Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Technology
Rachelle Abbott

Tech & Science Daily: Behind the scenes of DreamWorks Animation, and new movie ‘The Bad Guys’

Behind the scenes of DreamWorks animation

She’s worked on global hits including Shrek, and now the woman leading tech communications at DreamWorks Animation discusses the importance of data for wowing cinema audiences.

Kate Swanborg, senior vice-president of technology communications and strategic alliances at the US movie giant founded by Steven Spielberg, says there has been a “leap forward” in computer graphics capabilities since the 2001 fairytale hit starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.

Or listen here.

Now, similar films contain so much data that by the final cut, half a billion digital files need rendering.

Kate says it’s part of a revolution since characters had something of a “plasticky” finish in the early days of computer animation, to more a realistic - but data-heavy - appearance of fur and water effects.

She also discusses why greater representation for women in the company’s engineering and artist roles is crucial, and the importance of university partnerships to encourage more black filmmakers.

Kate spoke to Tech & Science Daily ahead of the release of animation caper The Bad Guys, featuring a stellar cast including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Richard Ayoade.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.