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Pete Docter: How to Craft a Remarkable Story the Pixar Way

I’ve been a fan of Pixar Studios film several since I first saw “Toy Story.” The ability that Pixar has to tell an amazing story in uncanny. After that film, I started studying every Pixar movie that came out. It seemed that they had a secret storytelling sauce and they could do no wrong.

It was unheard of for any studio to keep cranking out one hit after another, year after year. Pixar Studios has released 15 feature films with 210 awards won and 211 awards nominated and counting.

I first heard of director Pete Docter when I saw one of my favorite Pixar films “Monsters, Inc.” Pete Docter work on the film was remarkable but when I saw the trailer for 2009’s “Up” I said:

“In Pixar and Pete I trust.”

SPOILER ALERT: The opening sequence of “Up“, Pete Docter compresses a lifetime of love in three minutes and without using any words. Just amazing. Most filmmakers can’t do that in a two-hour feature film.

I recently had a chance to see Pete Docter’s latest film “Inside Out” and all I can say is WOW! I see another Best Picture Oscar® this year. Just an amazing piece of storytelling. Whatever secret sauce Pete and Pixar Studios have its working.

When I saw this amazing hour-long interview with Pete Docter at TIFF 2015 I knew I had to share it with all of you. Even if the average independent filmmaker can grab just a few grains of Pixar storytelling magic dust to sprinkle on their film, the indie film community with be a better place. Enjoy!

Pixar Storytelling Masterclass

Have you ever wondered how Pixar Animation Studios continues to create one masterpiece after another? How do they understand storytelling so well? What is their process? Khan Acadamy has partnered with Pixar to create a multi-year project creating a series of videos, lessons, and online courses to teach their secrets to anyone who wants to learn.

Khan Acadamy is a FREE online learning resource (Bill Gates is one of their main investors). They general teach more math and science but they are not venturing out into storytelling.

Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode. The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar.

This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy is sponsored by Disney.

To watch the rest of the FREE MasterClass goto: Khan Acadamy– Pixar in a Box

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