3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)
transcript

UPDATE,March2012:

NewTED2012TalkbyAndrewStanton,coveringmuchofthesamematerialrecordedhere.

READABILITYTIP:Foreasierreadingandtopreventeyestrain,narrowthewidthofyourbrowsertabto
reflowthetextintoshorterlines.Irecommendawordsperlinecountof12to15.

AssoonasIfounditonGoogleVideo,IknewIwouldhavetotranscribeit.

HereisallofAndrewStanton'skeynotefromScreenwritingExpo5(2006).Henamedit:"Understanding
Story:orMyJourneyofPain."

IhavenottranscribedtheQ&Athatfollowedthekeynote.PerhapsIwilltackleitoneday.Notforawhile
thistranscriptionconsumedquiteafewofmynights,andI'mhappytobedonewithit.AndnowthatIcan
lookatitfromheadtotoe,Icanseeitwaswortheverycoffeefueledkeystroke.

WithStanton'sexperiencesandlessonstoguideus,wecannotfailtobecomebetterstorytellers.

Note:AndrewtalksFAST,sothistranscriptisgarbledinplaces.Wherethedialogueismostlyclear,I'veused
whatIthinkheissaying.Whereit'smostlygarbledIdon'ttrytoguessbutinsteadusetheplaceholder
'[garbled]'.IapologizetoAndrewifI'vemademistakesintranscribing.However,I'mconfidentnothinghas
beenseriouslymangled.Imight'vemisheardsomewords,butIbelieveI'veretainedAndrew'sintended

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 1/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

meaninginallcases.Ifyouspotanyerrors,letmeknowbyemailandI'llcorrectthem.

Attheendofthisarticleyou'llfindmyownsummaryofStanton'sstorytellingadvice.

Additionallinkstoexplore:

Alright,let'sgetstarted.

AtouristisbackpackingthroughthehighlandsofScotland,andhestopsatapubwherehegoestogeta
pintofbeer,andtheonlyotherpatronthereisanoldmannursingabeeratthebar.Andtheydrinkin
silenceforalittlebit.Suddenlytheoldmanliftshisheadandhegoes,"Youseethisbar?Ibuiltthisbarwith
mybarehands.Foundthefinestwoodinthecounty.Usedthecarpentryskillsyou'veseenthelikesofnot
likesinceJesusChristourLordandSaviour.ButdotheycallmeMcGregorthebarbuilder?No!"

Heputshisheadbackdown.Hestarttolistenagain.Hepointstothewindow."Youseethatstonewallout
there?Ibuiltthatstonewallwithmybarehands.Pickedeveryrock,placeditjustso,throughtherainand
thecold,butdotheycallmeMcGregorthestonewallbuilder?No!"

Hepointsatanotherwindow.Youseethepieronthelakeoutthere?Ibuiltthatpierwithmybarehands,
drovethepilingsagainstthetidethroughthesand,plankbyplank,butdotheycallmeMcGregorthepier
builder?No!"

Helooksaround."Butyoufuckonegoat..."

[audiencelaugherandapplause]

Storytellingisjoketelling.It'sknowingyourending,yourdestination,yourpunchline,andthenbuildingthe
tellingofthatstorysothateverythingsupportsasatisfyingconclusion.

DavidMametwrote:
"That'sallthattheatreis:storytelling.Theatre'snodifferentfromgossip,fromdirtyjokes,fromwhatUncle
Maxdidonhisfishingtrip.It'sjusttellingstoriesinthatparticularwayinwhichonetellsstoriesintheatre.
Tome,recognisingthestorytellingdimensionofplaywritingisthebeginningmarkofmaturity.That'swhyI
embraceit.Nobodyintheaudiencewantstohearajokewithoutthepunchline.Nobodywantstohear
howfeelinglyaguycantellajoke,butwewouldliketofindoutwhathappenedtothefarmer'sdaughter.
That'swhatIbsendid."

IreadthisenlighteningobservationbyDavidMametjustasIwasgettingmyfirstopportunitytowritea
movie,andit'sremainedprobablythemoststeadfasttruisminscreenwritingformetoday.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 2/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

BeforeIgetstartedIneedtoputallofmystoryedificationincontextandexplaintheenvironmentatPixar.
We'reupinNorthernCalifornia,justbelowBerkley,justaboveOakland.It'saveryuniqueplace,andit'sa
perfectstormofart,science,andstudiosavvythat'sbeatentremendousoddstoexist,letalonethrive.

[3:40]

There'snopolitics.Basicallythereiswe'reemployees.We'rehiredninetofive,MondaythroughFriday.
Sothere'snoagents,there'snodealmaking.Similartotheoldstudiosystem,we'reabunchofartisansat
thetopoftheircraftworkingunderoneroofonmultiplepictures.There'snostudioexecutives.Anartistruns
thestudio:JohnLasseter.Theproducersandproductionstaffprobablyhavetheleastpowerandtheartists
havethemost.It'swhatIliketosay,it'sfilmschoolwithouttheteachers.

It'sadirectordrivenstudio.Wedon'tinvestinideasweinvestinpeople.Weinvestinthedirectorsandthe
ideastheyhave,theideasthattheyareinterestedin.Sowe'llbackthatvision.Andwe'veformedwhatover
timehasturnedintothetermBrainsTrust,whichisreallyjustthedirectorsthathaveastoryandanybody
elsewefeelhasagoodcreativeinputontheoutcomeofourpictures.Andwegettogetherandwereview
eachothers'work.Wereviewitonasortofabiannualbasisof[garbled]production.Andbasicallywewill
critiqueit,likebeinginawriters'room.Andyou'llsometimesbeprettyharsh,butthedirectorsareallowedto
takewhattheywantoutofthatandmakethechangesthewaytheyseefit.Soit'ssortoflikegettinga
secondopinionfromotherdoctorsinahospital.

Consequently,weonlydoinhouseoriginalideas,basedontheideasthatthedirectorshave,likeIsaid,or
areinterestedin.Soourratiostostorydevelopment...ourstoriesbeingdeveloped,beingproducedhave
alwaysbeenonetoone.It'snotthatwedeveloptwelveandthenwepickthatoneidea.

IwasdescribingthisonapanelattheAustinScreenwritingFestivalwithabunchofscreenwriters.Inthe
middleofsayingthis,oneofthemascreenwriter[garbled]says,"Whatdoyoulivein,fairyland?"

[audiencelaughter]

AndIgo,"Yeah.Yeah,wedo."Iliveinfairyland,andsoifyou'regonnahavequestionsI'mnotgonnahave
anyadviceabouthowtogetyourscriptwrittenorhowtowinandwooanagentorhowtonavigatethe

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 3/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

industry.IhavenoHollywoodsurvivalskillsthatI[garbled].

