(Mods, feel free to move this if it’s in the wrong spot)
I’m just curious as to who here wants to work for Pixar, why, and their thoughts about it.
I’ve been in a bit of a slum lately.
I’ve always wanted to work for them and nothing else, but lately I’ve been having second thoughts. My abilities proved me good enough to get on the waiting list to an art school, but I had soon been dropped. I’ve been doubting my abilities in the art field because all I’m really good at is cartoons, and that isn’t enough to get me into an art school.
I’m starting to think I may be more fit in life as a novelist, as I literally spewed out a 30+ page fanfiction and went on to start and nearly finish another at 17+ pages. I’m not extremely confident in that area though. I did it for fun, and something so final and official like my novel has ceased to be.
It kills me though. I’d love to work for Pixar Animation Studios, but I’m beginning to think I should settle for a smaller animation company. I’ve tried like heck to see how I can apply to Nickelodeon studios or Cartoon Network, but I haven’t uncovered any information about that as of yet.
I just want to know if anyone else here has doubted themselves. For some reason I feel like I’m the only person who doubts themself and hasn’t got a chance to achieve such a dream. I want to know if I’m alone in that area or not.
I’ve wanted to work at Pixar since I saw it on the Monster’s Inc. DVD. Thing is, I’m a terrible drawer. But I love editing and filming, and currently with the help of “The Animator’s Survivial Guide” by Richard Williams, I am learning the ways of animating.
At school I do a lot of film editing for media projects in one subject. I get to use Final Cut, Adobe Premiere Pro which is lots of fun. If I get in I am hopefully doing QUT Start with the Queensland University of Technology, which means in Grade 12 I do 2 units of a course over the year and if I pass I get guaranteed entry into that course at Uni without the need of an OP(Overall Position (Queensland Education system stuff)) or a selection rank (which is what I am going for. Silly system). I’m doing it to see if I would like doing animation at Uni. To get a feel for it really. I mean if I can do animation from home over the net with Animation Mentor in half the time and learning from the people in the industry, why not? However I’m still considering doing editing at Uni. I think I would like that. Maybe I could work for Pixar doing editing.
However I also love computers, especially my Mac. I remember how Pixar was desperate for Junior Macintosh Systems Administrator. If I could work at Pixar doing systems admin, that’d be cool too. To be quite frank, I’d be happy to be the receptionist or even the security guard.
I have known for quite some time though that I don’t think I’d make it to Pixar directly out of a course. I’d want to work at other studios. And also because I am in Australia, they’d have to sponsor me a Visa to work there. They only do that if you are really good. New Zealand is a stones throw away really, and they have Weta. I’d love to work for Peter Jackson at Weta Studios doing animation or editing. I could gain a few years experience there, then maybe see if Pixar would ever hire me. There is also Animal Logic in Sydney, they created Happy Feet, and I know a guy that worked there on Happy Feet. My Uncle also runs an advertising firm in Sydney and he has a post-production suite.
Again it all seems to come back to me wanting to do Animation or Editing. I empathise with your predicament.
I’d love to composer a film score for one of Pixar’s films, as I am currently studying to be a film composer. I’m still in university, but I’m working with independent filmmakers so I can gain experience… I don’t want to do anything else with my life but write music. So I hope to make a big portfolio that they may look over one day. I know most of the directors at Pixar like to stick with one film composer that they know well… but I like a challenge.
I would absolutely love to work at Pixar. However, I am no animator. But I can do other things.
First, I would love to play a part in a Pixar Production. I love acting. It is one of my talents. I would love to voice an animated character for Pixar. Second, I would love to sing a song for a soundtrack for a Pixar movie. I love music. I am not the best at writing songs, nor am I good at making good melodies. But when it comes to performing, I can do it.
Overall, if it has to do with performing, I would love to do it at Pixar.
Although a storyboardist can be used anywhere Pixar is definitely in my top 3 studio choices for employment. I’m pretty sure that pre-production is where I want to be. I can do a little 2D and I’m not to worst at 3D modeling and animation, but I’m better at illustrations, layouts, and timing out scene via boards. I guess my ultimate goal would be supervising storyboard artist at a studio. I’m a chick on a mission!
bawpcwpn:Oh my gods, I also wanted to work for Pixar after seeing the Monsters, Inc. DVD.
