Animated Response to Security

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,42578,00.html

by Robin Clewley
2:00 a.m. Mar. 27, 2001 PST

Imagine working in a place where your desktop computer restricts
access. No personal e-mail. No Internet.

Imagine rules enforced where -- not only are you not allowed to tell
outsiders what goes on within your walls -- you're not even allowed to
tell colleagues working at the same place on the very same project.

Tough new security precautions at the FBI? Nope. Just standard
procedure in the paranoid world of animation.

"We don't want the rug taken out from under us," said Ken Schretzmann,
an editor at Pixar Animation Studios.

Animators say tight security is necessary in the business, in large
part because much of a film's success is dependent on how fresh the
latest technology or innovation is.

Schretzmann noted that the length of time it takes to create an
animated film -- often three or four years -- means much more security
is needed to prevent leaks. For projects that can cost more than $100
million to produce, this is a high-stakes business.

So while most technology-dependent businesses ask employees to sign
strict confidentiality agreements, the animation business routinely
goes the extra mile. Companies place long-distance restrictions on
telephones, limit Internet access and, occasionally, forbid
communication between employees working on the same project.

A screenwriter hired for a live-action film or a television episode
works with a faster turn-around time from development to production
than for an animation project. This causes animation confidentiality
agreements to be more complex and strict, said Paul Husband, an
attorney and agent whose clients include Disney, Warner Bros. and the
Cartoon Network.

"Contracts for live-action can be as short as six months," he said.
"Animation contracts can last two to three years."

Husband said while not all animation companies force their employees
to sign strict contracts, "as painters have different styles, so do
animation companies and how they deal with contracts for their
employees."

This may be true, but Disney's contracts are among the stricter types
of contracts Husband puts together. Disney and Pixar have an ongoing
partnership.

"One of the reasons that makes the animation world less happy is
Disney's insistence on having the lock-hold on animated film," said
Harry Knowles, editor-in-chief of Ain't It Cool News, an entertainment
industry insider website.

According to Knowles' sources within Disney, security is so tight that
animators don't have access to other story reels to see if their
animation fits into the overall project, he said. Also,
inter-department talking is not encouraged.

"All of the animosity that we see in the animated area doesn't really
come from the animators itself," he said. "It's more of an executive
thing."

An example is when Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney to start Dreamworks.
A Bug's Life was in production when he left Disney, but Antz (created
by Katzenberg's company) beat the other film's release date by one
month.

"I never really saw the problem because both films were really
different," Knowles said. "But the thing that drove (Disney) nuts was
that it was a slap in the face. Basically, Katzenberg said, 'We will
challenge you to the marketplace.'"

Tight security also permeates the special effects arena. At Industrial
Light & Magic, certain employees do not have access to the Internet on
their computers, nor do they have long-distance phone service.

"Since we are a service company, and we must provide the best possible
service to our client, we must ensure confidentiality," said Hael
Kobayashi, director of digital artists production.

Of ILM's 1,300 employees, approximately one third have desktop
Internet access, and two dozen "Web terminal kiosks" can be found
throughout the company, said Ellen Pasternack, a publicist for ILM.

Kobayashi said by providing kiosks away from employee work stations,
ILM increases productivity, increases security and reduces repetitive
stress injury by forcing them to get up and move about. Kobayashi said
there seems to be a sense of entitlement for Internet access from the
younger generation of workers who grew up with it.

"I don't think we're inhibiting people from doing their job," he said.
"Not everyone is doing research-related work."

Not all animation companies have these sorts of restrictions.

Eric Jennings, an animator at Tippett Animation Studios, said his
company provides Internet access, but did say there seems to be tight
security in the animation industry. He said he's never heard of anyone
stealing proprietary information.

Jennings said the industry is small, and reputations can be easily
tarnished. He said a typical situation would be someone with prior
knowledge of the cost of a project "out-bidding" a competitor.

Employees at Pixar have Internet access at their work stations also.

"Anyone could post secretive information on the Internet," Schretzmann
said. "But it's an honor system. People feel an allegiance to Pixar."

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