Dreamworks

My last post was all about Pixar, so this week I thought I'd follow that up with Dreamworks. Dreamworks are a more modern studio set up (in the 1990's) by director Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg (who used to run Disney) and music boss David Geffen.

Dreamworks' films are very popular, especially the three Shrek movies. Other Dreamworks movies include:

Madagascar (and number 2 - they like sequels)
Kung Fu Panda
Over the Hedge
Bee Movie
Shark Tale

They also distributed Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were Rabbit. This means that they paid to put it in cinemas and to advertise it. This costs a lot of money, about 60% again of the budget. So if a film cost $100 million to make (which is usual) then a studio may spend $60 million on advertising or MARKETING.

Dreamworks use a lot of famous actors in their films. This makes them more appealing to an older audience whilst still being attractive to children. Stars who have appeared in their films include; Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Renee Zellweger. Indeed they sometimes make the characters look like the actors (Will Smith in Shark Tale). This is something to look out for if you get a Dreamworks clip in the exam.

This month (March) they are releasing Monsters Vs Aliens starring Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie. As well as releasing on normal screens, Dreamworks are distributing a 3D version (Disney did the same with Bolt earlier this year, Pixar are re-releasing Toy Story in 3D next year). This seems to be the new way that studios are getting people into cinemas (you can't download 3D or have a pirate 3D DVD - yet), and so you should expect more 3D films very soon. You could add this sort of info to a question about institution in the exam.

Go here for more information:

http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/