Immerse yourself in action cinema with Olivier Mégaton!

Olivier Mégaton’s conference: A look back at an atypical career

Olivier Mégaton’s talk was an opportunity for Lyon,l students to explore the unique career of a director who has made his mark on the international film world. Hosted by Stéphane Caput, Production Director, the meeting began with an overview of the production world in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, with a focus on local studios such as Pôle Pixels in Lyon. Stephane Caput then introduced Olivier Mégaton, director of action films such as Taken 2, 3 and Colombiana.

The early days of Olivier Mégaton

Before becoming a film director, Olivier Mégaton explored several artistic disciplines. He began with graffiti and painting, while becoming involved in the punk scene. Although he passed his baccalaureate, he didn’t go on to higher education, preferring to devote himself to his art, which was already making him money. Following the murder of one of his friends, he wrote a short film that took an original angle by investigating the circumstances of the murder rather than focusing on the pain. This project enabled him to obtain funding from the CNC and to shoot his film with the team from Luc Besson’s Nikita.

Confirmation in the film world

His network of friends helped him to continue directing and framing. He began shooting rap videos before starting to write a feature-length film, which he never finished. Fascinated by short film festivals, he explored the theme of awards and distinctions. It was during this period that he met Paul Verhoeven(RoboCop), who gave him invaluable advice on writing a hitman film.

His first feature film

In 1998, he directed his first feature film, Exit, in which he also worked as a cameraman. Then, thanks to financing from Canal+, he shot La Sirène Rouge, a genre film that was difficult to produce in France.

His collaboration with Luc Besson

The first meeting between Olivier Mégaton and Luc Besson did not take place under the best of auspices. Arriving early for their meeting, Olivier Mégaton saw Luc Besson arrive late, while advising him to buy a watch. Olivier preferred to leave the meeting before even having a chance to talk.

It was only later, after several exchanges and negotiations, that they managed to work together. In fact, Olivier Mégaton ended up working with Luc Besson, notably as back-up on shoots in the USA and Bulgaria for ‘ Hitman ‘. At Europacorp, which was founded by Luc Besson, Olivier was quick to spot organisational problems and insisted that the teams be better structured.

Olivier Megaton’s view of the director’s job

Olivier Mégaton insists on the need to defend one’s creativity and manage the frustration inherent in being a director. “The central question is “How do you formalise your creativity and show it to the public? He reminds us that the public is essential, because there is little internal recognition in the film industry. Many projects fail to come to fruition because of a lack of funding or human resources, hence the importance of being resilient. In particular, he mentions La Sirène Rouge, which almost had to be cancelled after the 11 September attacks, but which he was able to keep shooting.

His advice to students is clear: don’t get hung up on a single project. “You have to do, do and do again, experiment all the time. “You become good after twenty years in the business.”

Demonstration of storyboarding and action scenes

To close the conference, Olivier Mégaton presented storyboards and action scenes from Taken 3, stressing that everything was shot in real conditions, with minimal support from special effects (a few 3D vehicles added by Mac Guff).

This conference was a real immersion in the career of a self-taught, passionate and demanding director, who has made his mark thanks to his talent and determination.