At Computer Film Company in Culver City, California, DreamWorks SKG producers eye digital effects for the upcoming feature Paulie on a monitor and discuss changes with the artists. Just a typical day in Hollywood – except that the images and the digital artists creating them are nearly 6,000 miles away in London.
What makes this long distance creative collaboration possible is Sohonet, a digital pipeline between the two far-flung cities that just opened for transatlantic business.
Digital networking is nothing new, but until now it's been the sole domain of big-budget filmmakers. Sohonet makes it as easy and routine as a phone call. According to managing director Neil Harris, Sohonet is the brainchild of staff at digital-effects and postproduction facilities clustered in London's media-hot Soho neighborhood. Four years ago, ATM was an untried technology in the film business, but in late 1995 five companies hooked up to give it a try. Once united, Sohonet turned its sights to Hollywood. "For Hollywood studios that have offices in London," says William Sargent, executive director of Megalomedia, "Sohonet is the potential umbilical cord."
For now, only transatlantic Cinesite and Computer Film are able to easily use the service. Future network upgrades will support videoconferencing, higher-resolution files, and a direct connection to major US studios, ad agencies, and production companies.
"There's not enough capacity in LA to satisfy the huge appetite for effects work," reveals Harris. "We hope to help take away some of the strain."