[audiencelaughterandapplause]

Pixar'smadesevenfilmstodate,andI'llbefocusingonthefirstfive,mainlybecauseIdidn'tworkonthelast
two.SoIdon'thaveanygreatpersonaltrenchstoriesfromthem.Thelaterpanelswillcovermuchmore.

Ihavetoadmit,I'mabitapprehensivestandinguphereandtalkingtoyouaboutstorytelling.Eventhough
I'vespentfourteenyearsmakingmoviesIstillfeellikeI'mjustbeginningtounderstandtheroles,andIseem
toforgetthemagainandlearnthemagain.AtPixarIspendmostofmytimefeelingdumbandinadequateat
myjob,becauseI'msurroundedbymuchsmarterandmoretalentedpeople.

SoratherthantellyouwhatweknowatPixaraboutstory,IthoughtinsteadI'dtakeyouthroughthehistory
ofwhatwedidn'tknow,orwhatIliketosortofcall'MyJourneyofPain.'

[audiencelaughter]

OK,sowe'regonnastartourjourneyofpainbackin1992.In'92

[audiencelaughter]

there'sabouttwentyfiveofus,inallinthegroup.AndallwedidwasshortsCGanimatedshortsand
commercials.Andthat'sprettymuchallIthoughtweweregonnadowhenIwasworkingwiththematthe
time.

DisneyhadbeentryingtowooJohnforalongtimetocomebackdownthereandmakeamovieforthem.
HelovedwhathehadstartedcreatingatPixarandwantedtokeepitgoing.Sohekeptrefusing,andfinally
theycalledandsaid,"Look,youstayupthereandyoucanusePixar.JustmakeusaCGfilmsandyoucan
makewhateveryouwant."

[7:20]

Andthat'saninterestingproblemtohave.Wehadablankcanvaswithaninfiniteamountofchoices.So,we
foundourselvesoverwhelmedbythesimpleproblemofhowtostart.

AndIGodImeanIfantasizedmywholelifeaboutmakingamovieandneverreallythoughtitwould
reallyI'dbeapartofanythinglikethat.Anditwasinterestingtosuddenlygo,I'veneverreallythoughttoo
hardabouthowdoyoustartwritingastoryanddevelopingsomething.Thisis1992,thisistheageof
laserdiscs.AndIwasabigfilmbuff.I'dseeneverythingDavidLeanhaddone,exceptI'dneverseenthis
movie,Ryan'sDaughter.AnditfinallycameoutonlaserdiscandIwasdyingtoseeit.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 4/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Andtherewasthisonescene.Idon'tknowifit'sgonnatranslateatalltoyouguyslikeitdidtome.Butit's
likethecloudsparted,andIstartedtounderstandhowthebasicsoftellingthestoryonfilmreallyworked,
likehowthestringsworkedbehindthings.I'llshowyouthisclipwe'regonnasetitup.

Ifyouhaven'tseenRyan'sdaughterit'sbasicallyRosyRyanisthemaincharacter.HerfatherRyanrunsa
pub.It's1915inIreland.Andshe'salwaysgotteneverythingshe'severwanted.She'sspoiledshefellin
lovewithaschoolteacher,andwhenshewasoldenoughshemarriedhim.Andthere'sthiskidshegrewup
with,sortofthetownidiotandamute.Hisname'sMichaelandhe'salwayslovedher.Andwegettothis
pointwhereshe'sstilldissatisfied,evenwhenshe'sgoteverythingshewants,she'smarriedtoaschool
teacher,andshe'sconfessingtothepriestaboutthisdissatisfaction.Andhesays,"Look.Becarefulabout
nursingyourwishesbecauseyoumightgetwhatyou'rewishingfor."

Andwecuttothebusstop,onthatline,outsideoftown,andthisistheclip...

[clipfromRyan'sDaughter]

Suddenly,likeJohnNashinABeautifulMind,IfeltlikeIcouldseetheequationsfloatingupthere.Theway
certainpiecesofinformationweretoldinacertainwaytocreateinterestandenquiry.Itwassobeautifully
simple,butlikemostgreatartwasdeceivinglysimple.It'sallaboutaudienceparticipation.Weactuallydo
wanttoworkforourentertainment,wejustwhenwewatchmovies,wedon'twanttoknowthatwe're
doingit.

DavidMamethasquotedthatdirectingfilm,he"puttheprotagonistinthesamepositionastheaudience
throughthecut,bymakingtheviewercreatetheideahimselfinhisownmind."I'llelaborateonthismuch
laterinthekeynote.

[11:13]

SowhenIstartedatPixar,Iwasnotawriter.Icamefromanimationthat'swhatIwenttoschoolfor.ButI'd
alwayshadstrongopinionsaboutwhatIwantedtoseeonthescreen.Turnsout,that'shalfthebattleof
screenwriting.I'dalwaysconsideredwritingsuchalofty,eruditeprofessionandfeltthatI'dneverbeawriter.
Quitehonestly,Ikindastillbelievethat.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 5/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Whatenabledmetoenterthiscraftwastherealisationthatscreenwritingisnotwriting.Ascreenplayisnot
somethingtobeheldupandreadasafinishedpiece,andit'snottheendresultofacreativeendeavour.It's
thebeginning.It'sanintermediaryform.It'sameansofdocumentingcinematicstorytelling,oftranscribing
themoviethatyoupictureinyourheadswhatIwouldcall'cinematicdictation.'

IunderstandI'mprobablyundersellingtheartformbycallingitthat,butthatutilitarianphrasehelpsfreeme
upfrommyinsecuritiesIstillhaveaboutwriting,sortofdemystifiestheprocess.Itgivesmethecourageto
facethejobathandeveryday.SoIuseit.

Sowithblindeagernessandoptimism,wehadourblank[garbled]canvas.Wesetup[garbled]ideaforour
firstmovie.NowifyoushouldeverfindyourselfinthissituationI'dhighlyrecommendthatyouwritewhatyou
know.Andifyoudon'tknowanythingthenresearchwhatinterestsyouandknowwhatyouwrite.

Well,wecompletelyluckedoutwithourfirststory.JohnLasseterpickedasubjectmatterthatwewere
alreadyauthoritieson:toysinourchildhood[garbled]animatedroleandarresteddevelopment,always
talkingaboutourtoys,alwaystalkingaboutourcomicbooks,Saturdaymorningcartoonswegrewupon.
Veryeasy.Also,hefeltthathe'djustscratchedthesurfaceofthehiddentoyworldinhisshortTinToyfrom
1988.

Thus,ToyStorywasborn.Now,lookingbackonToyStory,wehadsuchimpossibleoddstoovercomeit
shouldnothaveworked.ButlikeengineersatNASA,putthemanonthemoon,doit,wewerejusttoodumb
andstupidtoknowyoucan'tdoit.

