Q: How important do you think Dreamworks is going to be in the Hollywood film scene?

A: Very.

You can't start a new studio with names like Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg without exciting expectations. To the general public, there's no question which name has the largest currency. Spielberg's films are an important part of 20th century cultural life, and he's one of the few producer/directors with mass name recognition. In terms of that other kind of currency, however, he's in the middle of the trio.

The real money man is David Geffen, the only billionaire among them. His is also the biggest success story, starting out as an agent and ending up as THE music producer in the country. Nor is he a stranger to films, having been a successful producer in that area as well. Jeffrey Katzenberg is a pauper compared to these two. As the former Disney Chair, he certainly made good money, but he apparently had to pour everything he had and could get his hands on to come up with the $33 million that was the founding members' fee for each when this all began in October, 1994. That may be why HE's the one who will run DreamWorks SKG on a daily basis.

Let's be clear. This isn't just another production company. There have been several of those in the past couple of decades. This is a new STUDIO -- the first in almost half a century.

The company is not just a filmmaking entity. It also producers album, tv shows, and will be a major player on the internet. The success rate in these tangential enterprises has been spotty, but it's the movie studio that excites the most interest.

THE PEACEMAKER, with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, was chosen to be the premiere feature. It opened on September 26, 1997 in the number one slot, although it remains to be seen how well it will hold up as the competition heats up. Nonetheless, this safe first choice was probably what the fledgling company needed -- high-profile stars in a big-budget film with all of the potential for well-covered premiere events and something to brag about in newspaper ads.

It was chosen over the other two films ready to roll out in 1997: Spielberg's heavy-duty AMISTAD and the comedy MOUSEHUNT with Nathan Lane. Both were less likely to introduce DreamWorks in as splashy a manner as THE PEACEMAKER did, even if they may well be more representative of the kinds of movies likely to be produced at the new studio.

All of this assumes there will BE a new studio. Here was the plan: In still-unspoiled Playa Vista, just outside of Los Angeles, a staggering lot is pictured. It would be the first studio designed with significant input from a director (Spielberg). Indeed, he added certain specifications to the plans -- the new soundstages will have "built-in, fully automated lighting grids, and the studio's production offices will have a view of the films being shot on the stages." There would also be a tank for underwater filming, and removable skylights so the movies could be lit by natural sunshine.

Fine. But all manner of problems are dogging the studio--from a mess with financing to environmental lawsuits. For a while, it seemed that they had given up on that dream and would settle for space on existing studio lots, past or present. As this is written, a fresh infusion of money and enthusiasm generated by the first feature film to be released has revived hope that a new major motion picture studio will arise.

No matter what happens with the buildings, the combined talents of Spielberg, Geffen and Katzenberg are simply too powerful to be denied. Like any other industry, a new infusion of products and energy stimulates the competitors and colleagues. DreamWorks is a player!

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