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A BRAND NEW APPROACH TO VISION AND SOUND

Memory is a strange animal: like the beast itself it relies on the senses for recall but has no corporeal being. It has no immediacy other than possible storage for later use. And yet a lingering perfume in the air might bring back a vision of an old flame.

The strains of a song retrack a moment shared and a fleeting glance kicks in that feeling of déja vu. But memory is also fickle and may fade with time, thus do we avidly snap away and rush to Virgin to buy our own copy of that precious CD.

The importance of sound and vision in our lives has not been ignored by brothers Benjamin and Julien Monié. Benjamin had a passion for photography that metamorphosed into videography; Julien’s kingdom was the world of sound. Both love music. Armed with Masters’ Degrees in Audio production and a list of clients that boasts names like Atari and Renault, the brothers Monié are set to take the standards of the audio-visual industry to another plane. Three weeks ago JBM opened its state of the art studio in Media City.

‘Then traditional way of doing things is that one organisation deals with the video and others take care of the audio side. We do both,’ says Benjamin. ‘It’s a concept team that will take care of the job from its inception to its realisation; build an audio-visual presentation, film or radio ad from the beginning to the end. We act as an agency, complete all of the production and get it to the relevant media as necessary.’

Already, the team are working with Mohammed Habib on his innovative cartoon ‘Freej’ (or neighbourhood), recording all the voices. But Habib is not the only one that is bringing something new to the UAE. Sonic Branding and Viral Advertising are the two unique pillars of JBM’s business.

‘We try to push the client to think outside the box and take their branding to different areas. Sonic branding is the same as a visual logo but it’s a sound. If you’re at home cooking, the advertising on the TV is supposed to tell you the brand. But what happens if you’re not looking? Ding dong din an. You don’t have to look at it, you know its Intel Pentium. It’s a new way to connect to the brand. A film without sound has half the value of the whole.’

The phrase Viral Advertising might raise an eyebrow or two. In principle an e-mail is sent to thousands of people with a link to a web advertisement. Hopefully, they’re all amused, or at least surprised, and forward it to the contents of their collective address books.

‘Digital advertising. It’s a seeding programme that can be used for all kinds of products. Working in association with Asa Bailey (one of the gurus of viral advertising) we can guarantee a given number of hits on a specified budget. And then it takes on a life of its own and it spreads.’

Although JBM’s services also include video production and the more advanced corporate DVD, the musical bed rock is not far under the surface. Barely disguised by the presence of two guitars and a set of bongos. Hey guys, here’s a recording studio that has the facilities to master to American and UK standards. Cuts, mix and master.

‘This is the only studio in the UAE that has this level of equipment and creative expertise coming from the cutting edge of the industry,’ says Julien proudly. ‘We’re using American DigiDesign kit (and represent them in the region) and the quality of the sound is as good as it gets. We’re bringing the quality of sound in Dubai up to the standards of the UK and America.’