Dubai: One man's Mission Impossible is another man's mission accomplished. At least that is how Jamal Al Sharif, Managing Director of Dubai Studio City and Dubai Media City, feels as the Tom Cruise movie premiered here on Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview to XPRESS, the 36-year-old recalled how he had arrived at the Dubai Creek early in the morning on November 10, 2010, the first day of the shoot, and was overwhelmed by what lay in front of him.
Cameras rolled as director Brad Bird and actor Tom Cruise engaged in conversation, even as a bunch of tourists in a Big Tour bus popped out with their cameras to catch the action. However, traffic flowed smoothly, as did life, all around. "At that moment, I just felt it was a mission accomplished."
Al Sharif was responsible for securing approvals and co-ordinating with different entities for everything from the film crew's stay and services to the locations, equipment and shooting itself.
Playing host to an 800-plus crew — half of them from abroad — he had a mammoth task at hand. But five months of preparatory work had paid off, ensuring a smooth start for the 24-day filming.
Al Sharif said a special operations committee comprising high-ranking officials was set up to oversee filming of MI4 in Dubai.
"The committee was led by Dubai Police and had a dedicated operations room at the police headquarters at Jumeirah. It had over 30 members from Dubai Municipality, Road Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Ambulance, Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation, special protection forces and other departments," he said, adding they worked closely with production teams from Paramount Pictures and Filmworks.
The committee met regularly and visited every location to ensure everything went to plan. Besides Burj Khalifa, other major locations included Al Bastakiya, Al Seef Road, Dubai Creek, Baniyas Road, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Satwa, The Palm and Margham desert.
Al Sharif said at any given time there were around 100 people on the ground with a five-member team from the Dubai Studio City providing back-office support.
First Week
The first week of the filming was done in old Dubai covering areas like Al Bastakiya, Al Seef, Dubai Creek and Baniyas Road. "It was like a moving circus as we would shift from one location to another." For instance, when the crew was shooting on a dhow one morning, the entire set-up was at the Dubai Creek parking lot. "A second unit was shooting on Al Seef Road. By noon, we had to move to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) building and the parking lot there had to be closed."
Every time the team moved, cleaners from Dubai Municipality would tidy up the used areas, while the RTA and traffic police would reopen blocked roads and streamline traffic. "Great coordination by the different departments ensured that the community was not affected."
Second Week
The second week of the shoot mainly covered Burj Khalifa and the Margham Desert. Al Sharif said special permission was obtained for the film crew to occupy three floors above the 130th floor.
"Windows were opened and the crew could not cross beyond a red line. Health and safety was the responsibility of Paramount Pictures and Dubai Government." He said since the Burj Khalifa is in a no-fly zone, special approvals were obtained from authorities for helicopters to fly over the tower.
"This is the most popular site for shooting in Dubai. Each of the 1,000 applications we have approved for shooting in Dubai so far this year has at least one scene here."
At the Margham desert, the challenge was to preserve the protected area and remove the fencing for camels to allow an unobstructed view of the desert. "By next morning, everything was back in place."
Third and Fourth Week
The third week of shooting was at DIFC, while the last few days covered Satwa. "The area was beautified," said Al Sharif, adding that there was a festive mood as onlookers were given ice-cream and goodies by the film crew.
Al Sharif said residents were more than willing to co-operate. "I remember an Indian family that was more than happy to let the crew into their balcony to shoot the Dubai Creek." "It was unique experience for everyone," he said, noting Dubai has proved it is a great location for films — be they from Bollywood or Hollywood.
Did you know?
Dubai has approved around 1,000 applications for shooting in the emirate, each of which has at least one scene at Burj Khalifa. shooting in public places like parks and beaches in Dubai does not involve a fee, but private locations could charge producers.
