Making the Cut at Pixar: The Art of Editing Animation

Join industry insiders Bill Kinder and Bobbie O'Steen as they guide readers on a journey through every stage of production on an animated film, from storyboards to virtual cameras and final animation.

With unprecedented access to the Pixar edit suite, this authoritative project highlights the central role film editors play in some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies of all time. Exclusive interviews with animation editors and other creative leads are supported by footage from deep inside Pixar's vault. Nearly 90 minutes of video segments include never-before-seen works in progress, deleted scenes, and demonstrations to shed light on how these beloved stories are crafted. The challenges and essential contributions of editors in animation have never been examined in such depth and detail.

In addition to exploring method and craft, this book provides important context for the editor in film history, the evolution of technology, and Pixar's uniquely collaborative studio culture. A must-read for students of digital filmmaking methods, filmmakers in all aspects of production, and fans of Pixar movies, this uniquely educational, historical, and entertaining book sheds light on how beloved stories are crafted from the perspective of crucial members of the filmmaking team.

ISBN-13: 9780367766146

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Publication Date: 05-31-2022

Pages: 232

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Co-authors Bill Kinder and Bobbie O’Steen are experts in the field. Kinder was the founding Director of Editorial and Post Production at Pixar from 1996–2014. O’Steen is a teacher and film historian, specializing in editing, and author of The Invisible Cut and Cut to the Chase.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments x

A Note on the Text xi

Introduction: Retraining the Editor 1

1 The Hub of the Wheel: The Setup 4

How did the editor move to the center of production?

Video 1.1 First Cuts (3:30) 20

Video 1.2 Stages of Production (3:40) 26

Video 1.3 "What Exactly Do You Do?" (3:05) 28

2 "Story, Story, Story…": Edi-storial 30

How does a film editor help write a story? The essential exchange between editor and story artists.

Video 2.1 Timeline Years Long (1:05) 37

Video 2.2 Editors in the Story Room…and Story Artists in Editorial (4:10) 40

Video 2.3 Story and the Editor-Making Rough Boards Play (1:50) 41

Video 2.4 Moving Stills (:04) 43

Video 2.5 Story and the Editor-Case Study: "Carl and Ellie Meet" (2:05) 59

Video 2.6 Story and the Editor-Case Study: "Married Life" (3:55) 59

Video 2.7 Story and the Editor-Case Study: "End of the Line" (2:55) 62

Video 2.8 Story and the Editor-Case Study: "Opening" (6:00) 64

3 Conducting a Concerto: Sound 66

How does an animation editor "build" a performance in sound?

Video 3.1 Sound and the Editor-Track Tour (: 45) 72

Video 3.2 Perfect Performance-It's All About Dialogue (1:10) 73

Video 3.3 Deconstructing Dialogue-Case Study: Woody (2:40) 81

Video 3.4 Deconstructing Dialogue-Case Study: Russell (1:35) 84

Video 3.5 Deconstructing Dialogue-Case Study: Linguini (2:38) 85

Audio 3.6 Vocalizations: Grunts, Cries, and Whispers (1:05) 86

Audio 3.7 Arranging a Composition with Voices (:30) 88

Video 3.8 Enhanced Performance-An Approach to Dialogue (14:30) 90

Video 3.9 Dialogue-One Line at a Time (:40) 93

Video 3.10 Building Character-Case Study: Relatable Robots (3:20) 97

Video 3.11 Building Character-Case Study: Un-Relatable Robots (1:15) 97

Video 3.12 Building Character-Case Study: Subhuman Speech (1:20) 98

Video 3.13 Building Character-Case Study: Bear Talk (:45) 100

Video 3.14 Barking, with Feeling-Case Study: Dante Speaks (:20) 101

Video 3.75 Sonic Underscore-Penny Drops and Rainfall (1:00) 102

4 Edit First, Shoot Later: Layout 115

Where is the editor when the set is virtual? The editor's role in layout and camera.

Video 4.1 Sets, Not Cels-Animating in Space (:35) 117

Video 4.2 Driving the Camera-Case Study: "Customers!" (2:35) 125

Video 4.3 Layout and the Editor-Case Study: "The Cleaner" (1:40) 127

Video 4.4 Layout and the Editor-Case Study: "Castle Hunt" (4:15) 133

Video 4.5 Using 2D Cameras in 3D Scene Planning (2:00) 134

Video 4.6 Moving Storyboards-Case Study: "100 Mile Dash" (4:15) 135

Video 4.7 Cooking with Layout-Case Study: "Kitchen Tour" (1:50) 138

Video 4.8 Laser Layout-Case Study: "Space Ranger" (2:25) 140

5 Cutting Jell-O: Workplace Challenges 145

What are the human challenges in the course of a production marathon? How did editors come to be known as a tribe of "Warrior-People?"

Video 5.1 Made in Point Richmond-"You've Stepped into a Different World" (2:55) 147

Video 5.2 Tales from Frontier-Building a Studio Culture (3:10) 148

Video 5.3 Sequencitis-Case Study: "Yeti's Cave" (4:40) 152

Video 5.4 "Is This Still Funny?" Case Study: "Initiation" (4:15) 153

Video 5.5 Preview Progression-Brave (1:35) 168

6 Out of the Galápagos: Editors and Technology Adapt 171

What is progress? Perspective on the role of technology in the editor's creative process.

Video 6.1 Born Digital in an Analog World (5:05) 202

Video 6.2 Fluid Pixels-Beyond Pan and Scan (2:00) 204

7 Afterword: Why Does It Matter? 213

Sources and Resources 221

Index 238