, weather housings, safetyAED 82,000
- I-04Broadcast workspacesProducer desks, edit overnight, graphics, VO boothAED 42,000
- I-05CablingSMPTE, fibre, RF, comms — laid, labelled, redundantAED 78,000
- I-06Commentary positionsYouTube colour booth with picture, comms, and IFBAED 25,000
- I-07Crew access infrastructurePasses, routes, night movement, medical access lanesAED 32,000
Production fees (third party)
AED 1,070,000
- F-01Production fee10% of below-the-line on the delivered showAED 395,000
- F-02Insurance + HIEProduction, equipment, drone, public liability, HIEAED 165,000
- F-03Accounting feesShow accounting, payroll processing, audit packAED 28,000
- F-04Office overheadsDubai production office, comms, local admin, weather and overtime allowanceAED 312,000
- F-05Fringes + PH+WPension, holiday, welfare on employed crewAED 170,000
Provisional sum — not in the total
AED 240,000
- PS-01Real-time 3D two-engine integrationTrigger, synchronisation, camera tracking on four heads, and control between Cue Pilot and Emaar’s real-time 3D engine. Engine, content and operator remain Emaar / Emaar’s vendor. Not required for the 21-camera live path.AED 240,000
Until a two-engine interface is confirmed, Cue Pilot is the live 3D path, with fill and key taken in the truck. PS-01 is invoked in writing, or if two-engine control is required on site.
If invoked, the offer becomes AED 5,234,000 ex-VAT. Until then the firm total remains AED 4,994,000.
Payment terms
AED 4,994,000
The following payment structure is proposed.
- 30%Contract / PO AwardOn signed contract or purchase order.AED 1,498,200
- 30%60 days prior to event1 November 2026.AED 1,498,200
- 25%15 days prior to event16 December 2026.AED 1,248,500
- 15%Completion of live event31 December 2026, on completion of the live broadcast.AED 749,100
- VAT is additional.
- Specialist equipment, talent and supplier commitments will be made subject to the agreed payment schedule and supplier availability.
- Invoices in AED against Circle 1 Studios tax invoice. Bank transfer. Bank details on each invoice.
- If provisional sum PS-01 is invoked, it is invoiced as a variation on the same milestone percentages; the firm total of instalments remains as above until invoked.
10 · Assurance
Insurance, HIE, and the things that fail at midnight.
Production fee, insurance and HIE, accounting, office overheads, and fringes plus PH+W are carried in the commercial, not parked as extras. The risk register below is how we actually protect the picture.
Weather on drones
Two-day permit already covers rehearsal and show. Inspire is the high-wide spare if Flip is grounded. Postcard coverage is also on FW6 and C03 — the show is never drone-dependent.
Fireworks sightline
Six dedicated mounts on four faces plus lake and ultra. A single failed housing does not lose the grammar. Fireworks cell is ring-fenced from 22:00.
Crowd density
RF handhelds and Steadicam work inside a floor-managed pocket. Specialised mounts are above the crowd. Access lanes held with Emaar security from build.
Transmission
Primary fibre from compound. Bonded cellular IP as hot backup. Satellite uplink as last mile. YouTube encode is dual-path.
Cue Pilot / 3D
Cue Pilot and overnight editor are in the firm commercial. Emaar’s real-time 3D engine is assumed supplied by Emaar or Emaar’s vendor. Direct two-engine integration (trigger, sync, tracking on four cameras, control) is provisional sum PS-01 and is not required for the 21-camera live path. Fallback is straps and lower thirds.
Talent / VO
Famous voice is contracted with an understudy read on standby. Booth is isolated; IFB from gallery; script PA on a dedicated circuit.
Deliverables
- Live 4K HDR programme for Emaar’s YouTube channel, with colour commentary.
- Clean feed (no graphics) and dirty feed (straps and lower thirds).
- ISO recordings of all 21 cameras plus three drones.
- Show master, recap cut, and archive LTO / hardened drives.
- Cue Pilot session files and overnight rehearsal conforms.
- Production report, as-broadcast camera plot, and insurance close-out.
Assumptions
- Show date is 31 December 2026 (NYE into 2027) at Downtown Dubai.
- Emaar provides site access, rooftop licences in principle, and security liaison.
- Pyrotechnic timeline is issued no later than 10 December for Cue Pilot and camera freeze.
- Famous VO is a named talent to be agreed; fee is an allowance against a signed deal.
- Local OB truck is UAE-based; specialist grip (Flyline, Agito, Techno 50) may travel on carnet.
- Drone operations require GCAA / DCAA approval; Circle 1 Studios leads the application.
- Graphics scope is straps and lower thirds only — no full broadcast package, no sponsored bugs beyond Emaar identity.
- Emaar or Emaar’s vendor supplies the real-time 3D engine, content and operator, if used. Circle 1 Studios supplies Cue Pilot, gallery ingest and genlock. Direct two-engine control is provisional sum PS-01 (AED 240,000), invoked only if that interface is required on site. Programme is not contingent on the third-party engine.
- Quote valid 30 days from the issue date. Third-party production fees, insurance, HIE, accounting, overheads, and PH+W are included as specified.
11 · Next
A working session, then a contract.
We propose a two-hour session with Emaar creative and production: camera plot v1, drone corridors, VO shortlist, and the Cue Pilot survey date. This proposal is valid 30 days from August 2026.
Direct: hello@c1.studio
The tower does not wait. Neither does the clock.
For and on behalf of Circle 1 Studios
Bobby Singh
Founder / Creative Director