And I realized I forgot to mention- I wanted to go for 3D animation, but since my skills are lacking I was thinking perhaps storyboarding. I found I’m good at rough-sketching story ideas.
I also found I’m handy with syncing voice to video … but then that would be part of being an animator then, wouldn’t it? Bleh, then I have no chance for that skill to shine.
I would love to work at Pixar. I believe that I have a very big imagination, and it wouldn’t hurt to put it to good use. However, I can get a bit insane sometimes, but then again, Pixar, for some weird reason, has a basketball court and a swimming pool outside their studios.
Interesting.
Only problem is that it’s in Emeryville, and you pretty much have to keep everything a secret.
Well bawp and FONY, you are not alone, I’ve been a fan of Pixar since I was nine ever since I saw the special features of Monsters, Inc (my first DVD). I’ve wanted to be an animator ever since. But like most people I begin to doubt myself all the time. Sometimes I get so worried I can’t go to sleep! Well I have had second thoughts but being an animator, I feel, is my true calling. After all the movie itself didn’t make me a fan, what goes on behind the scenes did, and still does. Nate Wragg answered my question through e-mail, it was: Do fans have a chance to work at Pixar, an interview said that being a fan was silly and you needed to be serious? He answered --------! That was very inspiring. He says some of the best animators are huge fans. He also told me that if you constantly draw you’ll have a better chance of getting in.
Anyways, I got Lightwave for Christmas, then I’ll know what it’s like to animate at an early age and hopefully get good. I also draw with Pixar in mind (usually not on the Pixar topic) so that if I’m proud of my art I get encouraged. My talent (that I know of) seems to be in marketing as almost every one of my teachers either say or imply. I believe it and am confident in it so my “second thoughts” usually have to do with studying marketing. And now that Pixar supposedly have a marketing division that would be another job I’d pursue. Well now I’m not only a big fan through Pixar’s animation/animators but their movies (although before MI I did love TS(2) and ABL) so either job would be so cool!
edited by PixarVixen ~~=oP
If you need to edit a word, you shouldn’t use it.
It’s not a dream of mine to work at Pixar, but it’s pretty inspiring to see so many people on the boards striving to achieve it.
I did used to want to work at Pixar, probably about two or three years ago. I would get very excited just at the thought of it, and I used to practice my artwork day and night.
Now, reality has set in and I’ve realised that, for me, it was never really gonna happen. I’m an okay artist, but not to the standards of most of the people on the boards, let alone at Pixar itself. My experience with computers is very limited, and I don’t think I could ever leave home to live abroad for any really long period of time.
But there are lots of people out there, and certainly a few on these very boards, that are deserving of a job at Pixar, and with a lot of hard work and perseverence, it wouldn’t surprise me if your dreams came true!
Well, the reason they have it there is to have fun or take a break. I mean, you gotta have fun after working really hard. But it looks totally amazing. I have been there before and I was surprised to see a court and pool there.
Of course they keep stuff a secret. It is great that they do that. It gets fans and people excited.
I feel really quite privileged to have access to the internet as it gives me the tools to see if my chosen path is somewhere I really want to go. With the help of Maya Personal Learning Edition, I have been able to play and see if Animation is really for me.
I also feel for the likes of Rachel and others, who may not have had access to programs such as QUT Start. I feel that by doing this program, I can also get a feel for really if I want to go to Uni and do animation there, or if I want to do something else at Uni, or even if I want to go to Uni at all.
There are so many options available to us these days, and we should all feel very lucky, and I also think we shouldn’t limit ourselves to one option. Who’s to say that we couldn’t do both animation and editing. Pixar has it’s own university where they encourage you to go and learn for a couple of hours a week. Who’s to say that you can’t go to Pixar under one job and learn another trade while your there?
Working at Pixar would, of course, be awesome. But…
…the fact of the matter is that the odds of anyone’s first job being an animator at Pixar Freakin’ Studios may or may not be a little bit higher than the odds of getting hit and killed by a satellite while you’re walking on the street.
