Sex and The City 2 uses Abu Dhabi to market its movie as a new international entertainment hub worth exploring to American audiences in a post 9/11 culture.How else is Abu Dhabi influencing your home and becoming a strong arm international entertainment? How is the city creating more opportunities for its residents? Abu Dhabi, anyone?
As I watched the movie, I enjoyed what I believe what the sequel was really about: the experience. I personally enjoyed it overall (minus a few dislikes). I appreciated the journey it took us internationally isolated Americans. So into a foreign land we went with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda; we got to see them travel through a place where everything was dipped in traditional canvases and styled in modern accents. Although the film was filmed in Morocco mainly, I enjoyed the grand settings and fashion that infiltrated our eyes during the entire film scene after scene.
A few days after the movie, an international friend of mine invited me and a friend to go international with her next year-- take a trip to Abu Dhabi (and Ethiopia). I chuckled to myself..I thought how funny it was to plan a trip to the exact place that is featured in a major movie film. A little voice in my head said "great marketing." The movie won't be the reason why people go to Abu Dahbi, it's the opportunity of a colorful experience as portrayed in the movie. But it also led me to imagine how many other Americans are probably planning the same kind of trip after watching SATC2...
A few weeks later I'm on VEVO and start to question who owns it besides music corporations. So I went to where most of us go when we want to know more. Wikipedia. As I'm reading the first lines of the history behind VEVO, it lists the owners, but there is a foreign word just threw me through a loop. One of the owners of VEVO, is the Abu Dhabi Media Group. WOW!! Is this a coincidence?? And why are they a part of VEVO?? Although Warner Brothers isn't listed as one of the owners of VEVO, the company does have an agreement with VEVO for marketing and advertising. My mind raced as I looked up the producers (i.e. the distribution company) of SATC2, could I be right? Yep. Warner Brothers.
So how did they get involved?? And why?? We'll get into that, but let me make a few points about how SATC2 and Abu Dhabi successfully marketed itself into this post 9/11 culture.
Abu Dhabi Anyone?
2. They also used bright colors, tribal themed clothing throughout the movie. This is the same type of fashion that we are emulating right now. Take note of the karaoke scene. The club seemed to have a hip hop vibe i.e. the hosts and music at the opening, infused with an audience that seemed to be from all around the world. I think the movie served a consistent reminder that this is a traditional society that has embraced the 21st century in their own way. It all symbolizes a great getaway for those who want to experience a taste of the grand things in life, things that make Europe or Miami look like miniature golf. The movie presented an escape to a different kind of land and excitement during modern times, all the while still being connected to its traditional culture. Inviting isn't it?
3. Does Abu Dhabi remind you of what you've seen or heard of Dubai? Conservative Eastern culture sprinkled with a lil Liberal Western fun. Dubai has become a must-see place the past few years in the U.S., it'd only make sense that the city would be featured in an U.S. film by now. But au contraire monsieurs and madams... Abu Dhabi is actually the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and they feel that they should be the main attraction, thus, this is the new Dubai. In fact, it is what they've been planning all along. Abu Dhabi and Warner Brothers inked their deal back in 2007, a whole year before the first SATC movie was even released in theaters. So if you want to feel up to date on your international affairs, the next time a friend brags about going to Dubai, tell them that Dubai is sooooo 2001.
4. VEVO is just one example of how Abu Dhabi is upgrading to attract tourism and build a new sector into the city that once held on to traditional ways of regulating and presenting entertainment, news, music and even the internet (which is limited unlike ours). Abu Dhabi created the media group and soon their residents will be able to watch all the music videos we enjoy.. since their partnership with Warner Brothers and other media companies, they now have the world of what is pop culture history to us-- over there, or just way more of it. They now have satellite radio, a league of newspapers, they even have their version of American Idol, called the Millionaire Poet (their #1 show). Abu Dhabi has finally decided to get a lil..Western and give its city more options.
As a part of the package deal they are building grand hotels, countless movie theaters, they even created a production lot for BBC, CNN and other companies to set up shop and continue their own production affairs, documentaries and the like. Because of all of this new development, they have college curriculum's that are allowing many residents major into media, journalism, PR. Abu Dhabi Media Group has expanded a whole new industry for their residents to pursue like never before. They now have greater entertainment to provide visitors, jobs to help further their city's development which, in return will only create a greater attraction of tourism, future business deals and international transplant prospects. Again, Abu Dhabi is the new Dubai. They too may now have their own western movie billboards around the city (although WB has not applied for permission to release the SATC2 over there due to UAE's strict censorship rules).
What is funny though, is that as I read the information, the scene where Samantha was approached by the Abu Dhabi producers to be their PR person came to mind. The man stated that they were expanding, they were going to start building--hotels and such, re-position their entertainment hub in the city. Am I the only one getting Deja Vu around here??
The Abu Dhabi Media Group is starting to catch up to the 21st century and doesn't want its city to be left behind, but instead go speedily beyond all the other companies. Although the city does feel that Sex and The City 2 was misleading in its portrayal in many ways, I do feel that Warner Brothers got at least one aspect of their deal with the Abu Dhabi Media Group accomplished- to market the city's attractions in the U.S.
So what's the lesson here?
The next time you are watching a movie that takes place outside the U.S., keep in mind that the location wasn't picked just because it looked pretty.
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