You don't have to be a technical wizard to make it in Hollywood, but it helps — especially since the pandemic.
Oscar-nominated blockbuster Dune is an outstanding example of the skills that can provide a route into the film industry for a wider range of people, when streaming has increased the appetite for content and production has become highly technical.
The film is a collaboration between French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and British-born visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, who previously worked together on the 2017 film Blade Runner, which won an Oscar for best visual effects.
Lambert, who has about 25 years of experience in visual effects, learnt on the job.
He had a degree in aeronautical engineering, otherwise known as rocket science, but until he became a courier making regular deliveries to Pinewood Studios, he said he "never in a million years" thought he could work in films.
One thing led to another and he realised the "very, very creative and very technical" area of visual effects was his vocation.
"I live, breathe, dream what I do," he said.
Increasingly universities and the industry, often working together, are providing training and say streaming and the backlog caused by lockdown have created a surge in demand for technical talent.
This need "allows young people across a broader spectrum of classes to get their foot in the door," said assistant arts professor Sang-Jin Bae at New York University, where the Tisch School of the Arts teaches virtual production, as well as animation and visual effects.
German-headquartered Maxon is one of the companies that provides the software. It says it seeks to mentor artists and create diverse role models in its tutorials to improve inclusivity in a mostly white, male film production sector, and to address the talent crisis.
"The more people that come in, the more artists there are," Paul Babb, chief marketing officer at Maxon, said.
Lambert used Maxon's technology for a scene in Dune in which the protagonist hides in a hologram bush.
The secret to making it believable is natural light, which means you must "always reference something real", Lambert said. In this case, it was the actor.
The obvious approach would have been to create a computer-generated version of Dune's protagonist played by Timothee Chalamet. Instead, Lambert projected "a series of slices" of a computer-generated hologram bush onto him.
"You get a beautiful sub-surface look on skin, which is really hard to produce in computer graphics," Lambert said.
The reward for Lambert and his team could be an Oscar later this month.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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