David R. Kappes, Dune Producer

Dune producer David R. Kappes is seasoned by a venerable list of accomplishments including more than two dozen feature and television productions. Among his projects are: The Vernon Johns Story, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders, the Emmy nominated The Night They Saved Christmas, Jaws 3, Bill, The Langoliers, Nairobi Affair and Too Far To Go.

Kappes holds a B.A. degree from Fordham University, where he majored in philosophy and English literature, and minored in German literature and history. He did graduate study in American Literature and law before launching onto an eclectic career path, peppered with jobs including high school teacher, fall-out shelter designer, cinematographer, draughtsman, middleweight boxer and television commercial producer.

On Dune, Kappes' job entailed orchestrating much of the behind-the-scenes logistics necessary to enable smooth sailing during the shooting. Among those tasks was finding the perfect shooting location to accommodate the many environs in the Dune story.

Kappes recalled the decision-making process for the location: "We did an exhaustive scouting survey of numerous locations around the world, and ultimately decided it would be better to shoot indoors. We did not want to be held hostage to desert storms, such as the one that shut down Phantom Menace, and also wanted to fully utilize the talents of Vittorio Storaro, which are wonderfully employed in an interior setting."

Dune is not Kappes' first venture with several members of the Dune crew. Kappes formerly teamed up with Dune director John Harrison, executive producers Richard P. Rubinstein and Mitchell Galin, the KNB Effects Team and visual effects supervisor Ernest Farino for Harrison's first feature-length film, Tales From The Darkside, The Movie.