Written by Tom Deehan on May 8, 2018. Posted in On Location / Production News

Jordan’s Wadi Rum stars in new action-packed commercial for Mahindra’s XUV500

Wadi Rum stars as the spectacular setting for a chase sequence in the latest commercial for Mahindra & Mahindra’s XUV500. Produced by Method Productions and serviced by Jordan Pioneers, the commercial spent three days filming in Wadi Rum and an additional day in Amman for interior shots.

Alongside the XUV500, the commercial features another impressive mode of transport with the Hejaz Railway train which rides through Wadi Rum, offering passengers an incredible view of the desert.

Ravneet Mahajan, Executive Producer/Founder of Method Productions explains: “one of the biggest challenges was securing the special equipment needed to pull off this shoot. Unfortunately, there were very limited amounts of equipment available locally and the cameras, lens kit, stabiliser heads and drone were sourced from out of the country. As far as film permits are concerned, we didn’t face any difficulties in terms of gaining permission for using the train or the locations. The local team and authorities were very supportive regarding that."

Jordan’s popularity with international productions is growing and the country is set for a huge profile boost with the release of Disney’s live-action adaption of Aladdin. Netflix has also previously announced production on its first Arabic series which will film in the country.

Jordan now offers a dedicated production incentive in the form of a cash rebate. A 10-20% rate can be received on eligible production expenses occurred within the country, which must amount to at least 20% of the overall budget. The incentive applies to a range of production types including feature films, television series and commercials.

As an additional requirement for accessing the incentive, productions must hire at least 50 local crew members and train 20 local interns in the process. The incentive is capped at JOD1 million (USD1.43 million) per-project.

Credits:

Client- Mahindra & Mahindra
Agency - FCB Interface
Production House : Method Productions
Director - Lloyd Baptista
Executive Producer - Ravneet Mahajan
Production Service: Jordan Pioneers