National Geographic Middle East

National Geographic commissioned VOTACT to document one of the Middle East’s largest industrial manufacturing facilities — Al-Maria Factory in Riyadh — for its Mega Factory documentary series. The project required continuous high-quality visuals capturing factory operations, production scale, and engineering precision while maintaining broadcast-grade visual standards.
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VOTACT was chosen for its expertise in industrial-scale timelapse and drone cinematography, delivering a complete visual documentation solution that combined engineering accuracy with cinematic storytelling for global broadcast.

Capturing large-scale indoor and outdoor manufacturing operations without disrupting production.

Coordinating filming within strict industrial safety and confidentiality protocols.

Managing lighting, movement, and timing within a 24-hour operating environment.

Ensuring every frame met National Geographic’s stringent visual and technical quality standards.

VOTACT deployed a multi-layered visual capture system integrating long-duration timelapse, dynamic drone cinematography, and cinematic video production to showcase Al-Maria Factory’s engineering excellence and manufacturing capability.

Timelapse Documentation: Installed long-term timelapse systems at strategic factory points — including assembly lines, machinery bays, and exterior logistics zones — capturing months of production flow and structural evolution.


Drone Cinematography: Deployed high-end drones with stabilized 4K cameras for sweeping aerial visuals of the factory complex, logistics yards, and industrial operations.


Professional Video Production: Produced narrative-driven footage integrating interviews, on-ground operations, and aerial visuals to meet broadcast-level post-production standards.

Pre-Production Planning: Coordinated with National Geographic producers and factory engineers to map filming permissions, safe zones, and shooting timelines.


Setup & Deployment: Installed weatherproof timelapse systems indoors and outdoors, ensuring continuous capture despite harsh lighting and environmental conditions.


Drone Operations: Conducted synchronized aerial filming during active production hours and golden-light windows to achieve cinematic visual impact.


Production & Post: Integrated footage from timelapse, drones, and ground cameras to create a cohesive, high-clarity visual story optimized for National Geographic broadcast requirements.

Broadcast-Grade Visuals: Delivered cinematic footage that met National Geographic’s global broadcast quality benchmarks.


Seamless Coordination: Maintained continuous factory operations while filming, ensuring zero disruption to production schedules.


Long-Term Visual Record: Created a detailed, time-compressed documentation of factory workflows and engineering processes.


Enhanced Global Visibility: The Mega Factory feature increased Al-Maria Factory’s international exposure and brand value.


Operational Efficiency: Timelapse and drone captures provided factory management with a new visual tool for training, process evaluation, and marketing

Technical Mastery: Proven capability in large-scale industrial filming and long-duration timelapse under demanding environmental conditions.

Cinematic Precision: Combined storytelling, engineering documentation, and visual impact in one cohesive production.

Global Standard Delivery: Production pipeline aligned with international broadcast specifications and editorial workflows.

Collaborative Execution: Worked in tandem with factory management and National Geographic crews for coordinated scheduling and compliance.

Multi-angle timelapse sequences (interior assembly lines and exterior logistics zones).

High-resolution aerial cinematography for factory overviews and dynamic movement shots.

Full-length and short-format videos edited for broadcast, corporate communication, and social media.

Raw footage and archival time-lapse material for National Geographic’s editorial library.

The Al-Maria Factory episode of Mega Factory became a standout feature within National Geographic’s industrial documentary series, celebrated for its visual depth, accuracy, and storytelling. VOTACT’s work elevated the project beyond conventional industrial documentation—transforming it into a visual narrative that showcased innovation, precision, and scale.


VOTACT’s integration of timelapse technology, aerial cinematography, and professional production transformed Al-Maria Factory’s operations into a world-class visual story—bridging industrial documentation with cinematic storytelling at a global standard.