Sowe'dneverwrittenamoviebefore,butwecameinwithstrongopinionsaboutwhatwedidn'tlikein
animationatthetime,andwefeltvehementlythatyoucouldbuildabettermovie.Yougottarememberthis
was1992,you'vegotLittleMermaid,BeautyandtheBeast,Aladdin.Everybodyoutthereintheindustryand
outsidethoughtTHATiswhatananimatedmovieis.That'sexactly[garbled]Whatisananimatedmovie?
THATiswhatitis.Andwedidn'tfeellike[garbled]somethingmuchbroaderthanthat.

SowhenwefirstpitchedthismovieideatoTomHanks,thefirstthinghesaidwas,"Youdon'twantmeto
sing,doyou?"

[audiencelaughter]

Andthatreallysummedupourattitudetoo.Wehadnocloutbackthen,sowehadtokeepourrebellious
impulsesprivate.Andwemadethislistforourselves.Anditwas:nosongsno"Iwant"momentnohappy
villagenolovestoryandnovillain.Thefunnystoryisthatlateroninthedevelopmentofthestoryitwas
goingreallybad,anditwasnotgood.Andwewereallscratchingourheadsastowhatwedidwrong.And
Disneyontheirownaskedoneofthepeopleontheirsidetosortofwatchandgivesomecomments,andit
wasafamouslyricistwhoIshouldn'tmention,buthisnamerhymeswithJimRice...

[audiencelaughter]

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 6/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Andhesentafaxthatthesewerethethingsheactuallysuggested:'thereshouldbeasong'

Inaweirdway,eventhoughwewerereallyhavingahardtime,hereallyboostedourconfidence[garbled].
Butevenwiththeseguidelines,westumbledintooneofthebiggestpitsthatwefallintoinalmostallthe
movies,whichislikingyourmaincharacter.Thishasgottabethemostillusivelessonofall.Andweseemto
havetorelearnitoneverymoviewemake.

Likingyourmaincharacterdoesn'tmeantheyhavetobeaniceperson.Thisisacommonmistake,andif
youdoityouendupwithClarkKentwho'sboringinsteadofSuperman.Butwemadetheoppositemistake
withWoody,believeitornot.

[15:30]

Woodywasacharacterwhoweknewhisarc.Weknewhewentfromselfishtobeingselfless.Butwetook
thatliterally.Thiswashowsortofnaivewewere.AndwemadeWoodyselfishinthebeginning.Andthisis
whatyouget:

[clipfromToyStory(testscene?)]

Notnice.Welearnedveryquickly,that'snotthewaytodothis,eventhoughweneedhimtobeselfish.We
learnedthat'like'means'empathize'.Youmustunderstandthem.Peoplearemorecomplicatedandlayered
thanoneparticulartrait.Wehadtofigureouthowtoputthatselfishnessdeeper.

Andtheanswerwas:selfishnessdisguisedasselflessness.Sowemadehimabenevolentleaderthatreally
didwanttodoeverythingright,butitwasconditional.Andtheminutethathisjobwasthreatenedthena
selfishnessstartedtorisethatmaybeevenhedidn'tknowabout.Itwasabiglesson.

Ournextobstaclewasunderstandingopposinggoals,orassomebooksandterminologycallit'unityof
opposites':directlyopposingdesiresbetweentwopeopleinarelationship.It'sallaboutconflict,right?It'snot
aboutgetting[garbled].Andweneededstrongonesthatwouldallowcompromise.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 7/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

IntheearlyyearsofToyStorywedidn'tunderstandthis,sowejustmadeWoodyandBuzzyellateach
other,andwethoughtiftheywerefunnyenoughyou'dkeeplistening.Andyoudidn't.Andafterawhileitgot
reallyannoying,yougotaheadache.

So,IrememberthatweknewWoody'sgoalwewereneverunclearaboutthat.HewantedtogetAndy
back,andhewantedtorestorethetoyworldorderthewayitwas.ButBuzzeludedusforalongtime.AndI
remembergoingbackhomeforChristmasbackeastwithmyparents,andIwassofrustratedatnotbeing
abletosolvethis.IsuddenlygotacallfromJohnLasseterandJoeRanft,HeadofStoryonthat.

AndtheypitchedmethispossiblegoalforBuzzthatdirectlyopposedWoody.Andthisiswhatwegot...

[ToyStoryclip]
BUZZ
Sheriff,thisisnotimetopanic.

WOODY
Thisistheperfecttimetopanic!I'mlost!Andyisgone!They'regonnamovefromtheirhouseintwodays,
andit'sallyourfault!

BUZZ
MyMyfault?Ifyouhadn'tpushedmeoutofthewindowinthefirstplace

WOODY
Oh,yeah?Well,ifyouhadn'tshownupinyourstupidlittlecardboardspaceship...andtakenaway
everythingthatwasimportanttome

BUZZ
Don'ttalktomeaboutimportance.Becauseofyou,thesecurityofthisentireuniverseisinjeopardy!

WOODY
WHAT?Whatareyoutalkingabout?

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 8/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

BUZZ
Rightnow,poisedattheedgeofthegalaxy,EmperorZurghasbeensecretlybuildingaweaponwiththe
destructivecapacitytoannihilateanentireplanet!Ialonehaveinformationthatrevealsthisweapon'sonly
weakness.Andyou,myfriend,areresponsiblefordelayingmyrendezvouswithStarCommand!

WOODY
YOU...ARE...A...TOY!Youaren'ttherealBuzzLightyear!You'reanactionfigure!Youareachild's
plaything!

BUZZ
Youareasad,strangelittleman...

[endclip]

Suddenly,eachcharacterhadacleargoalthatdirectlyopposedtheother.Now,onethingIwanttoclarifyup
frontaboutwriting,atleastasIunderstandit,isthatwritingisrewriting.AndIcan'tspeakforotherwriters,
butforme,whatI'velearnedafterworkingonsixpicturesnow,isthatInevergetitrightthefirsttime,the
second,orthethird.SomewherearoundthetenthoreleventhIseemtogetitright.SoIwriteearlyand
often.

Mypersonalmottois:bewrongasfastasyoucan.Sothelesserintalentyouare,thegreaterintenacity
youmustbetopersevere.

SoweallstartedtounderstandhowthebigpieceswereworkinginmakingamoviewithToyStoryonsome
ofthisstuff.Thenextlevel,thescenesthemselves,werethenextstoryobstacle.

Thehardestscenewehad,thehardestknottountie,wasascenethatwealwayscalled'underthecrate,'or
'thenightbeforetheexecution.'ThiswasthescenethatwassupposedtogettothecoreofWoody,tothe
pointofthemovie.

Butsofar,wehadgoneonintuition,withthetruthofthemomentofanoldtoybeingreplacedbyanewone.
Andwejustreallyhadn'tdoneourhomeworkyet.Wereallyhadn'tthoughtofthepunchlineforourjoke.So
tryingtofigureoutWoodyinthatscenebroughtustoyellingateachotherforhoursinmyoffice.AndIjust
couldn'twriteasinglelineofdialogueuntilwetrulyunderstoodwhatmadeWoodytick.

