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Google team sets sights on big screen
Entertainment-savvy co-founders invest in Stanford friend's independent film, shot in S.F.
Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, December 29, 2005

After becoming Internet moguls, Google Inc. co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are dipping their toes into Hollywood.

The pair are executive producers of a low-budget, independent film to be released next year, "Broken Arrows," written and directed by a friend of theirs, Reid Gershbein.

Google's founders tapped into their vast personal fortunes, estimated at $16 billion each, to fund about half the film's budget. Production cost just under $1 million, according to Gershbein.

A spokeswoman for Google confirmed the role of her company's founders in the film but declined to discuss any other details.

The investment by Google's founders may give insight into how they plan to use their deep pockets, a topic they have never discussed publicly. Although relatively thrifty, they have splurged on occasion, such as their film investment and buying a Boeing 767 jet to help ferry themselves and employees around the globe.

The friendship between Google's founders and Gershbein dates to the late 1990s, when all of them were doctoral students in computer science at Stanford University. They've kept in close touch since then, even as they pursued wildly different careers.

For Gershbein, the film is his first live-action feature. His day job is in computer graphics at DreamWorks Animation, after a stint at Pixar Animation Studios.

Of course, Brin and Page lead the most popular search engine. As co-presidents, they help oversee a staff of nearly 5,000.

Gershbein said he had approached Brin about the idea for the film about a year ago to ask if they knew anyone who could help with funding. He quickly offered some of his own money.

A few months later, at a fundraising party for the film, Page also offered to invest, he said.

"I can't say how lucky I am," Gershbein said. "They were extremely generous."

The movie follows the journey of Reese, who loses his pregnant wife in a terrorist explosion. From then on, the story enters a more magical realm.

Distraught, Reese takes a job as a hit man. But it doesn't relieve his pain as was promised. Ultimately, the audience discovers that Reese's violence isn't what it appears at all. Prepare for a major plot twist.

To hear Gershbein describe it, the movie is about love, faith and destiny. A short trailer, at http://www.brokenarrowsthemovie.com/
suggests a moody art film with scenes of a couple embracing on a beach, a woman lying on the ground threatening someone with a pistol, and a priest offering advice.

Shooting took place this year in such San Francisco locations as the Presidio, Zebulon Cafe in the South of Market neighborhood, and Adobe Books in the Mission. Just recently, Gershbein finished a rough cut and showed it to some of his cast and crew.

Though Google's founders routinely hobnob with Hollywood stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow (she visited Google's headquarters with husband Chris Martin, the singer for rock band Coldplay) and Robin Williams (he visited too), none appears in the film. Instead, the cast is made up of lesser-known actors Peter Quartaroli and Lori Petty in the lead roles.

Brin and Page were joined as executive producers of "Broken Arrows" by another college friend, Martin Roscheisen, chief executive of Nanosolar, a solar panel manufacturer in Palo Alto. The two Google founders recently invested in Nanosolar.

Films, particularly science fiction, have been a popular diversion at Google for years. On occasion, the company rents a cinema for a day near its Mountain View headquarters so employees can watch free blockbusters such as "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Lord of the Rings."

Brin's busy schedule didn't allow him to visit the set, Gershbein said. But Page showed up for an hour or so during a shoot at Dolce, a club in North Beach, he said.

Despite his lofty executive producer title, Page got little of the comforts bestowed on most Hollywood executives who visit a film set. "We had no big producer chair," Gershbein said.

Google's founders haven't offered much advice about the film, he added. Nor will there be any references to Google in the movie or any filming at Google's offices.

Gershbein's previous work includes research and development for the animated DreamWorks Animation films "Madagascar" and "Shrek 2." He worked as a technology director in lighting on "Toy Story 2" as well as technology director in lighting and as software engineer for "A Bug's Life."

In funding a film, Google's founders join an exclusive club of technology executives who have crossed over from the computer screen to the big screen. For example, Jeffrey Skoll, eBay's former president, was executive producer of a recent string of critically acclaimed films including "Syriana," and "Good Night, and Good Luck," both starring George Clooney, as well as "North Country" with Charlize Theron.

Terry Semel, chief executive of Yahoo, took a reverse course. He was co-head of Warner Bros. before joining the Sunnyvale Web portal.

Gershbein's job now is to finish a final cut of "Broken Arrows" and get the movie screened at some festivals, perhaps as early as next fall. Movie studio executives, he hopes, will like what they see and offer to distribute the film either in theaters or on DVD.

If necessary, Gershbein said, he would be willing to distribute the film online. Google recently created a free video streaming service that may be a good fit.

Eventually, Google may allow owners of video rights to charge users for individual downloads. But Gershbein said he hadn't discussed the possibility with anyone at Google.

In any case, Gershbein emphasized that the goal was to at least break even. Investors will get the lion's share of the profits, if there are any.

Nevertheless, he doesn't believe that Google's founders hope to strike it rich. "I see them as doing this to be supportive of the arts, not as way to make money," he said.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/29/MNGPRGEIPU1.DTL