The latest commercial from the Emirates airline has generated a lot of impressions on social media sites after it showed a cabin staff member in full uniform standing atop the Burj Khalifa's tallest point. After several social media users expressed apprehension that the commercial uses special effects and a green screen, the airline came forward and clarified that it was shot without the use of a green screen or special effects.
Emirates, which is the largest airline and the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, also shared the making of the advertisement. The 30-second clip opens with a close-up of the cabin crew holding up message boards in a nod to the famous scene in the 2003 cult hit “Love Actually"
Nicole Smith-Ludvik, who is a professional skydiving instructor, features as an Emirates cabin crew member in the advert.
As the camera pans out, audiences soon find that the crew, with her iconic red Emirates hat and uniform, is actually standing at the very top of the Burj Khalifa by Emaar, giving audiences a panoramic view of Dubai’s skyline.
"At the pinnacle of the building, the main protagonist had a reduced circumference space of only 1.2 metres at 828 metres high to pull off the stunt," the airline said in a media release.
"At 828 metres above ground this marks one of the highest ads ever filmed and was conceptualised and directed by Emirates’ in-house brand team with the help of Prime Productions AMG, based in Dubai," it said. +
The climb took 1 hour and 15 mins from level 160 of the Burj Khalifa and the team had to scale several tiers and ladders inside a tube to reach the top.
A single drone was used to capture the footage in a continuous take to film the complete sequence.
