Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, answered questions about technological challenges and career opportunities in the computer animation industry before a full crowd in List Art 120 Thursday night.
Katzenberg co-founded DreamWorks in 1994 with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen with funding from Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft. "I don't know what's more amazing - that Spielberg said yes or that we found this guy with $40 billion," Katzenberg said.
When asked how he got the idea to create DreamWorks, Katzenberg said, "I got fired." When Disney CEO Michael Eisner fired Katzenberg in 1994, Katzenberg came back to his office to find two messages - one from Spielberg and one from Bill Gates.
Three days later, the three "out-of-control egomaniacal maniacs" - Katzenberg, Geffen and Spielberg - were sitting in Spielberg's living room making plans for the future studio, Katzenberg said. He attributes their successful partnership to the peculiar expertise of each. "Spielberg is the dreamer, Geffen the entrepreneur and I am the builder," he said.
Many student inquiries focused on future career opportunities for Brown graduates. Katzenberg gave an encouraging, yet challenging answer. "It's gold rush time," he said. "There has never been a moment or a time when there has been greater opportunity in this field." But he went on to warn aspiring artists, writers and computer scientists that reaching a position at a place like DreamWorks would not be easy.
He offered a four-point plan for success in the industry: Find a thing you can do really well, go to California, believe in yourself and be willing to come through the back door by first working in advertising or game design.
"If you can't go in the front door, go in the back door. If not, get a ladder and go to the attic," he said.
Jeff Beall '96, a technical director at DreamWorks, joined Katzenberg for Thursday's event. Beall de-scribed the future challenges for computer graphics as mainly about "raising the bar of visual complexity" in achieving the appearance of real-time graphics. A seemingly simple improvement like the detail of the forest in DreamWorks' next feature "Over the Hedge" takes a lot of time and effort, Beall said.
Brown students were shown the "world premiere" of the trailer for "Over the Hedge," due to be released in May 2006. A con-artist raccoon voiced by Bruce Willis and a sensitive turtle voiced by Garry Shandling are the new animated heroes who, together with other forest animals, explore the newly sprung suburban settlement next to their forest.
The animals make "observations of the strangest creature on the planet: the human," Katzenberg said.
Although DreamWorks is known for its pioneering use of computer graphics in animation, Katzenberg also stressed the importance of story for the success of films. Despite the advent of three-dimensional animation, he refused to dismiss two-dimensional films as outdated unless they are also accompanied by flat stories.
When asked by a student whether the animated films of DreamWorks have intentionally moved away from the magic of Disney films, Katzenberg replied that it has been an organic shift rather than a deliberate attempt to be different. In the case of "Over the Hedge," "it's a real genuine observation of consumer culture," he said.
Katzenberg's conception of animated films, however, differs drastically from Walt Disney's, as Vice President for Research and Professor of Computer Science Andries van Dam pointed out in his introductory remarks. While Disney said he made movies for the "child in every adult," Katzenberg has said that he makes them "for adults and the adult in every child."
Katzenberg's visit to Brown is part of the new University Outreach Program created by DreamWorks to encourage partnerships with a dozen select universities.
Before the question-and-answer session, Katzenberg was shown presentations by students and professors in the Department of Computer Science. James Head, professor of geological sciences, showed Katzenberg a 3-D Mars exploration simulation designed, among other things, to be used for astronaut training.
Van Dam said he was not sure exactly what a partnership with DreamWorks would entail, but he hopes for initiatives like intensive winter break computer graphics classes taught by DreamWorks employees. Another possible gain for Brown could be a scholarship similar to the graduate fellowship offered by Pixar Animation Studios.
Paul DiPierro '06, the creator of a short animation shown to Katzenberg before the session, was also grateful to hear of the possibility of getting his "dream job."
"It was very encouraging to hear him talk about the industry and the opportunities available," DiPierro said.
The audience was also impressed by Katzenberg's sense of humor and lightheartedness. "He seemed very human. You've got to respect a person who thinks 'Uncle Fucka' is a great song," said Herald cartoonist Daniel Perez, referring to Katzenberg's expressed love for Comedy Central's "South Park."
