Meet the Egyptian who created visual effects for 'Beauty and the Beast'

From Omar Al-Sharif to Rami Malik, Egyptians have showcased stellar talent in Hollywood for decades. But, it's not just the actors who make us proud.

Behind the scenes of some major film productions, several Egyptian screenwriters, directors and producers are making a name for themselves in the movie world's big leagues. Egyptian visual effects producer and production manager Mohamed Ali is a case in point. 

Ali has been part of the production teams of a long list of blockbusters, including Captain America, Ironman, Harry Potter, Fast and Furious, The Amazing Spiderman, Thor, Power Rangers ...  you name it.

Most recently, he worked on the production of Disney's latest live-action Beauty and the Beast, in which he took part in creating the film's visual effects. 

Ali talked to StepFeed about his experience with the Beauty and the Beast team, his journey in the American film industry and his thoughts on its Egyptian counterpart.  

Ali was offered a position on the Beauty and the Beast production team after working on Fast and Furious 7 and Pixels at Digital Domain, one of the most prominent companies in the visual effects world.

As one of three production managers responsible for the visual effects aspect of Beauty and the Beast, Ali managed a team of over 70 people that focused on creating the beast, the wolves, as well as the surroundings and environments of the film.

Ali's team worked on bringing Beast to life and adding a humane touch to his character through intricate details, including posture, mannerism and clothes. "Basically, anytime you saw the beast in any given shot, I had a big role in it," Ali explained. "I spent almost two years working on the film. For those two years, Beast was my life."

Ali noted that Beauty and the Beast was the longest project he has ever worked on in his career, describing it as a unique and enlightening experience that allowed him to partake in the creation of some groundbreaking technologies.

"It was unique in the sense that we all had to put our thinking caps on and create new technologies that did not really exist prior to this film," he said. "We were trying to create something that is groundbreaking both visually and technically and I think we have."

The producers of the live-action wanted to stick to the soul of the original 1991 Beauty and the Beast animated musical as much as possible. "It was following the same formula, same songs and played on the same emotions as the original but it looked way better," Ali explained.

Still, the production was not without challenges. The team faced several difficulties while developing all-new technologies in the visual effects department, especially while creating Beast and some of Belle's dresses that were actually not real, as Ali told Egyptian Streets.

Ali expressed his pride in being part of the film that took huge collaborative efforts. "I am extremely happy to see the reaction of people to the film. Believe it or not, I have not yet seen the final film," he said. "I will be attending a screening in Los Angeles next week so I can’t wait.

"We saw an earlier cut of the film about a year and a half ago. We knew then that we had something major on our hands."

Ali has not worked on any Egyptian projects yet, but he certainly hopes to, given the proper conditions. He is currently working on some projects that he hopes to launch in his home country. 

"These things take time and I am not interested in making anything that has been seen or experienced before," he said. "I want to help create something that we can all be proud of, not just visually but as far as the story, and production value."

"Egypt has always been the trendsetter when it came to entertainment in the Middle East. There is no disputing our impact on the region," Ali said. "I feel the industry took a hit in recent years and the quality has been affected from production value to subject matter." 

Still, there's no denying the strong talent in the country, both in terms of business and creativity. "Even in movies that may seem of a lesser quality, there is a strong business talent that knows the market and is able to make a profit out of it, whether I agree with it or not.

"Egypt has no shortage of talent, especially hidden gems. There have been a few amazing films by the new and fresh talent that is gaining recognition in Egypt and Europe." 

As for visual effects in Egypt, Ali is impressed with some of the work that he has seen lately, especially in commercials, but he believes that there is a long way to go. 

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, during the late 80s early 90s, Ali developed a knack for fantastical films since he was a child. 

He moved to San Francisco to finish high school, after which he pursued a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. But, writing code was not what he wanted to do for a living. "I always felt that I was more right brained than left. There was too much creative energy within me," he told Egyptian Streets.

So, he satisfied his love for film and storytelling by studying visual effects at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco - one of the world's top schools in the field.

Shortly after graduating, Ali was asked to teach undergraduate and graduate classes at the university. He taught while working with visual effects companies for about 1.5 years before moving to Los Angeles.

When asked about his experience as an Arab in the U.S., Ali said that he is lucky to not have faced any discrimination throughout his ten-year career in the States. "It is very important to let your work speak for itself regardless of time, place, race or religion," he said.

"At the end of the day, the only discrimination you will face in my field is the one that separates good work from its opposite. We're usually too busy to worry about ethnicity."