How hard is it really?

The Pixar Studio & People
#1

Mods I don’t know where to put this so move if necessary.

But I’ve seen some posts from people who tried applying to Pixar for a job and got rejected pretty easily. But how easily? I know i’m only 14 and I’m only in high school and that I shouldn’t be worrying about it now, but I am.

Years, just a few years, ago there were only 400 people working at Pixar. Now there are over 800 or 900. If I’m 14 now then I’ll probably BE ABLE to work there in ten years. Then how many people will have been hired there? If the amount of people and the difficulty of getting hired there doubled that quickly then what are my chances of getting a job there, much less becoming an intern there by the time I graduate from college?

I’m assuming that hundreds and hundreds of people have tried applying there, maybe even thousands per year. Because I’ve heard they have their own department for hiring people. So if that’s so then my chances if I was able to work there now, would be like 1000+ to 1?

What if I fail to get a job there in the future? Then what will I do? Because if I fail my only big goal, then what else if there for me to do? If I have failed all my past goals, for example getting into the art school I’m trying to get into now, failing to keep up good grades for the whole year and not just the beginning, and if all of the past things I have failed are because of me always giving up, then is it even possible for me?

And I apologize if I’m acting kinda rude or depressing, but I have a lot of mood swings when it comes to thinking about my future.

#2

I am including a quote from PIXAR’s website.

The company is expanding, as the amount of movies that they are making goes up. So therefor, they will always be hiring new people. Essentially, don’t worry about it too much now. Just keep doing art, and build a portfolio. A lot of things take time, and patience… Just an example, but if you read books about people who get on the show Jeopardy!, it is rare to be choosen the first time, they try again, and again, and it is the ones who are persistent that will succeed. My best advice for you would be to be persistent, and to persevere. It is so tempting to feel like you should give up trying something like this, but then you will be back where you started. If this is what you want to do, don’t wait, start now. Write your own stories, and illustrate them… that is how you can practice being a story artist. And remember, you may not start out at Pixar - no matter how you reach your goals, keep on doing what you’re good at and you will get where you will need to be.

There is some more good information at the link below:

[url]http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/jobs/career_faq.html[/url]

#3

I don’t know much about applying for a job at Pixar, but if you have the right skills, then trying again and again, as C-3PO has pointed out with that quote from the website, will always give you a better chance. Plus, it’s a good idea to have a back-up plan, to have other alternatives. You’ve just got to give it your best shot- you never know, when you eventually apply, you might get the job first time round! And as annoying as it sounds, never give up!

I’ve got a friend who has just been rejected by several of her top university choices, and for a while, she had no idea what to do. But now she’s decided to spend another year in education and go to uni a year later instead, and she’s putting a positive spin on it. If you’re able to do that sort of thing, and make something good out of something bad, then Pixar will probably love you!

#4

I’m no aspiring animator, but from what I’ve heard it is hard to get a job at Pixar because everyone wants to work there (and I don’t blame them) so the standards are higher because they can afford to be picky about who they hire. You’re probably at an advantage knowing that you want to work there at such a young age, because you can start practising and learning the best way to improve as well as your career path now, so when you get to the average age of Pixar employment (about early twenties, I think) you’ll know what they would want from a prospective animator. Yes, Pixar is expanding. I’m not sure what the employee count is right now, though, but they are always on the lookout for fresh talent.

What will you do if you fail? Well, if you are doing what you love, and you can get a job, any job, where you are earning money doing that, then I don’t see that as a failure, really. The best thing to do would be to figure out why you were rejected, and try to improve in that area.

Oh, and Pixar likes people who stand out, so don’t be afraid to show them something different when you give them your demo reel or portfolio (whilst also meeting the criteria of what they need to see.) I’m sure you could find more tips on how to best improve your chances of making a good impression and getting a job there, on various Pixarian blogs. Good luck.

#5

You and I share the same goal. :slight_smile:

The biggest thing right now, as a student, is to learn everything you can about animation. Be a sponge and soak it all in. Even if it isn’t necessarily physically animating, but just researching and reading anything and everything about animation.

