When did you first come to Pixar?
I joined Pixar in 2002 to work on the Incredibles.
What’s the best thing about working at Pixar?
Working with cool people, working on films that have excellent stories, and producing pretty pictures. Also, Pixar has a very family friendly environment.
To sum it up quickly, what is a Technical Director’s duty in the pipeline?
There are lots of different types of TDs. Some do modeling, some do shading, some do FX, some do lighting, some do set dressing. I am currently working in sets
, so my task is to model and shade props and environments for a film (I’ve also done FX, and some other jobs as well).
How long do you work on the average project (movie)?
An average film takes about 4-5 years. But the first few years is a much smaller team, just the director, the story department, and some concept artist. Since I’m on the 3d side of things, I usually start working on a film about 2 years before completion, and work on it till the end.
What should a person aspiring to be a TD do in terms of courses, study, college, etc.?
It depends on what sort of thing they’d like to do. Many of the TDs at Pixar have computer science degrees, and use code to get their job done. A few of us are more 3d artist types who have a stronger art background. I personally have a fine arts degree, and then worked at a smaller studio as a generalist. So I’d recommend going either the computer science route, the art route, or a mix of the two.
What is your favorite Pixar film?
The Incredibles, although Monster’s Inc comes in at a very close second (I always shed a tear when Sulley has to say goodbye to Boo at the end of the film). But it’s tough to choose, since so many of our films are so good.
What is your favorite Pixar short film?
For The Birds. I love the character design, the simple color palette, and the sassiness of the birds. It’s a great gag.
Did you work on Ratatouille?
Nope, it’s quite common for people to skip a film or two, depending on which department they’re in, and how many people are needed for a film.
We’ve heard rumors of a Cars 2. Can you say anything about this?
Us Pixarians don’t participate in rumor mongering.
What are you working on right now?
Our next film, WALL•E, making environments.
How much does the average Pixar employee know about Pixar websites, blogs, etc.?
It depends very much on the individual. Personally, I don’t read much on Pixar specific blogs, but I do visit lots of cg related forums such as CGtalk. So if something gets posted there from a Pixar blog, I may follow the link.