Itwasalongandarduousmeeting.Andfinallywhenwecrackedit,itwasthismassiveepiphanyforme.The
endresultwassosatisfyingformeandinfectious,itreallysealedmyfaiththat,ashardasitwas,thiswas
definitelywhatIwantedtodowithmylife:writestoriesandcreatecharacters.

[20:55]

So,whenyouwatchthisscenewhichyouallknow,payattentiontohowthissceneisstructured.Inthe
beginning,WoodyforveryselfishreasonsistryingtobuildupBuzzsothathecangetoutofthecrate.Butin
doingso,heendsupbreakinghimselfdown,andwindsupexposingthecoreofhisownproblem,whichis

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 9/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

hislackofselfworth.Woodyinadvertentlyplaystherapistontheset...

[clipfromToyStory]
WOODY
Psst!Psst!Hey,Buzz!Hey.Getoverhereandseeifyoucangetthistoolboxoffme...Oh,comeon,
Buzz,IBuzz,Ican'tdothiswithoutyou.Ineedyourhelp.

BUZZ
Ican'thelp.Ican'thelpanyone.

WOODY
Why,sureyoucan,Buzz.Youcangetmeoutofhere.AndthenI'llgetthatrocketoffyouandwe'llmake
abreakforAndy'shouse.

BUZZ
Andy'shouse,Sid'shouse.What'sthedifference?

WOODY
Oh,Buzz,you'vehadabigfall.Youmustnotbethinkingclearly.

BUZZ
No,Woody,forthefirsttimeIamthinkingclearly.Youwererightallalong.I'mnotaSpaceRanger.I'm
justatoy.Astupidlittleinsignificanttoy.

WOODY
Whoa.Hey.Waitaminute.Beingatoyisalotbetterthanbeinga,aSpaceRanger.

BUZZ
Yeah,right.

WOODY
No,itis.Look,overinthathouseisakidwhothinksyouarethegreatest,andit'snotbecauseyou'rea
SpaceRanger,pal.It'sbecauseyou'reatoy.Youarehistoy.

BUZZ
ButwhywouldAndywantme?

WOODY
WhywouldAndywantyou?Lookatyou!You'reaBuzzLightyear!Anyothertoywouldgiveuphismoving
partsjusttobeyou.You'vegotwings!Youglowinthedark!Youtalk!Yourhelmetdoesthatthatthat
"whoosh"thing.Youareacooltoy.Asamatteroffact,you'retoocool.ImeanImean,whatchance
doesatoylikemehaveagainstaBuzzLightyearactionfigure?AllIcandois..."There'sasnakeinmy
boots!"WhywouldAndyeverwanttoplaywithmewhenhe'sgotyou?I'mtheonethatshouldbe
strappedtothatrocket.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 10/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

[endclip23.34]

Youoftenheartheterm

[audienceapplause]

Youoftenheartheterm'Youshouldhavesomethingtosayinastory'butthatdoesn'talwaysmeana
message.Itmeanstruth,somevaluethatyouyourselfasastorytellerbelievein,andthenthroughthe
courseofthestorybeabletodebatethattruth.Trytoproveitwrong.Testittoitslimits.ThisisthestuffI
reallygeekouton.Icallthis'storyphysics.'

Inthatscenewejustplayed,WoodyfinallyearnshiscovetedplaceasAndy'sfavouriteintheeyesofthe
audiencebecauseheadmittedthetruthabouthowandwhyBuzzismoredeservingofthatrole.Ifindthat
suchagreatironicequation.It'sliketheadage,ifyouwannabuythatcaryouhavetobewillingtowalk
awayifyoulovesomethingyougottasetitfreeandseeifitcomesbacktoyou.

PixarreceivedanAcademyAwardnominationforthatToyStoryscript.Itwasourfirstscript,andit'sthefirst
animatedmovieevertobenominatedinthatcategory,soyou'dthinkwe'dbealittleconfidentafterthat.

Butyou'dbewrong.Becauseoursecondcourseinhumilitywasjustbeingserved.

ABug'sLifewasformeprobablythemostdifficultstorytotameandgetworkingcorrectly.Why?Well,
hindsightis2020.Andlookingback,I'vecometounderstandacrucialfactorthatatleastformeIneed
whenI'mwritingastory.Andatsomepointinyourtumultuousjourneyinscreenwritingyouneedtouncover
yourkeyimage.

AndwhatImeanbythatis,yourtouchstone.Thisisnotarulethisisjustme.Butanditcouldcomefrom
anywhere.Butsomethingthatepitomizestheemotionalcoreofyourstory.Itremindsyouwhatit'sabout,of
thevaluetryingtobeexpressed.Itkeepsyouontrack.

ForToyStoryitwasthesimpleimageryofanoldfavouritetoyonthebed,beingknockedoffandreplaced
byabrandnewfavouritetoy,allthejealousyandinsecuritiesthatwouldnaturallybestirredupbythat
[garbled]evoked.

AndToyStory2wasWoodyatthecrossroadsofhistoyexistence,lookingdownthatventilationshaftthat
elicitedthefearandanxietyoffacingdeath.

ForMonstersIncorporateditwasthesimpleimageofagiantfurrypawholdingthetinyhandofalittlegirl.It
wasanactualsketch.Icouldn'tfinditsoIusedthisclip.Itconjuredupthechildhoodissuesofovercoming
yourfearsandthetrialsofanadultadjustingtoparenthood.

ForFindingNemoitwasthediscoveryofasolesurvivingfishegginthesand.Itrepresentedthemoment
yourchildisbornandyouholditandyou'rebarragedwithaseaofoverwhelmingconflictingemotions:love,
sadness,joy,butmostofall,fear.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 11/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

AndABug'sLifehadnokeyimage.

[audiencelaughter]

[garbled]Itellyou,withoutthatemotionalkeyimageitwasalwaysatremendouschoretofigureoutour
courseandtostayonit.Youwerealwaysattackingthingsfromyourheadandnotyourheart.Youwere
alwaysfindingyourselfconfusedandasking,"Whyisthismomenthere?Whyismycharacterdoingthis?"
Youhadnothingtoresetyourselfandputyoubackinthecentreandlookatitfromanemotionalpointof
view.

Ournextbigpitfallonthefilmwas,wehadthewrongguy.Themaincharacterofthefilm,youknow,was
Flick.Hewasanindustriousmemberoftheantcolony.ButweoriginallyhadacharactercalledRed.Hewas
aredAnt.Hewastheringmasterofapatheticunemployedcircusbugtroupe.Andthebigdifferencewas
thatitwasRedwhoconvincedhistroupetoposeaswarriorstogainfoodandshelterfortheirowngain.

