Lawrence Guterman
Encyclopedia
Lawrence "Larry" Guterman is a Canadian
film director known for his work in companies like DreamWorks
, Warner Bros.
and Universal
. He directed Cats & Dogs
, Son of the Mask
, and Back in Time. He also directed some of the episodes of Out of Jimmy's Head
from 2007 to 2008.
and received a Master's degree
in Film from the University of Southern California
.
and Toronto
, where he made his first short films in grade eight. After high school, Guterman went to the United States
to attend MIT and then Harvard University
, where he received a physics
degree. Guterman would return to Canada every summer to study animation at Sheridan College of Art
. He created illustrations for the Harvard Lampoon
. His interest in film-making was renewed after completing a 15-minute documentary for one of his courses at Harvard.
After university, he moved to Los Angeles
and worked on computer graphics and as a script reader for Columbia Pictures
. While in Los Angeles, Guterman attended USC School of Cinematic Arts
to expand his film knowledge. While there, he sold two feature-length scripts to major film studios and co-wrote a script for the Tales from the Crypt
series. The latter caught the attention of Robert Zemeckis
and HBO.
He directed and co-wrote the short, Headless!, which earned positive reviews at USC's First Look Film Festival
and won the Grand Jury Prize at Worldfest in Huston. Guterman took his first role as director when he worked on a video game based on the Goosebumps
series for DreamWorks Interactive after Steven Spielberg saw his short "Headless!" (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0349183/bio, http://www.filmbug.com/db/342474). He was then offered to direct several sequences for the computer-animated film, Antz
(1998) for DreamWorks Animation.
In the early 2000s Guterman made his feature film directorial debut with Cats & Dogs
(2001) followed by Son of the Mask
(2005) and the upcoming Back in Time (2012).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film director known for his work in companies like DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He directed Cats & Dogs
Cats & Dogs
Cats & Dogs is a 2001 American-Australian action-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. The screenplay by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra centers on the relationships between cats and dogs. It was shot in Victoria and Vancouver. The film was released on July 4, 2001 by Warner Bros...
, Son of the Mask
Son of the Mask
Son of the Mask is a 2005 American fantasy family-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman, starring Jamie Kennedy as Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist from Fringe City who has just had his first child born with the powers of the Mask. It is the stand-alone sequel to the successful 1994 film The...
, and Back in Time. He also directed some of the episodes of Out of Jimmy's Head
Out of Jimmy's Head
Out of Jimmy's Head was Cartoon Network's second live-action/animated television series. It is based on the live-action/animated telefilm Re-Animated that aired on December 8, 2006...
from 2007 to 2008.
Personal life
Guterman went back to school after working in animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and received a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Film from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Career
Guterman was raised in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, where he made his first short films in grade eight. After high school, Guterman went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to attend MIT and then Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he received a physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
degree. Guterman would return to Canada every summer to study animation at Sheridan College of Art
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a diploma and degree granting Canadian polytechnic institute with approximately 15,000 full time students and 35,000 continuing education students...
. He created illustrations for the Harvard Lampoon
Harvard Lampoon
The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.-Overview:Published since 1876, The Harvard Lampoon is the world's longest continually published humor magazine. It is also the second longest-running English-language humor...
. His interest in film-making was renewed after completing a 15-minute documentary for one of his courses at Harvard.
After university, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and worked on computer graphics and as a script reader for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. While in Los Angeles, Guterman attended USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
to expand his film knowledge. While there, he sold two feature-length scripts to major film studios and co-wrote a script for the Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
series. The latter caught the attention of Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zemeckis first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of the comedic time-travel Back to the Future film series, as well as the Academy Award-winning live-action/animation epic Who Framed Roger Rabbit ,...
and HBO.
He directed and co-wrote the short, Headless!, which earned positive reviews at USC's First Look Film Festival
First Look Film Festival
The First Look Film Festival is a film festival held in Denver, Colorado which screens short films from college students. It was started in 2001 by Wade Gardner and Joshua Weinberg, two film students at the University of Colorado Denver. The festival grew from only screening local Colorado films...
and won the Grand Jury Prize at Worldfest in Huston. Guterman took his first role as director when he worked on a video game based on the Goosebumps
Goosebumps
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations...
series for DreamWorks Interactive after Steven Spielberg saw his short "Headless!" (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0349183/bio, http://www.filmbug.com/db/342474). He was then offered to direct several sequences for the computer-animated film, Antz
Antz
Antz is a 1998 American computer animated action adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Glover as...
(1998) for DreamWorks Animation.
In the early 2000s Guterman made his feature film directorial debut with Cats & Dogs
Cats & Dogs
Cats & Dogs is a 2001 American-Australian action-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. The screenplay by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra centers on the relationships between cats and dogs. It was shot in Victoria and Vancouver. The film was released on July 4, 2001 by Warner Bros...
(2001) followed by Son of the Mask
Son of the Mask
Son of the Mask is a 2005 American fantasy family-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman, starring Jamie Kennedy as Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist from Fringe City who has just had his first child born with the powers of the Mask. It is the stand-alone sequel to the successful 1994 film The...
(2005) and the upcoming Back in Time (2012).
Director
- Headless! (1990)
- Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland (1996) (VG)
- AntzAntzAntz is a 1998 American computer animated action adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Glover as...
(1998) (director: additional sequences) - Cats & DogsCats & DogsCats & Dogs is a 2001 American-Australian action-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. The screenplay by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra centers on the relationships between cats and dogs. It was shot in Victoria and Vancouver. The film was released on July 4, 2001 by Warner Bros...
(2001) (as Larry Guterman) - Son of the MaskSon of the MaskSon of the Mask is a 2005 American fantasy family-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman, starring Jamie Kennedy as Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist from Fringe City who has just had his first child born with the powers of the Mask. It is the stand-alone sequel to the successful 1994 film The...
(2005) (as Larry Guterman) - Out of Jimmy's HeadOut of Jimmy's HeadOut of Jimmy's Head was Cartoon Network's second live-action/animated television series. It is based on the live-action/animated telefilm Re-Animated that aired on December 8, 2006...
(2007–2008) (TV) - Back in Time (2012) (as Larry Guterman)
Writer
- Tales from the CryptTales from the Crypt (TV series)Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
(1989) (scripts) (as Larry Guterman)