Bahrain residents are being urged to step out and take part in a new video which aims to highlight the good vibes on the island and promote the kingdom in a positive light. The creative videography team of JEO Productions have been roaming the streets, capturing locals and expats dancing and singing along to Pharrell Williams’s global smash Happy.
Inspired by Pharrell’s ‘24 hours of Happy’ website, which features various celebrities and ‘regular Joes’ dancing in different locations to the upbeat funky song, the team decided it was time to give back to the community and share their love of the kingdom by launching their own version of the Happy video. Joseph Tito, JEO Productions chief executive officer and director, said: “When we saw the ‘24 hours of Happy’ we thought what a great way to promote Bahrain and to show the positive side of what is going on here. A lot of countries have been doing this and we wanted to jump on the bandwagon.” The team launched the call for happy-go-lucky residents to come and shake their tail feathers on social networking site Facebook and received more than 200 requests to take part. Josie Houpt, the productions vice president and producer, said: “Everyone who I have ever met loves Bahrain. You can be expat or Bahraini, it doesn’t matter – it’s just such a warm welcoming close-knit group of people here. “This is the perfect time to do it before we get into a busy month and year of producing television series, documentaries and various projects. “This is our moment to give back as a company, to say ‘we love Bahrain’ and to make this viral to showcase how awesome Bahrain is all over the world.” The shooting started on Sunday with a well-dressed man strutting his stuff in front of the Bahrain Financial Harbour, followed by young movers and shakers boogieing in the souq surrounded by ‘happy’ vendors. Soon-to-be-mum, Emma Lisa Whinnery-Al Shaikh, 32, from Amwaj, was dancing in the souq along with friend Hanar Al Balooshi a 29-year-old advertising and marketing entrepreneur, from Muharraq. Emma said: “I think this is a great concept and a really nice way to promote Bahrain because, after all, everyone is happy in Bahrain.” Hanar, who was clapping away and swaying down the little alleys, added: “It’s a great way to show another side of Bahrain that is very joyous. It’s a way of embracing the international community of Bahrain because you have people from all over the world living happily amongst each other in this small little island.” Ali Al Mosawi, 21, a marketing and sales executive, from A’ali, was cutting a rug with his twin brother Hussain. He said: “I don’t see many people doing stuff like this in Bahrain. It’s a really great project to be a part of and personally I am happy about it.” Restaurant owner Khalid Mahmoud Bukhari, 26, from Isa Town, attracted shop owners and tourists with his pop-locking dance routine. Khalid said: “I love the song and to tell you the truth my friends and I were actually planning to do a Happy video ourselves. When this opportunity came up I jumped on it. It is actually the ring tone on my phone.” Although passersby and shop owners seemed shy at first, many eventually joined in the fun and began to sway to the sounds of Pharrell. Josie said: “It was such a wonderful day. Aside from the volunteers, we ended up getting old men and female shop owners participating in the souq shoot. It was amazing! “From there we headed to a compound in Saar where we were overwhelmed with 40 kids who all danced, did stunts, acrobatics, capoeira and boogied to the song. And, luckily, we got their mums to dance a little too.” After the souq, the production team nipped over to a basketball court in Hamala where Bahraini and expat players showed off their dance moves along with their basketball skills. Throughout the week, the team was caught shooting the Crossfit Delmon Box fitness team in Budaiya working out and singing along. The videographers also made their way to Amwaj Marina where more residents got involved as well as guests, the bride and groom of an Indian wedding. The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa, which is sponsoring the whole project, even have their staff of 30 to 50, from chefs to greeters, dancing on the private island in their uniforms. Josie said: “There is still time for those who want to show off their happy feet as the team will be at the Bahrain Fort tomorrow at 4pm for perhaps the biggest shoot ever. The final day of shooting will be on Friday at 5pm by the ‘I Heart BH’ sign in Adliya and that is open to all as well.” After a week-long shoot, the team will head back to their office in Hidd for another week of editing before the video is released on YouTube. The Bahrain-based production house has worked with the Ministry of Culture and Education over the past two years documenting various events such as concerts, educational workshops and even motor shows. Joseph said: “We will promote it on Facebook and YouTube, covering the social media side and spreading it as far as we can. Bahrain is an open place that accepts everyone like family. “We also would like to thank the Ministry of Culture for their incredible support with all of our projects, the Ritz-Carlton for getting their entire staff involved and local companies like Reef Wake bringing in some skilled surfers and wake boarders to boogie on! “We are thrilled by the amount of local response and joy we have received from doing this project, our gift to Bahrain and how much we love working here and contributing to the cultural scene. “We will continue producing quality film, television and video for the Gulf, and we love that Bahrain is our home!” For further details about the project, visit https://www.jeoproductions.com or on Facebook.com/jeoproductions and see a sample of the video on youtube.com/jeopro