AndourproblemwasthatnomatterhowcharmingandcharismaticwemadeRed,youcouldn'tignorethat
hewasaliar,andthereforekindaunlikeable.Andnoscenariowasstrongenoughtoconvincetheaudience
thatRedwouldstayinplacetheminutethestakesgotraisedanditwasalifeanddeathsituation.[garbled]
putthelivesoftheentireantcolonyinjeopardy.Itwastough.

SothenonedayIhadaneleventhhouridea.Iwroteamemotothestorycrew.Isaid,"Whatifthemain
characterwasoneofthelowlyslaveantsassignedtofindingwarriorbugsthatmadeanhonestmistake."
Suddenlytherewastension,realconsequences.Thiswashisfamilyheputinjeopardy,somethinghewas
organicallyhandcuffedto.Hecouldn'tjustwalkawayfromtheproblemlikeRedcould.Thischaracterwould
havetofacehismistakes.

TheotherthingthatcanIpickedthismovietotalkaboutthatcanaffectyourwriting,particularlyyour
rewritingwhenyou'realreadystartingtocast...iscasting.It'snotaboutthemarqueevalue.It'saboutvoice
qualityandacting,forus.Iknowwecangetfamousactorsonourfilmsbutthat'snotwhywepickedthem.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 12/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Everybodyknowstheterm,"Thecameralovesthem."Well,weliketousetheterm,"Themicrophoneloves
them."Therearesomevoicesouttherethatjustmakesyouwanttoanimatetothem.Andit'snot
necessarilyanAlevelactor.Sometimesit'snotevenanactorit'ssomebodyinourownbuilding.Andthat's
whatyou'relookingforisthatvoicethathasthatkindofappeal,justlikethatfacethatyouhavetoshoot.

[28:24]

SowedowhatIguessyoucouldkindacallprivatecastingcalls.We'lltakeanaudioclipfromanexisting
movieandthenwe'lltakemaybeacharactermodelthatwe'redevelopingandwe'llanimatetoit.Andwe'll
putittothataudiotoseehowitfeels.Sortofdoalittlecastingcall.AndIwanttogiveyouanexampleof
howyougothroughalotofdifferentpersonalitiesanditwoulddefinitelydictatehowyouwouldgowiththeir
dialogue.

So,oneofthepeoplewewereconsideringwasAlPacino...

[clipanimatedtoPacinofromthemovieGlengarryGlenRoss]
PACINO
You,Williamson.I'mtalkingtoyou,shithead.Youjustcostmesix...thousand...dollars.Wheredidyou
learnyourtrade,youidiot?Whatyou'rehiredforistohelpus,nottofuckusup!

[endclipaudiencelaughterandapplause]

TheotherpersonwewereconsideringwasAlecBaldwin...

[clipanimatedtoBaldwinfromthemovieHeaven'sPrisoners]
BALDWIN
Mywifehadtobeburiedinaclosedcasket.Iwantyoutothinkaboutthatforaminute.Now,I'mgonna
findthosetwomen,andwhenIdo,I'mgonnasqueezethemextrahard,andifyournamecomesoutta
eitheroneoftheirmouths,I'llbebackheretofeedyoursorryfuckin'asstotheshrimp.

[endclipaudiencelaughterandapplause]

ThenwetriedKevinSpacey,andthatreallyclickedwithus,becauseitwasn'tjustbeingmeanand

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 13/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

intimidating.Itwasauniqueslantonit.Itwashe'samasterofcondescension.Andthatsuddenlygaveus
ananglethatmadeitspecial,thatmadeitdifferentfromtheothervillains.Andthisisaclipfromtheactual
movie.Idon'tthinkweeverdidavoice[garbled]...

[clipfromABug'sLife]
HOPPER
So,whereisit...?Where'smyFOOD!

DOT
Isn'titupthere?

HOPPER
What?

DOT
Thefoodwasinaleafsittingonthe

HOPPER
Excuseme?

DOT
Areyousureit'snotoutthere?

HOPPER
AreyousayingI'mstupid?DoIlook...stupid...toyou?Let'sjustthinkaboutthelogic,shallwe?Let'sjust
thinkaboutitforasecond.Ifitwasupthere,wouldIbecomingdownhere,toyourlevel,lookingforit?

[endclip]

Soitactuallyaffectstherewriting.ForasmuchasweallhadHopperlines,werewrotethemalltomatchthat
kindofcondescendingtone.

Onelittlebitoftrivia.Alotofpeopledon'tknowthattheoriginalpersonwetriedtogetforBuzzLightyear
wasBillyCrystal...

[clipanimatedtoBillyCrystalinWhenHarryMetSally]
HARRY
Rightnoweverythingisgreat,everyoneishappy,everyoneisinlove.Butyougottoknow,oneday,
believeitornot,you'llgofifteenroundsoverwho'sgoingtogetthiscoffeetable.Thisstupid,wagon
wheel,RoyRogersgaragesalecoffeetable!

JESS
Ithoughtyoulikedit.

HARRY

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 14/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

IWASBEINGNICE!

[endclipaudiencelaughter31:50]

[garbled]SothenourjourneyofpaincontinuedonwithToyStory2.

Wehadmajorreservationsonthismovie.Someofuswereevenadamantlyagainstit.Why?Well,because
historyhadshownthatmostsequelswereeitherinferiortothefirstfilmorjustsucked.Therewereonlytwo
sequelsatthetimethatwefeltwereasgoodorbetterthantheoriginal.AndthatwasGodfather2andThe
EmpireStrikesBack.

Now,Iknow,Iknow:Aliens,RoadWarrior,Terminator2.Butthey'restillevenifyoulisttheotheronesthat
areprobablybetter,it'sasmallclubtojoin.Andartistically,thiswasallwewerewillingtoconsider.We
wantedtomakesurethatitfeltasworthyasthosetwowithsequels.

Now,IneedtogiveyoualittlebackstoryonthesoapoperathatprecededanywritinginvolvementthatIhad
onthepicture.WehadwhatI'llcalltheAteamthatmadeToyStoryandwentontomakeABug'sLife.But
wedidn'thavethemanpowertomakeToyStory2simultaneously.Sogotanotherbuilding.WehiredaB
team,andwestartedmakingToyStory2.Wewereinseparatebuildingsandneverlookedateachother.

AndwhenwefinallyfinishedABug'sLife,andwehadabouttenmonthsoutbeforeToyStory2was
supposedtobereleased.Andwewentoverandwelookedatwhattheyhadtodo.Anditwasnotworking.

Allourfilmsdon'twork,butatthispointwehadrunoutoftimeanditwasstillreallynotworking.Andwehad
tomakearealcrucialdecisionatthispoint:dowejustscrapit,ordowestartover?Andweonlyhadten
monthsleft.Usuallythesethingstaketwoandahalf,threeyearstoproduce.

Andsowejustallheldhands,andwedisassembledtheBteam,wecombineditwiththeAteam,andwe
wentofftomakeToyStory2inabouteighttoninemonths.

