PANELIZING at CTN-X!

I mentioned all the butt kickin' panels that went on at CTN-X so I thought I'd start with this one:


PIXAR IS IN THE HOUSE: STORY STORY STORY moderated by Roger Allers.

Usually we hear from the Pixar big guns about the production process of Pixar films... the Brad Birds, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docters. But this time we got to hear from the guys working deep in the story trenches... the Bill Presings, Scott Morses, Derek Thompsons and Ted Mathots. And it was really cool to hear about their individual histories, processes, daily travails, etc. Some memorable bite-sized chunks:

• Most, if not all, of these guys came out of comics. That kind of visual story telling set the stage for each of them to become the story tellers they are.

• If you want to work at Pixar, you'd better have an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema history and technique. Live action, animated, long form, short form... all these are discussed, referred to, copied, alluded to, and joked about at length-- especially at lunch, where many artists coyly admit which famous films they have not seen.

• The 'Art of...' books you see really only include the sooper pretty art work. Most of the drawing these guys do is raw and sketchy and whipped out to just get the point across and only later gussied up-- usually by other people.

• Speaking of which-- a scene or sequence is rarely your own. Often you'll be asigned a sequence and it will later get shifted off to someone else to get their take on it. It's a very collaborative process.

• A favorite quote I liked about writing and/or drawing a scene is "Get in late and get out early."

A really great panel that I enjoyed thoroughly!

Added Bonus #1: My friend working the event who shuttled me to the front of the line so I could sit in the front row! THANKS!

Added Bonus #2: Trading a signed copy of 1000 Times No for one of Scott Morse's delicious paintings!!! I got the waaaaaay better end of THAT deal and I'm grateful for it!


Thanks, Mr. Morse!