Pixar Studios Stories

[Oliverio Gallman]

I often get emails from students asking how to become a Story Artist or Storyboarder and what the job exactly entails. They usually know something about animation, have watched some DVD extras, but still feel a little confused. It makes sense, they are figuring it out and I want to get into some their questions here.

Though, I also have started noticing how other professionals in the film industry just, straight up, often don't know what we do as a Story Team on animated projects. Which, lets be honest, we ALL get called animators, regardless. Everyone from the director, editor, to the rendering team. But we all don't do the animating. We do lots of jobs, that you all also do in what WE call: Live-Action films. We have Directors, Writers, Art Directors, Editors, Cinematographers (Layout Team and Lighting Team) and a whole pipe-line of people who create the entire world from nothing.

Story Artists do everyones job before they do it. I'm not saying we do it better, just that we take the first stab at every scene in the movie. Meaning, we draw the first vision of a scene from the script or sometimes from a list of beats (events that happen in a scene.)

In animation, we build everything into existence, so anything that feels improved was actually pain-stakingly well crafted. Any nuance in acting was broken down to detail and seconds with study. So we build that framework up with drawings and work with Editors to pull it together with music, sound and temporary voice-work to make it a film before we ever build anything in CG. And its always changing in story until, usually a few months before the film comes out.

As for the students: Still want to do this job one day? Haha! Its a lot, but its also fun.. if of course you like to draw and create stories. Here are a list of questions I received recently from a student and the compiled answers:

Yes, drawing is a required skill for the job. Having an understanding of perspective is necessary to demonstrate the camera angle. Being able to communicate performance/acting of characters is also essential. That said- drawing is something you can keep practicing at and if persistent, can improve on. It takes persistence on a daily basis

So, the best way to learn these things varies. I went to art school first studying drawing, art and animation. Then I went to film school where I took more film courses and created more animated films of my own. Ending with a lot of degrees and about four short student films. Some people are just amazing at drawing and studied film on their own.

The education varies from artist to artist. Many went to schools like Calarts for character animation where they went through the process of creating their own student films and learned more after being hired on the job, or in the Pixar Story Internship.

What we do is a more collaborative and creative-feedback driven process. We re-board, or re-do the film in drawings multiple times before we land on the film that actually gets built and animated in CG. We give input on the story and characters. So our job title is Story Artist.

It is a demanding job, with few positions. I came in through the Story Internship program, which operates more in a school/training like way. It is three months over the summer and there is nothing like it. It is an incredible experience to learn from working professionals and hone your skills. Others have been hired from their portfolios, usually gained through experience working at other studios or smaller freelance projects first. A portfolio is required, experience is preferable, but not necessarily required if the portfolio demonstrates ability.

Wow, it does? Somebody researched that? Well, there is a large demand for media content right now, so I imagine that is possible, particularly with the streaming services. People come and go for various reasons, so I find we are often looking for a few new Story Artists.

It is a good paying job. If you are freelancing, there is the aspect of negotiating pay-rate on an hourly scale and how long you expect to take finishing work. If you work at an established studio in Los Angeles, theres all that jazz with the Union. (You should ask LA folks about that.) At Pixar we have company benefits including Health Insurance.

I enjoy being in a creative position that allows me to be a filmmaker. To have creative ideas that are heard and sometimes used. Watching them filter into what becomes a finished film is very satisfying. That said, you come up with, literally, thousands of ideas and thoughts that never get used, and the films take 4-5 years from concept to screen. So you are in it for the long-haul satisfaction on feature films. TV has a faster turn-around, but also demands more late nights and over-time (from what I hear.) We also seem to work in feast or famine modes. We will have times of heavy demand and possible late nights, to then spurts of down-time waiting for changes to be addressed by the director and writer on the story. You also have to be okay with putting your heart into something one minute, and then having it cut and rearranged in the next. Its not for the faint of heart.

The Walt Disney Animation Studios is the gold standard for animated movies. The first to produce a full-length feature film using animated characters, Disney wrote the animation playbook. While other animation studios have risen and fallen by the wayside, Disney alone has remained at the front of the pack. Though not without its ups and downs, Disney is a constant. Pixar would not exist without Disney and the style of its films bears the influence of the groundwork that Walt laid. The close relationship and eventual ownership between the two companies helps cement that familiar Disney feel.

Ralph and Woody have fairly similar arcs in these two films. Both characters struggle to let go due to their own insecurities about being left behind or left alone. In the third act, each character must face their insecurities to either hold a friend back or help rescue them.

In Ralph Breaks the Internet Ralphs insecurities are addressed by having Ralph use a virus to duplicate insecurities, which ends up making a million Ralph clones that try to steal Vanellope away. In Toy Story 4, Woody gets into an argument with Buzz and Bo Peep before walking back into the antique shop and giving up his voice box. Which of these sounds more action packed? Which one sounds more resonant?

In the end, both of these are incredible studios that have not only defined 2D and 3D animation but that have opened the door for countless other studios, storytellers, and stories within these mediums. In short, Disney and Pixar are where the magic happens.

A few weeks ago I had the unique opportunity of visiting Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California to learn more about their upcoming movie Brave and watch the short film La Luna.

Upon entering the massive lobby of Pixar Studios, which was designed by Steve Jobs to be open and informal, you'll notice that there are subtle nods to Pixar's current project. Banners, tapestries and artwork adorns the walls in anticipation for Brave. After we entered the screening room, the lights were dimmed and we were treated to a sky full of stars. Twinkling lights represented shooting stars and was a perfect segway into the Academy-Award nominated short La Luna, which will be shown before the movie Brave.

Pixar Lobby

Brave is the story of Merida, a skilled archer but also the feisty daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the lords of the land. Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury into the kingdom and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late.

La Luna is the tale of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. For the very first time, his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work with them. In an old wooden boat, far out at sea, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the boy and he must decide whether he should follow the example of his Papa or his Grandpa. Perhaps he should follow his own heart? This sweet story quickly became my favorite Pixar short to date.

Movie Posters for Brave and La luna

All around the lobby, you can view a life-size Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc., a Woody and Buzz made out of Legos and our favorite little green men from Toy Story.

Lego Buzz and Woody

In addition to trying our hand at archery and learning about the history of kilts and bagpipes, we were also treated to a tour of Pixar Studios.

The atmosphere is casual with many of the employees wearing jeans and hoodies, zipping around on scooters as they munch on a bowl of cereal from the Cereal Room or enjoy an ice cream cone. To get the creativity flowing, there's ping-pong, pool and an air hockey table inside and a swimming pool, soccer fields and a basketball court outside.

Pool Table with Brave Artwork

To remind you that you are in a place where some of the most creative people in the World work, there's a case of Oscars and other awards they have received for their critically acclaimed and beloved films.

Once we took the stairs to the second floor, all cameras had to be put away since that is where most of the magic happens. They are currently working on up to 6 projects right now and they didn't want anything leaked out! We were first introduced to Story Corner, where we learned how a story is pitched at Pixar Studios. No stories are accepted from outside, they all come from in house. When a story is pitched, they will present it with story boards. No ideas are ever torn down " Pixar embraces the idea of "plusing". With "plusing", no story is even torn down, it's always added to!

Iconic Pixar Lamp and Ball

We then went on to learn a bit about the process of how a film at Pixar is created. Most films take 4-5 years to make with The Incredibles being the shortest at 3 years. Currently, Brave has taken 7 years to complete! What can take the majority of the time is the rendering process. Each frame is 1/24 of a second and a frame can take anywhere from 5-50 hours to render! It takes a long time to make a Pixar film, but we all know it's worth it in the end!

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