Now,uptothispointinourshorthistoryofwritingscreenplays,justtogiveyoucontext...ToyStorytook
about36monthstowriteandfinallygetitright,likeallthepasses,alltherewrites,blahblahblah.ABug's
Life:about38.ToyStory2:threemonths.

[audiencelaughter]

Now,howwereweabletorewrite75%ofthepictureinthreemonths?Well,wewereabletodothatandI
onlykindasawthisinhindsight,becausewewereworkingtoofasttothinkaboutitatthetimewas...the
characterswerealreadyknown.Thisisoneofthebiggestinsightsforme:that'swheremostofyourtimeis
spent.Forasmuchasyouneedtoberewritingplotagainandagain,it'sallinthemeanstotrytofigureout
whoyourcharactersare,howtheyseetheworld,howtheymakedecisions,howtheyreacttothings.

Andyoucan'tdothatseparatelyfromtheplot.Sometimesyouhavetorewritetheplotagainandagainuntil
youfindthesecharacterinsights.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 15/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Therewerethreepreconceivedkeystructuralchanges.WhatImeanbythat,it'safancyquicktermtosay,
wehadbeenpeekingoverthefenceandlookinginthereandwewereallgripingonoursideattheBteam
going,"Oh,theyshouldhavedonethis,theyshouldhavedonethat."Buttherewereacoupleofideasthat
actuallyworked,Ithinkwereprettygood,thatwedidapplytheminutewegotthechance.Andtheywerethe
opening,addinganevilBuzz,andfiguringoutWoody'sdecision:thatmomentattheventwhenhelooks
downand...thatkeyimage,thatemotionalcore.

Andthenthelastwas...mostofthosethreemonthswereactuallyspentonthethreecharactersthatwere
new,thatwedidn'tknow,whichweretheRoundupGang.

TheRoundupGangthekeyinmakingtheRoundupGangwasmakingthemrepresentallaspectsofnot
beingplayedwith.Soeachofthemhadarole.YouhadJessie,whowaswelikedtosaywasabipolarElly
May.ThatwasJoeRanfthesortofcaughtthatinaperfect...rightonthenose.ShesharedWoody'spast.
Butshewasveryafraid.She'dhadsortofabadconsequenceswiththat.

TheProspectorwasakindandwiseuncleontheoutside,buthe'dnevereverbeentouched,playedwith
[garbled]kepthiminthebox.Soinsidehewasbitteranvengeful.

AndBullseyewassortofthepet,thechild.Hewastheinnocent,stilleagertoplease[garbled].Hewasthe
swingvote.

SooncewehadeachoftheirPOVsfiguredout,writingthescenetointroducethemactuallywasfun.
Realise,it'sreallyallaboutcharacter...

[clipfromToyStory2]

IfeellikeIcouldtalktherestofthekeynotejustonthesubjectofcharacter,becauseitfascinatesmeso
much.Anditintimidatesmetremendously.You'rebasicallygivingbirthtotheillusionofarealpersonandall
theircomplexities.WhenI'mhavingtroublewithacharacter,oftenI'llfindmyselfgoingovertotheshelfwith
allmybooks,andI'llrefertothisbook:it'scalledtheSpoonRiverAnthologybyEdgarLeeMasters.Iknow
it'skindofobtuse,butit'sactuallyabookthateverypageafictionalepitaphofsomebodythatdiedinthat
town.AndyougettheirPOVofhowtheylived,ortheprivatelifetheyhadthatnobodyknewabout.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 16/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

Anditjustremindsmethatthere'saninfiniteamountofstorieslurkingaroundeveryperson.There'saquote
thatFredRogersMrRogerswouldcarryaroundinhiswallet,anditwouldsay,"Thereisn'tanyoneyou
couldn'tloveonceyou'veheardtheirstory."Andit'sreallytrue.They'reallsittingaroundyouyoujusthave
tofindthemanddrawthemout.

[38:22]

Anotherpieceofliteraturethatthisisgonnaseemweirdgetsmeoutofmyfunkisapassagefroma
novel.It'sfromAmericanPastoralbyPhilipRoth.Andthemaincharacterhasthisspeechaboutmeeting
people.AndIwasgonnareadthispassage.Hesaid:
"Youfightyoursuperficiality,yourshallowness,soastotrytocomeatpeoplewithoutunrealexpectations,
withoutanoverloadofbiasorhopeorarrogance,asuntanklikeasyoucanbe,sanscannonand
machinegunsandsteelplatinghalfafootthickyoucomeatthemunmenacinglyonyourowntentoes
insteadoftearinguptheturfwithyourcaterpillartreads,takethemonwithanopenmind,asequals,man
toman,asweusedtosay,andyetyouneverfailtogetthemwrong.Youmightaswellhavethebrainof
atank.Yougetthemwrongbeforeyoumeetthem,whileyou'reanticipatingmeetingthemyougetthem
wrongwhileyou'rewiththemandthenyougohometotellsomebodyelseaboutthemeetingandyou
getthemallwrong.Again.Sincethesamegenerallygoesforthemwithyou,thewholethingisreallya
dazzlingillusionemptyofallperception,anastonishingfarceofmisperception.Andyetwhatarewetodo
aboutthisterriblysignificantbusinessofotherpeople,whichgetsbledofthesignificancewethinkithas
andtakesoninsteadasignificancethatisludicrous,soillequippedarewealltounderstandone
another'sinteriorworkingsandinvisibleaims?...Thefactremainsthatgettingpeoplerightisnotwhat
livingisallaboutanyway.It'sgettingthemwrongthatisliving,gettingthemwrongandwrongandwrong
andthen,oncarefulreconsideration,gettingthemwrongagain.That'showweknowwe'realive:we're
wrong.Maybethebestthingwouldbetoforgetbeingrightorwrongaboutpeopleandjustgoalongfor
theride.Butifyoucandothatwell,luckyyou."

[audiencelaughterandapplause]

Imean,isn'tstorytellingmeetingpeople?Imean,thestorystarts,wemakeourfirstimpressionofthe
characterswemeetandthenproceedfurtherintothestorytodiscoverifweguessedcorrectly,hopingboth
thatwe'llberightinourassumptionsbutalsothatthere'llbemoretothemthanmeetstheeye,that
somehowthesecharacterswillsurpriseusandforceustoreassessourimpressionsofthemintheend.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 17/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

So,afterallthatexperienceonToyStory2,evenmorepainawaitedusonMonstersIncorporated.Now
you'dthinkwe'drememberlessonswe'velearnedonearlierprojects,butsomehoweverynewstoryseems
tocamouflageallofitsproblemsincompletelynewways.

