Lights, camera, action!

He has conquered Hollywood and is now looking to the Middle East as the next hot spot for film production. Arriving in Dubai, Talaat Captan talks to Sangeetha Swaroop about his hopes and ambitions for the region's film industry.

It was an ultimatum given by his wife 21 years ago that forced Talaat Captan, then an employee with an international distributor of motion pictures, to plunge headfirst into the dizzying world of movie distribution and film-making. When he resigned from this Los Angeles-based company, Captan landed four jobs within 24 hours.

Popular in his industry and known for his hard work, sincerity and invaluable talent for anticipating trends in a foreign market, he was all too surprised to find that there were more than a handful of companies vying for his service.

But then his wife's uncharacteristic outburst caught him off-guard. As he grappled over which job offer to choose, intent to keep his family's interests above all else, he was more than taken aback when his wife threatened to leave him should he choose any of the lucrative offers that he had been presented with.

"She was convinced that if all those firms wanted me to join them, then it meant I was very good at what I do. And if I am so capable, she argued, I could just as well go it alone," he recalls.

His wife volunteered to help him set up and run the business. "I have never worked for anyone else since," he says.

In 1989, working from a tiny office space in Los Angeles, equipped with just one desk and a typewriter 'with three missing keys', the duo set about planning their strategy to utilise Captan's knowledge of production and distribution.

Two decades later, Lebanese-born Captan heads a diversified group of film-related businesses, and after having made his mark on Hollywood circles as a renowned producer of science-fiction films, he feels he is geared to repeat the success story in the Middle East too.

Here, he heads A2 Avalon, a production and distribution company based in Dubai that aims to provide high quality content for the Middle East's 400-plus TV channels. Captan is also CEO of Air Hollywood, the largest aviation-themed studio in the world with a 200-foot-long airport terminal standing set, several commercial airplane interiors, executive jet mock-ups, cockpits and props. Apex Stock, another business project, provides every conceivable type of stock footage for use in movies. He also founded Green Communications, a major film and television distribution firm in L.A., and currently manages several operations through offices in Cairo, Beirut, Dubai and LA.

Upon the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, Captan left Lebanon at the age of 15 for San Diego. He attended San Diego State University and graduated from New York Business School. After graduation, in order to pursue his passion for travelling, he started his career as an international marketing consultant for major department stores in the US. Eventually, weary of travelling, he took up a job in New York City in the film distribution business.

"That was my first association with the movie industry," he says. "As a child, I used to watch some movies 20 times over, mesmerised by what unfolded on the screen. I was curious to know how a movie was made but never dreamt I would end up in the film industry! One thing led to another, and I joined a production company in Los Angeles. Later, I worked in the field of international movie production and licensing. In 1989, I set up my own production company, Green Communications."

Among his premier ventures were Prototype and the critically acclaimed Apex, which was hailed as "a gem of a sci-fi movie" in the media. Other films produced under his company's banner included the psychological thriller Living in Peril, and Norman Mailer's The Time of Her Time.

Describing himself as a creative person and an opportunist, Captan believes that when an opportunity arises, you have to grab it.

"You are the best judge of an opportunity based on your experiences," he says. "You can't go wrong if you fully understand the needs of the industry you are in.

Risks occur only when you don't know what you are doing."

Captan maintains close connections with major Hollywood studios such as Sony, Paramount and DreamWorks. Ultimately, he says, "It is not who you know, it is who knows you that counts. I've had to work really hard to reach where I am today and to be accepted into the fold."

I, ME, MYSELF

I enjoy movies that are based on true stories. Stories that make you think and go beyond providing mere entertainment have great value.

I like it when movies challenge your perceptions and beliefs and force you to be introspective.

I believe an entertaining experience is one that teaches you something.

With every movie you watch, you should learn something – especially something good.

I see films as an escape from reality. When you enter a theatre, all your worries and troubles are put aside. Movies are a form of entertainment that enables you to switch off from the present, if only for a brief period of time.