As far as failing goes, it’s a part of life; a learning process. If this is your passion, you’ll keep getting back on the horse and try time and time again. Only those who give up on their dream fail. Just keep working at improving your skills. Perseverance is big. The thing that keeps me going is the thought of my goal. Keep that picture in your head of you working at Pixar. It’s been a big driving force for me.

#6

Yeah that’s kind of been working for me.

But thanks you guys for all the advice!

#7

I actually don’t ever expect to get there until I’m in my forties. :laughing:

But I’m just doubtful I’ll get a job there, ever. My art skills aren’t the best. I’m starting to think that writing may be my forte, even though I’m not so great with it. :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

@Fairly Odd New Yorker

Maybe you can try getting a job there in the production area. I heard it’s just basic office stuff and helping out the directors and a lot more fun than a regular office thing.
But if you really want to go into art and story you could always practice.

Hey I’ve seen your deviantart stuff. Not bad!

#9

If animation is truly what you want to do- if animation is your passion, and you work your butt off to be able to do it for a living… nothing can stop you.

I know we all look up to Pixar here, and I myself will be quite disappointed if I can’t get a job there out of college… but it’s not just Pixar I love, it’s animation, and even though animation is hard to get into at the moment, If you have the skills and the passion you can get a job SOMEWHERE, even if it isn’t in your dream studio at first.

Also think about this. You may not want to admit it now, but over the next few years your goals are going to change. When I was 14 I still wanted to be an animator but I wanted to work for Bluesky, and was still teetering on ‘Maybe I want to do comics instead.’ So not only will your plans change when you graduate high school, your plans will change again during college.

Pixar is still my goal, but I also wouldn’t mind working for Nickelodeon or something- making my own cartoon…

You can do great things wherever you go, so keep other options open. Never build yourself as an artist specifically FOR a certain company. Work to be the best at animation in general, and you’ll have a better chance of getting the job you want.

#10

I’ve found sometimes people don’t achieve their goals not because they’re not good enough (there’s certainly a lot of that), but because they get discouraged easily and give up too soon. Stick with it, work extremely hard, and perfect your skills.

#11

If you want to be an animator for PIXAR, just practice being an animator. It’s the same with everything. Practice what you want, and keep in your mind that no matter how long it takes, you can reach your dreams.

#12

No I don’t want to be an animator, I’m goin for storyboard artist. And hopefully, I won’t be required to draw with photoshop or whatever they use. I’m horrible with those kinds of programs.

Oh I could never handle being an animator. I took animation classes over one summer that was two weeks long, and at the end of the two weeks all I had completed was this.

youtube.com/watch?v=3_Q7CvrY76s

#13

Well, if you want to be a storyboard artist, then practice drawing storyboards. I watched your animation test - it’s actually not bad. It does show that you have an understanding of animation, and movement in general, which is good.

Do you have any of the ‘art of’ books? I believe there are some storyboards in there that you can study. And no, I think that if you are interested in storyboarding, you won’t be working with photoshop. From what I’ve seen, it’s pen and paper type stuff. Anyway, I know that you are not looking for a job right now, but check out this page on the PIXAR website: [url]http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/jobs/index.html[/url]

If you see a job listing that you like, just click on it, and see what the requirements are. The jobs are always changing, so this is a good way to see what they are looking for in terms of qualifications. (You don’t have to be applying to do this.)

Good luck with your future art endeavors!

-C-3PO

#14

The 3 main method I’ve come across over the last 2 years are as follows:

  1. It’s all about who you know (pass out business cards and portfolios like mad)
  2. Internships are your best friend
  3. Sheer dumb luck

At my school the student career center is filled to the brim with hot internship, and yeah, we do get a pixar one every now and then. Out chair has worked had to get their attention on our animation and illustration departments.

Try to contact people at the studio (just keep the creepy fangirl/boy stalker level at a min, k). Write letters, send emails, ask questions. You might be pleasantly surprised. I wrote a letter to Bird back when Ratatouille was about to be released. I got a nice letter back from him shortly after the Oscars. A director acknowledged my existence and my will to be in pre-production, and in the industry that a darn good thing. Hey, chances are he’s forgotten all about me by now, but you never know how that stuff will affect the future.

