The magic ingredient that brings Pixar movies to life | Danielle Feinberg

Summary

The speaker shares a personal journey from aspiring artist to a career at Pixar Animation Studios, where they discovered the magic of combining art with science through computer animation. They recount the process of creating three-dimensional worlds and characters, emphasizing the importance of lighting in bringing these virtual environments to life. The talk highlights the balance between artistic freedom and scientific grounding, using examples from films like 'Finding Nemo' and 'WALL-E' to illustrate how Pixar uses scientific principles to create believable and emotionally resonant worlds. The speaker concludes by celebrating the interplay between art and science, which allows for the creation of immersive and enchanting stories that resonate with audiences.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The speaker's initial dream was to be an artist, which was discouraged by an adult, leading to a shift towards a career in science and eventually computer programming.
• 🚀 A pivotal moment in the speaker's life was the exposure to computer animation during college, which reignited the passion for art and led to a career at Pixar Animation Studios.
• ✨ The process of creating animated films involves building a three-dimensional world in a computer, starting from a point and gradually forming characters, landscapes, and environments.
• 💡 Lighting is a crucial aspect of animation that brings the world to life, combining real-life observations with artistic and narrative needs.
• 🌟 The transition from rough to final lighting can be a magical moment, where the animation takes on a lifelike quality, fulfilling the speaker's childhood artistic dreams.
• 📐 The use of light in animation serves multiple purposes, including storytelling, setting the time of day, creating mood, and guiding the audience's attention.
• 🌍 The creation of animated worlds is not bound by real-world physics, allowing for the depiction of impossible scenarios, but is grounded by scientific principles for believability.
• 🐠 'Finding Nemo' serves as an example where scientific research into underwater light behavior was used to create a realistic yet artistically manipulated underwater environment.
• 👀 In 'WALL-E', the character's binoculars were a significant challenge in lighting due to their optical perfection, which initially led to an undesirable glassy-eyed appearance.
• 🔍 The animators found a solution for WALL-E's binoculars by introducing a light that interacted with the character's 'eyes', giving him a more soulful and emotive appearance.
• 🧬 The jellyfish scene in 'Finding Nemo' was a struggle until the balance of science and art was achieved, leading to a moment of collective applause and validation for the team's efforts.
• 🌈 The interplay between art and science in animation creates a world that is both believable and wondrous, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the story.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial dream when they were seven years old?

The speaker initially wanted to be an artist.

Why did the speaker change their career dream from artist to scientist?

The speaker's dream was discouraged by an adult who claimed that one cannot make a living as an artist, leading them to pursue a career in science.

What sparked the speaker's interest in computer animation?

The speaker's interest in computer animation was sparked when their computer graphics professor showed the class short films, which were the first computer animations they had ever seen.

How does the process of creating a three-dimensional world in a computer animation movie begin?

The process begins with a point that forms a line, which then forms a face, creating characters or elements like trees and rocks that eventually form a forest.

What is the role of lighting in computer animation?

Lighting involves placing virtual lights within the three-dimensional world of the animation. It helps to create a sense of realism, set the mood, and guide the audience's attention.

How does the speaker describe the moment when the animated world comes to life?

The speaker describes it as the moment when all the pieces come together, and the world appears as if it's an actual place that exists, which never gets old for the speaker.

What is the significance of using science in creating the animated world?

Science provides a backbone and a grounding element, helping to create a believable world that is relatable and recognizable to the audience, while still allowing for artistic freedom.

How does the speaker describe the process of lighting for the character WALL-E?

The process involved addressing the challenge of making WALL-E's binoculars, which were optically perfect, appear less reflective to give him more character and personality, ultimately making him more relatable.

What was the turning point for the jellyfish scene in 'Finding Nemo'?

The turning point was when the speaker, during the lighting process, managed to balance the colors and effects to create a visually appealing scene that was initially struggling to come together.

What is the key takeaway from the speaker's experience with lighting in animation?

The key takeaway is the beauty of the interweaving of art and science in animation, which allows for the creation of believable and magical worlds that can evoke emotion and wonder.

How does the speaker feel about the dual identity of being both a scientist and an artist?

The speaker feels empowered and fulfilled by the realization that they can be both a scientist and an artist, as it allows them to combine their love for math, science, and coding with their passion for storytelling and creativity.

What was the reaction of the director and the team during the review of the jellyfish scene?

The director and the team were initially silent, which made the speaker nervous, but then they started clapping, indicating their approval and excitement for the scene.