DreamWorks building $2.4B movie complex in Shanghai

[abelenkpe]

DreamWorks building $2.4B movie complex in Shanghai

http://pagesix.com/2014/03/24/dreamworks-building-2-4b-movie-complex-in-shanghai/

Democrats make a huge fuss when corporations move operations overseas, outsourcing jobs to lower-paid, non-union employees — but no one is saying anything now that Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg of DreamWorks are building a $2.4 billion complex in Shanghai, where they will make animated movies.
Katzenberg was one of President Obama’s biggest fund-raisers. Spielberg is honoring Obama this year at his Shoah Foundation dinner, naming him an Ambassador of Humanity.
The 40-acre Dream Center — backed by Disney, which is opening Shanghai Disneyland next year — will feature a 500-seat IMAX theater in addition to the animation production company, Oriental DreamWorks.

(more at link)

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Dreamworks laid off around 300 LA artists last year.

[Motown_Johnny]

1. A large popcorn will cost $18,500 plus tax.

OK, this was really just a kick.

[abelenkpe]

3. :)

Thanks.

[Demo_Chris]

2. kick

[davidpdx]

4. The complex is going to have both a theater and a animation studio

That could mean that they are looking do more films specifically for Asian countries that would not be widely watched in western countries. Considering they can work on films for China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, The Philippines, Malaysia, etc that is a pretty big market to neglect. I've seen the work of graphic artists in both Korea and China and both countries have a large pool of talent.

[abelenkpe]

5. All studios are looking to do films for a more global audience

What has been going on in animation and visual effects though is that a huge number of artists living in Los Angeles have seen their jobs leave as they are offshored in an effort to lower labor costs and break the remaining unions. That's why there were protests to draw attention to the problem of offshoring and subsidies at the Oscars for the past two years. There have been so many jobs lost that the federal government has been petitioned and has awarded special grants to retrain the artists. Because thousands of jobs have been lost leaving for counties offering subsidies like Canada, New Zealand, the UK and China. Sadly, the republicans have blocked those funds being distributed. It's been a great year! First laid off workers had their unemployment benefits cut due to sequester, then cut altogether when democrats didn't make extension a part of the budget deal, and now retraining funds are also kept away. All while media proclaims the economy improving and democrats don't want to acknowledge that off shoring continues full speed ahead. There used to be so many studios here, plenty of work. The major studios are all extremely profitable. They aren't shipping work away because there aren't enough experienced workers. Or to make content for other markets.