I’ve personally seen the 3rd way in person. I met a graduate from CCS last summer who works at pixar currently. He graduated in industrial design. Someone suggested he send his portfolio in. He ended up interning and working on character design for Cars. After that, he designed Wall-E’s char design. And now’s he doing work on vehicles for TS3. And he wasn’t even an animation student.

There are probably many ways to get into a studio job. From what I know, internships are key. A well balanced portfolio, containing between 10 and 15 pieces, with your best pieces first is a must. A demo reel featuring you best animation, rig/model, or lighting first if you’re looking at any pre, post, or production assignments.

Oh, and keep an ear to the ground when it comes to rumors and news. Awn.com is your best friend :slight_smile:

#15

LOL
creepy fanboy/fangirl stalker

Yeah. Well I’m no good at writing letters and such, but I am getting to meet people from my family, (like my uncle’s brother-in-law) and he’s a graphic artist, i haven’t asked him if he knew anyone from pixar, but I’m hoping there’s always the possibility! And also my art teacher from school, and my mom’s friend up in San Francisco.
Well hopefully, I get to meet someone who knows anyone from Pixar, or even better IS from Pixar.

Oh I’m gonna need luck just to get luck. XD

#16

Rolfcopinator, I have the same dream as you, but you have a major jump on me, as I’m already 20 and I just decided I want to be a story artist. So you have plenty of time to practice and get better, which is a good thing. One thing to keep in mind is that storyboarding is more than just drawing. Being a good writer is an important part of being a good story artist, as they often write dialouge and come up with of fix scenes in the movie.

Another important part of the job is being a good pitcher. You have to be able to present your boards in an entertinaing way, so that means acting out the actions and doign the voices, and really giving your all to the performance. Joen Ranft said improv helped him alot with this, and it’s something I’m looking into picking up, so you may want to consider taking an acting class of something.

Understanding film grammar, and the language of film is key too, so it might be wise to learn a liitle of that too. A story artist does alot of the camera placment, camera moves, and even editing to a degree, so experience with that would help.

Then there is the drawing itself, which is of course important. This is my weakest skill right now, and the biggest thing holding me back (check my deviantArt page if you don’t believe me), but from what I’ve seen you don’t have to be the best drawer in the world, but you should be able to draw decent, and quickly. I’d say you should look at what your weakest skill is and spend extra time on that aside form everything else, so you can make that skill stronger, plus you have the time to do it.

Last, don’t sell yourself short. You have to have a good ego to make it in the animation industry, so don’t try and put yourself down. Even if you don’t think you’re the best, act like it, because when you’re going for a job, you’re trying to sell youself to your potential employer, so you want to build yourself up.

One last note, I do think Pixar uses Photoshop for storyboards, although I think they are hand-drawn and then fed into the computer. Although on Wall-E they were drawing directly into the computer, so I’m not sure what the norm is there now.

#17

Aw lucky, I wish I were 20 so I wouldn’t have to wait so long. XD Cuz I still got like 8 years to go. :laughing:

Oh… well hopefully they do both. But I’m pretty sure they would use photoshop in a few years.

Oh yeah, my weakest skill, probably drawing quickly, and drawing people’s faces. Lol, that’s definitely something I will practice.

But ty a lot for all the advice and tips! :smiley:

#18

Lucky being 20? I’d say you’re the lucky one. You have 8 more years of practice where your parents won’t get on your case for not having a job. Being a kid is such a sweet deal.

Yeah, the most likely will do both. It will probably depend on the director. Personally I prefer the computer because the thing I can’t do is draw a character or background in the same place as it was in the previous drawing, and I’d imagine this would be much easier on the computer. Plus, the software is designed for artists, and they’ll spend the time to train you on it, they won’t just toss you into the lion’s den.

And yeah, with practice you’ll get better, and you’ll be able to do them faster an faster.

And no prob on the advice. We all need to look out for each other.

#19

Thought I’d post this. It’s from the Story Internship page on the Pixar Interns Listing.

Looks like knowledge of Photoshop is a must. Guess I’m gonna have to learn that, and apply next year.

#20

When they mention Photoshop, I think they mean the basics. If I had to guess, it’s probably for selecting parts of storyboard drawings and moving them for the reels, or maybe doing very simple coloring. That stuff isn’t so hard to learn. I highly doubt being able to create complex digital paintings in Photoshop is what they’re looking for. =)