I learnt the ropes of business the hard way. Nobody taught me how to make movies. In every movie I made, I made mistakes. With every mistake I made, I learnt not to repeat it in the next movie.

Making a movie is like preparing a great meal. You need to have quality ingredients. If you have all these in the correct proportion, you will have a perfect meal. A little too much salt; a little less flavour, and it will be noticed.

Similarly, in a movie, sometimes the sound may not be good or the camera or art department may not be up to the mark. Making a movie is all about teamwork. Many departments have to come together to make one film. In the end, the chemistry has to work well.

I rely on myself. What I've learnt through experience in LA is that when someone says 'trust me', it means I should be wary. When I hear 'don't worry', that's when I start worrying.

I believe an excellent script is one that gets me very excited. A good script is the first step towards creating a great movie, and developing one may take a very long time, sometimes four to five years.

If I had to choose between the real world or the 'reel world', I would choose real life, because that's where I experience fulfillment. Movies are a figment of the imagination. But then people always relate to certain movies. When I meet people for the first time, I inquire about the movies they like best, and their choice or preferred genre tells me a lot about them.

I think that science fiction is very interesting because you can give free reign to your imagination. Making sci-fi movies today is difficult because it involves a lot of money due to the special effects involved.

When I am not managing the businesses, I'm with my wife and daughter. We try to spend as much time as we can together and we enjoy travelling together. At just eight years old, my daughter has already travelled around the world.

I love holidaying in Hawaii where the greenery, weather, beaches and exquisite food are irresistible.

I also enjoy playing tennis and golf.

I am inspired by talented and smart people who really care about what they do, and do it with utter sincerity and honesty.

I love a good comedy. I love to laugh; it makes me happy. A comedy is very difficult to produce as it is not easy to make people around the world laugh at the same joke. Secondly, repeating the same joke five times while filming and retaining the humour is a very tricky task.

What I love most about producing movies is the last day of shooting. A producer has a huge responsibility. At any given time, there are 75 to 150 people on set, each with a different temperament and a different style of working. Ensuring that the whole process continues in a seamless fashion can be quite stressful.

But more importantly, I enjoy the teamwork aspect of film-making and the opportunity it gives me to collaborate with talented people in various fields to create something together that will last for a long time to come. When a film bombs at the box office, I feel really bad because I know the amount of hard work that goes into making one. The audience only loses two hours of viewing time, but for a film crew, it could be anywhere from several months to a year or more of hard work. But a failure is also a learning curve, as with every movie you make, you learn something new.

I am successful because I work very hard, and I love what I do. There are no shortcuts to success. I believe that only hard work will take you forward.

Loving what you do and leading a healthy lifestyle are solid foundations to leading a great life.

I, ME, MYSELF

Me and my childhood

I grew up in Lebanon as the youngest child of a brood of 16. I have nine brothers and six sisters! We were a very close-knit family and it was fun growing up with so many siblings. Being part of such a large family also meant inculcating certain bizarre habits like the art of eating quickly before all the food on the table disappeared. Even today, my wife has to remind me at times that the food on our family table isn't going to run away! Today my family numbers over 150, and I am fortunate that in every city that I travel to in the world, there is someone there I can count as my family.

Me and my experiences with the American Film Association (AFMA) I have been a member of AFMA for 18 years now and served as a director on the board for four years.

Me and my businesses in the entertainment industry

Green Communications was the take-off point for my foray into the movie business. For several years,

I produced movies and attended all the international film festivals looking for new distribution markets.

In 1997, while filming a Kiefer Sutherland movie, Ground Control, which explores the world of air traffic controllers, I encountered several problems shooting on-site at the airport and on the aircraft. This experience opened the door to a new business opportunity and so the 20,000 square foot Air Hollywood – a premiere aeroplane mock-up studio with four aviation-themed sets including airport terminals, seven aircraft, and other relevant props – was born. Air Hollywood today attracts major Hollywood studios as well as film, TV and ad companies.