But I can’t let that deter me, because if I allowed myself to be discouraged from becoming an animator or getting an artsy creative job just because I’ll probably never work at Pixar – only one animation studio on our little blue-green planet – that would make it obvious that I was never meant for that line of work to start with.
Becoming a lead animator of any sort is a long long road. You have to practice, practice, practice, and take art classes for years with those teachers who will hold up your work to everyone and say how much it sucks just to improve, and if you’re really good your work will probably get stolen right out of the classroom, and then maybe you’ll become an animator’s protege eating Top Ramen every day because the markers you use at home are $5 each and being an assistant animator gets you less money than flipping burgers but the real payment is learning from an animation great.
(True stories; my mom went to California College of the Arts. She didn’t do animation, though.)
So, in summary: no, I don’t think it’s wise to set your heart on working for one company and no other. If you really love to draw, really love to draw, you’ll take whatever steps it takes to get to the point where you can do that.
ETA: I think everyone doubts themselves. I am one of those people who can’t seem to get their own butt in gear, so I sympathize. I’ve more or less accepted that becoming an animator involves learning charcoal and still lifes and backgrounds and a whole lot of stuff I couldn’t care less about doing.
Of course I’d love to work at Pixar! For some reason I think I’d be good in the lighting department. Maybe it’s because I’m good at seeing values and seeing how light can affect an atmosphere. I dont think this will happen because I’ve tried going into computer animation with school and it hasnt worked. (I’m trying for web design now) It’s fun to think about though.
Oo I love this thread. This is one of the reasons I found and joined this website.
I would love to work at Pixar too. It takes alot more than one thing to get you into Pixar. It takes a combination of things.
First, it’s not enough to just want to work at Pixar studios. Everyone wants to work there. Sure, some employees there are fans of Pixar. But most of them also love what they do and are great at it. Whether it’s animating or computer programming, they love it and they are all professionals. Now the third and probably most important characteristic is heart. We have to really love what we do. You have to want it real bad, more than anything else. Most of the Pixar employees getting hired now have decades of experience. They’ve been an animator or whatever for years and have worked at many studios before getting to Pixar. The Pixar greats like Lasseter and Bird just loved to draw and animate. They didn’t even know about Pixar. They really didn’t care which studio they worked in, as long as they were doing what they loved to do.
When people are hired at pixar, they realize the people there are very much alike in their goals and dreams. They don’t think “woo! im working at Pixar! Cool place!”. They like being in an environment with other creative people. What I noticed is many animators at Pixar are not all big fans of Pixar movies. Rather, they are fans of animation in general. Believe it or not, not all Pixar movies are favorites of Pixar animators. Some like movies from other studios like Dreamworks or BlueSky.
The point is, make sure you’ll love what you’re doing regardless of whichever studio you work at. You shouldn’t be feeling down if you’re working at Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon or some smaller company. Remember, getting to Pixar is a journey. No one works there their first job.
My advice; if you just specifically want to be a (example) “Pixar Animator”, then you should think about doing something else. You might not like your life when you’re working at Cartoon Network for 10 years. Wanting to be an “animator” is much better. These kind of people will have a happier life. Are you the “Pixar Animator” or the “animator”??
That’s just what I think.
Me, I’ll… I guess I’ll be somewhere in that creative field. And If I never make it to Pixar, then it’s alright… I’m still happy doing what I love. If I do make it, “yippee! I’m working with the greatest, most creative group of people in the world”.
Hey guys,
I’m new here, but I’m a huge Pixar / animation fan. I’d love to work there, and one day I will, but for right now I have to get loads better at animation. Maybe I’ll see you guys there one day
Cheers,
andy
I didn’t really want to work for Pixar until I got here; that’s been my sister’s dream. She knew she wanted to go into animation when she saw Toy Story in '95 and she’s always wanted to work for Pixar. As for me, I didn’t even become obsessed with Pixar until I saw “The Incredibles,” which led me to I-K, which eventually led to here… anyway, I would love to work for Pixar for its atmosphere of fun (As Crow of Mystery Science Theater 3000 would say, they’re “weird, which results in creativity” - I love quoting that), but since I am decidedly lacking in the visual arts department, I think it would be cool to be a writer or story editor… but I’d be happy answering the phones or filing.
