A representative for STEVEN SPIELBERG has dismissed allegations the legen dary director is so terrified of his movie ideas leaking to rivals, he im poses a series of bizarre security measures on his staff.
According to a new book about Spielberg’s DreamWorks company by former Variety reporter Nicole LaPorte, the Jaws moviemaker has enforced fort-li ke conditions to ensure no film ideas leak out from his Los Angeles offic e.
The tome also alleges Spielberg insists on being prepared for a natural disaster, and even hands out survival kits to his staff.
In the book, The Men Who Would Be King, LaPorte writes, "His passion fo r secrecy sometimes suggests a burgeoning near-paranoia. In Spielberg’s o ffice, hanging above his desk, a plexiglass half-moon keeps sound from re verberating so that his phone conversations remain ultra-confidential. Wh en an assistant once asked what the funny thing over Spielberg’s desk was , a security guard referred to it as a dome of silence.
"When… Spielberg’s longtime editor views footage in the screening roo m, a black cloth is draped over the projection booth window to hide the s creen. Every document that leaves the office - a script, development repo rt, even a memo - is coded, so that should it somehow get into the wrong hands… the person responsible for the breach can be identified.
"When Spielberg isn’t at (his office), live-cam images are streamed to his home. There are also measures to protect against earthquakes or attac ks, as Spielberg believes in being prepared… At one point, employees we re given survival kits including gas masks and other amenities." But the filmmaker’s spokesperson has shot down the author’s claims - in sisting the book "doesn’t deserve a comment".
The rep says, "This description is so far from the real world of Steven that it doesn’t deserve a comment. If the rest of the book is like this excerpt, readers can expect very little of what they read to be true." (M
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