Now,rememberhowImentionedontheresearchearlyon:knowwhatyouwrite.Anotherwaytoputthisis:
knowyourworld.Themoreyouknow,themorebelievableyourstorycanbe.Nowinallpreviousfilms,
researchwaspossible:ToyStory,youcouldgototoystores,wecantalkaboutourchildhood,wecouldgo
backtoouratticsandfindsomeofourstuffABug'sLife,youcouldgetdowninthegrass,youcouldtalkto
entomologistsToyStory2,youcouldtalktocollectors,youcouldgotostorechainsandlookattheaisles.

Buthowdoyouresearchamadeupworld?Youcan'treally.That'stherubwithfantasypictures.Fantasies
shouldequalrules.Forme,magicisn'tafiveletterword,it'safourletterword.I'mnotabigfanofmagic,
andIliketouseitassparinglyaspossible.Moviesareallaboutcaringandworrying.AndwhyshouldIcare
andworryaboutwhat'sgoingtohappennextifanythingispossibleatanytime?

AlexanderMackendrick,thefilmmaker,hadagreatquotethat:"Dramaisanticipationmingledwith
uncertainty."Butyoucan'tsetsomebodyupforanticipationandmingleitwithuncertaintyunlessyouknow
theparametersthatyourin.Lifeisonebigbiosphereofcauseandeffect.Youneedtogiveusalltherules
sowecanknowwhatthatcauseandeffectis.

Havingsaidthat,youknow,youcanhaveasfantasticalastoryasyouwant.Youcantaketremendous
licence.There'saGrimm'sfairytalethatliterallystartsout:Thereoncewasabirdandamouseanda
sausagethatlivedinahousetogether.Andyougo,"Okay...Goon..."

[audiencelaughter]

You'rewillingtobelievethatafowlandafoodproductcancohabitate[garbled].Andthat'sfine,butyouhave
tostayconsistentwiththoserulesafterthat.

YourememberourkeyimageinthefirstfewyearsofwritingonMonstersIncorporated,theyalwayshadthis
emotionaltouchstoneatthecentreoftheirstory.Whichwasgreat,butwestillcouldnotgetthefilmtowork
right,atthebeginning,likethemajorstructureofit.Anditwasn'tuntilweaddedthis:Scream,theirchild
producedfossilfuel.Nowthestorybegantohavemomentum,consequence,andtension.Itdidn'tdirectly

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 18/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

createtheseelements,butitcorralledeverythingemotionalandgaveitparameterstoworkwithin.

Itwasalogicalresourceoftheirworlditdictatedhowtheircitieswerebuilt,howtheirjobswereperformed,
whyamonsterwouldbecomepowerhungryandgreedy,andhowamonstercouldaccidentallybe
insensitivetoachildbeingscared.

Thenextbigmistakewastheglasses.WithanearlyversionofScully,hewasaformerscarerwhohadan
industrialaccident.Hehadbeentrappedinabedroomandactuallywitnessedtheaftermathofoneofhis
scaresandsawhowachildcriesandtheparentshadtotakecareofhim.Andthenheneverwantedto
scareagain,andhewasembarrassedaboutthat.Sohemadeupanexcusethathewasexposedfortoo
longtoatoxicchildandnearlyblinded.Andtheglasseswereafrontandametaphorforhisfearofscaring
children.

[44:03]

Well,itwasjusttoocomplicated,likeitwasmetryingtoexplaintoyourightnow.Andtheideawasreallyit
wasgeneratedfromamisguidedbeliefandafearthatwethoughtnobody'sgoingtolikeamaincharacter
thatscareskids.Andthat'sreallywherethatideawasbornfrom.Butwerealiseditwasjusttakingusaway
fromthiskid/monsterrelationshiptoomuchitwastoomuchsacrificegoingon.

SowefoundanewwaytomakeScully'sscaringchildrenacceptabletotheaudience:wenevershowedhim
doingit.Wewouldshowhimgobehindthedoor,you'dheararoar,comebackout.Andwenevershowedit
untiltheonetimewewantedittobedistasteful.So,it'samazingwhenyouputyourselfinacornerwhat
you'llcomeupwith.

Ok.Bythistime,Ifindmyselfstartingtousethismetaphorallthetime,thatstillholdstrueforme,atleast.
I'vecometobelievethataperfectmetaphorforcreatingstoriesisanarchaeologicaldig:Youpickasite
whereyoubelieveyourstoryisburied,andyoudig.Andyouuncoverafewbones.Andfromthosefew
artefactsyouextrapolatewhatkindofstoryyou'veuncovered.Butthenyoufindacoupleotherbones,and
you'reforcedtorethinkwhatyouhave.Andyouhopefullyhavethegutstothrowoutallyourpreviouswork
andrecognisethetruthofwhatyouactuallyhave.Andifyoukeepdigginghardenough,atsomepointthe
storytellsyouwhatitwantstobe.

So,we'regoingtogoontomymostpersonalstorywounds,whichisFindingNemo.ThisisthefirsttimeI

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 19/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

hadtowriteoutsideofthesamegangofguysthatI'dalwaysworkedwith.Anditwasalittlescary.Ihadread
somewherethatallcreativeendeavoursareexercisesinclosingthegapbetweenintentionandeffect.AndI
knewI'dhavetohavestrongintentionstosurvivegoingoutonmyownwithoutthegang.

SoIchoseavery,verypersonalsubjectthatIhaddeepfeelingsabout,andironicallyitfilledthegap
betweenintentionandeffectoffatherhood:IhadissueswithmyDad,andworriedaboutcreatingissueswith
myson.

Manyjournalistshaveaskedmethequestion:WouldNemohaveworkedaswellin2D?Andmyresponseis
always:Ican'tanswerthat.IthoughtofNemobecauseofthemedium.Withoutmyknowledgeof3Ditwould
haveneverbeenborn.Anygoodstorytellerisgonnamakesurethattheirstoryandthemediumtheychoose
totellitincomplementoneanother.

ForNemo,itwasparamountformethatwepaycloserattentiontorealitythaneverbefore.Ireadthisquote
recentlyinanarticle,[garbled]interpretiveandnotrealistic.AndIreallyagreewithit.There'ssomething
aboutanimationbecauseit'sbasedinexaggerationandcaricaturethatcompelsustotellstoriesthatarea
littlelargerthan[garbled].Havingsaidthat,therearemanyshadestoworkinwhencreatingaheightened
reality.

[46:43]

ForNemoIknewwehadtoplayclosertotherealitysidethaneverbefore.Soforme,thewaterhadtobe
asbelievableaspossible.Likethisvideoofwater.Butwethenhitabigoh,I'msorry,that'sourcomputer
createdwater.Thisistheactualfootagewe[garbled]reference.

Soyoucansee,indoingourresearchanddevelopmentforNemowecameacrossaproblemthatwe'd
neverencounteredbefore:Wemadewaterthatlookedsoreal,weknewnobodywouldbelievewe'ddoneit.
Sowehadtopullback,andmakeiteversocaricatured,orwhatweliketocall'hyperrealistic.'Andwhyare
westrivingforrealismwithwater?Whatdoesthishavetodowithstorytelling?

