INDUSTRY

HP technology helped DreamWorks Animation SKG create the animated film, “Over the Hedge,” which was released today in U.S. theaters and is showing at the 59th Cannes International Film Festival. HP, which is DreamWorks Animation’s preferred technology provider, delivered servers, workstations and HP Halo collaboration studios to meet the demanding business and production needs required to create the new computer-generated (CG) film. “Over the Hedge” is about RJ, a traveling raccoon who encourages a group of animals to venture over a large hedge in search of food. The adventure unfolds when the animals interact with humans living nearby. DreamWorks Animation’s digital artists created lighting and special effects for “Over the Hedge” using HP xw9300 Workstations and HP ProLiant DL145G2 servers powered by Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors. These systems provided increased computing power over DreamWorks Animation’s previous generation of systems, helping artists work on multiple scenes simultaneously. In fact, the ProLiant servers provided “Over the Hedge” more than 15 million render hours – three times more than DreamWorks Animation’s original “Shrek” film – making it the most powerful render-farm in DreamWorks Animation’s history. “Computer-generated filmmaking consumes an extraordinary amount of computational power and our creative ambition always seems to stay two steps ahead of what’s possible,” said Ed Leonard, chief technology officer, DreamWorks Animation SKG. “HP not only enables us to stay two steps ahead on the animation side, but on the business side, too. With HP and AMD’s help we are able to release two CG films a year – unprecedented in the industry.” Producing animated feature films involves a tremendous amount of person-to-person interaction. With two California campuses more than 350 miles apart in Redwood City and Glendale, geography posed a challenge for DreamWorks Animation because of the cost and time involved with traveling. HP Halo collaboration studios enable people in different locations to communicate in a vivid, face-to-face environment in real time. The Halo studios enabled DreamWorks Animation to enhance collaboration and facilitated 24-hour global communication, significantly lowering the cost and time associated with conducting business. “HP continues to push the envelope for computer-generated filmmakers like DreamWorks Animation,” said Shane Robison, executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer, HP. “HP technology helps ensure DreamWorks Animation can deliver its industry-leading goal of two films per year.”