Apex Stock, another venture, is a stock footage company that movie-makers use as a source for high-quality clips on various subjects such as nature, industry, sea life, culture, science and special effects. Shooting a traffic scene in Washington D.C., for example, would cost several thousands of dollars. Instead, filmmakers use short clippings of our footage at a fraction of the cost. We get requests for scenes of aeroplane landings or take-offs, scenes of Paris in the '50s, food shots and so on. Apex has partnerships with big industry names, such as Getty Images and National Geographic, among others.

Me and my thoughts on the Arab cinema industry

We have a long way to go. It is disappointing that despite having so much money here and so many stories to tell, the last people to get money are filmmakers.

There are no investors here who really understand filmmaking. It is so different from making a building and then selling it. Filmmaking is a process; what you get for your investment is intellectual property.

In the movie business, you don't sell films, you license them. Movies that were made 10 or 15 years ago are still played on TV stations around the world and continue to make money. Some movies are as popular today as when they were first released.

Additionally, new media options such as the mobile phone, VOD and the internet are all potential generators of revenue for filmmakers.

Me and A2Avalon

I set up A2 Avalon last year in Dubai and want to develop it into a major force in the media entertainment business in the region.

A2 Avalon currently owns one of the largest libraries of independently-produced content in the region. We currently own distribution rights for over 11,000 hours of entertainment programming. We handle the syndication of feature films, television programmes, documentaries and new media content for theatres, TV stations, airlines and mobile and internet networks throughout the Middle East.

Me and the challenges of movie production

Finding the right people is the hardest part. I would love to make movies in this region and market them internationally.

There is no dearth of talent here, but financing is a huge challenge.

There is also an element of risk if you spend money on the wrong people, and once you get your fingers burnt, it is unlikely that you will want to invest in the same business again.

Me and my favourite actors

When you are in the film business, you don't look for one great actor – you have many good actors. We try to be neutral and find the most suitable actor for the role.

Personally, I am not into the 'heart throb' variety. I prefer actors who come with great experience such as a theatre background or those who have delivered over the years with great roles. Meryl Streep is an all-time favourite of mine because of her great body of work and the intensity she brings to a role.

Cate Blanchett and Stanley Tucci are also fantastic actors that I love.

Me and my philosophy on life

Everyone is a somebody – whatever their nationality or position in life – and everyone deserves to be treated with great respect. When you treat people well, you will be treated well in return. I believe that attitudes always bounce back.

I, ME, MYSELF

What brings you to the Middle East?

My dream is to make movies in this part of the world and to export to an international audience. I would love to go to Japan, for instance, switch the TV on and see a movie that's been made here. You will find movies from Spain, Holland or Argentina on foreign TV, but never a movie from this region on international channels. I would love to be an arbiter of change in this regard.

Movies produced locally and exported will also help erase some of the stereotypes associated with the Middle East.

Many see the movie industry as pure glamour. As a member of the film fraternity, how do you see the industry?

We see the industry as a business and our job is to get the right actor for the right role. Casting an actor is just one part of the work we do.

That said, I totally understand the excitement and euphoria people experience when they see movie stars, since the audience relates to actors based on the characters they portray. However, I know that actors generally want to be remembered for their body of work and not a single character they have played.

Do movies have a greater role than mere entertainment? What do you think the future holds for this industry?

We can learn a lot from movies – there are great lessons to be learned through the narrative and you sometimes get to know more about history and events through certain films. Films can also challenge stereotypes and help educate people to change their perceptions towards issues, people, nationalities and so on.

With technology progressing at such an incredible speed, I believe film-making will become less time- consuming in the future. Advances in special effects will, I am certain, significantly affect the way movies are made.

Is there any movie that you wish you had produced?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding – the smaller and well-scripted films are what I really love most because these have all the ingredients of success.