Before the first actor stepped onto the set of &ldquo;Seven Dogs&rdquo;, the production team faced an unusual challenge. The opening sequence, ahead of the film&rsquo;s global release on 27 May, required a violent fight inside a spinning aircraft undergoing decompression without the use of green screens or static backdrops.
The solution was to construct a full aircraft cabin capable of physically rotating during filming.
What followed became one of the most technically ambitious practical productions in recent Arab cinema, filmed entirely in Riyadh. The film has already entered the Guinness World Records for staging the largest explosion ever captured in a single cinematic scene.
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A Plane That Actually Spins
Special effects supervisor Duncan Capp and his team at IFX International Special Effects built a 15 metre rotating platform inside AlHisn Big Time Studio, designed to flip a full aircraft cabin and cockpit completely upside down during filming.
The structure was elevated four metres above the studio floor, allowing the filmmakers to stage a stunt in which a passenger seat is torn loose and hurled through the cabin floor, an effect that would not have been possible closer to the ground.
To recreate the force of cabin decompression, the production used two custom built wind machines powered by LS6 Chevy V8 engines, the same type used in Florida Everglades airboats. Each engine generated around 540 horsepower, producing winds of up to 120 km/h.
The machines were so powerful they had to be mounted on cranes weighing up to seven tonnes to remain stable during filming.
Actors Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz performed much of the sequence surrounded by real wind, debris and a physically rotating aircraft cabin.
&ldquo;It was incredible to see all the things he created and engineered to make it feel completely real,&rdquo; director Adil El Arbi said.
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A Five Storey Set Built Above Real Water
The film&rsquo;s largest interior set was the penthouse of Shanghai crime boss Li Chang, played by Max Huang.
Production designer Paul Kirby began with hand drawn sketches, later transformed into a fully navigable 3D model that allowed the directors, cinematographer and stunt team to plan camera movements and fight choreography before construction began.
The result was a five storey set built inside AlHisn Big Time Studio, complete with stunt falls, breakaway structures and camera cranes operating across multiple levels.
Unlike most film sets, which typically span one or two floors, this structure extended across five.
The set was also constructed directly above an existing deep diving pool within the studio complex. Rather than conceal it, the filmmakers incorporated it into the design as the penthouse&rsquo;s indoor swimming pool.
The water beneath was deep enough for stunt performers to safely fall from the upper levels. A mechanical sliding glass cover was also installed, allowing the pool to be sealed mid scene during a fight sequence.
A glass staircase and transparent floor corridor enabled cameras to film directly beneath the actors&rsquo; feet, a perspective rarely used in martial arts cinema.
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Riyadh Standing In For Shanghai And Mumbai
When the script required a Shanghai night market, the filmmakers turned to Boulevard World in Riyadh.
The area&rsquo;s large LED screens were reprogrammed with Mandarin advertisements and animated Chinese signage, while more than 150 vendor carts built by hand inside AlHisn Big Time Studio were transported to create the atmosphere of a crowded Shanghai street.
Real steam from food stalls, neon lighting and hand painted Mandarin signs were used to complete the setting.
For scenes set in Mumbai, the production moved to Riyadh&rsquo;s Al Batha district, whose narrow streets and dense architecture resembled parts of the Indian city.
The area was transformed with Hindi shop signs, Bollywood posters, exposed wiring and redesigned storefronts, while members of Riyadh&rsquo;s Indian community appeared as extras.
&ldquo;The entire film was shot here in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh. Yet we travelled the world from this location,&rdquo; director Bilall Fallah said.
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&ldquo;Seven Dogs&rdquo; features an international cast including Ahmed Ezz, Karim Abdel Aziz, Monica Bellucci, Martin Lawrence, Sanjay Dutt, Menna Shalaby and Francis Ngannou, alongside guest appearances by Salman Khan and Giancarlo Esposito.
The screenplay was written by Mohamed Eldabbah, based on a story by Turki Al Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
Photo Credit: Turki Al Sheikh&rsquo;s official page

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