Well,eventhoughtheseweretalkingfishwitheyeballsswimmingaround,Ifeltthephysicshadtobe
absolutelyaccurateforthestorytosucceed.Therewouldbeverylittledramaifyoudidn'tbelievethatthe
oceanandalltheperilsthatareassociatedwithittrulyexisted.

LikeToyStory,there'snovillain.AndinFindingNemothere'snovillain.SidandDarlaareobstacles.There
arenopersonalagendasoftheirstothwartthegoalsofourmaincharacters.They'rejustdoingtheirdaily
routinesandgettingintheway.TheoceanistheantagonistofNemo,andtherepresentationoflifeandall
itsfears,theverythingMarlinhastobattletoovercometoemotionallyconnectwithhissonagain,notjust
physically.

I'malsoonaminicrusadebeseechingallofyoutojustsaynotoflashbacks.FindingNemooriginallyhad
flashbacksthroughout.AndIhadreadineverybookandallthelectures,"Don'teverdoflashbacks."Isaid,
"Yeahyeahyeah,butI'llbedifferent."

Andtheopeningtragedythatyouknow,atthebeginningofthefilm,wasn'tthere.Itwasn'ttoldupfront,

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 20/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

originally.Itwasdoledoutinpiecesthroughoutthestory.Wehadonelittleflashbackattheverybeginning,
whichwasMarlin'sfirstviewofhiswifeCoralbeforetheymarried.Andweseehowtheymet.Then,alittle
laterintoActOne,wehadthesecondonewherethehappynewlywedsaremovingintotheirnewanemone
homeandwatchingtheirviewofthemoonfromabove.AndlaterintoActTwotheywerewatchinganervous
fathertrytobetrytohelpCoralmomentsbeforeshe'sgoingtogivebirthtotheeggs.

AlittledeeperintoActTwo,thenwegotohundredsoffisheggsquiveringintheirsleepinacosygrottoas
theirproudparentswatchthemdream.AndthenwegetintoActThreeandthere'stheattackbythe
barracudathattakesMarlin'sfamilyandleavesonlyNemo.

Andthelastrevealingflashbackwasplayedoutduringthefishingnetsequenceattheend,andweintercut
betweenthenetgoingdownandthistragicthinghappening.Anditwascool.Itwasverycinematicandit
wasaninterestingwaytowatchthefilm.

Oneoftheunfortunatebyproductswasthatyoudidn'tlikeMarlin.Youneverrelatedtohisoverprotective,
fearfulnatureatthebeginningofthemoviebecauseyoudidn'tunderstandwhereitcamefrom,because
youdidn'tknowthatinformationuntiltheveryendofthemovie.

Sofinally,afteryearsofbadgering,mypeersfinallyconvincedmetocondensethestorythebackstory
tojustthedayofthetragedyandtellthebeginningatthebeginning.AndBOOM!Yousuddenlycaredabout
Marlin.Ididn'thavetochangeanylines,Ididn'thavetochangeanyreadings.Hesuddenlywasn'tannoying
anymore.Hewassomebodyyouempathizedwithit'sbacktothesameproblemwehadwithhowdoyou
likeyourmaincharacteronToyStory.D'uh.

So,anotherinterestingelementofstoryonNemowasmusic.Nemowasinconstantinthreatofbecoming
anABCafterschoolspecial.Andthat'sbecausetheissueofthefatherandsonwassodirectitcouldeasily
havebecomesappyandtreacly.Andonecrucialelementthatalwaysmanagedtoalwaysanchoritwas
music.Ithelpedanchortheintegrityofthefilm.

[50:24]

Andnotjustmusicbutmusicasacharacter.IhadthecomposerThomasNewmaninmindfromthevery
conceptionofthisfilm.Iknewthathismusicwouldbesoimportant,itwouldhavetopracticallybe
consideredoneofthemovie'smaincharacters:oneofthelegsofthetable.Forme,Tom'smusicwas,I
wouldsay,thekeeperoftheemotionaltruth.

Music'snotjustspecialtoNemoit'soneofthemostpowerfultoolsinanyfilmmaker'stoolboxandshouldn't
beonlyconsideredattheendofproduction.I'mkindofageekinthissense.Ihavetohavemusicplaying
whenIwrite.IevenmakefakesoundtracksofwhatIthinktheendresultwillbe,justsothatIcansortof
projectmyselftowhatI'mseeinginmyheadandIcandictatethatcinemainmyhead.

Itwasevenreferenceddirectlyinthescriptattimes.Sotoshowyouhoweffectiveitcanbeatdirectingyour
emotionalfocus,I'mgonnaplayyouaclipfromNemowithoutthescorefirst...

[clipfromNemo,firstwithoutmusictrackthenwithmusic]

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 21/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

NIGEL
Nemo!Where'sNemo?Igottaspeakwithhim.

NEMO
What?Whatisit?

NIGEL
Yourdad'sbeenfightingtheentireoceanlookingforyou.

NEMO
Myfather?Really?

NIGEL
Ohyeah.He'stravelledhundredsofmiles.He'sbeenbattlingsharksandjellyfishandallsortsof

NEMO
Sharks?Thatcan'tbehim.

NIGEL
Areyousure?Whatwashisname?Somesortofsportfishorsomething:tuna,uh,trout

NEMO
Marlin?

NIGEL
That'sit!Marlin!Thelittleclownfishfromthereef.

NEMO
It'smydad!Hetookonashark!

NIGEL
Iheardhetookonthree.

DEB/BLOAT/GURGLE
Three!?

GILL
Threesharks!?

BLOAT
That'sgottabefortyeighthundredteeth!

NIGEL
Yousee,kid,afteryouweretakenbydiverDanoverthere,yourdadfollowedtheboatyouwereonlikea
maniac.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 22/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

NEMO
Really?

NIGEL
He'sswimmingandhe'sswimmingandhe'sgivingitallhe'sgotandthenthreegiganticsharkscapture
himandheblowsthemup!Andthendivesthousandsoffeetandgetschasedbyamonsterwithhuge
teeth!Hetiesthisdemontoarockandwhatdoeshegetforareward?Hegetstobattleanentirejellyfish
forest!Andnowhe'sridingwithabunchofseaturtlesontheEastAustralianCurrentandthewordishe's
headedthiswayrightnow,toSydney!

BLOAT
Wow!Hahaha!

DEB
Oh,whatagooddaddy!

GILL
Hewaslookin'foryouafterall,Sharkbait.

[endclipsaudienceapplause]

NowyourememberearlierinthekeynoteIsaidI'delaboratemoreonaudienceparticipationandtheir
unconsciousdesiretoworkfortheirentertainment.WellinNemo,oneofmycowriters,BobPetersonandI,
wouldanalysethisissueatgreatlengths.Weendedupwithwhatweliketocall'Theunifyingtheoryoftwo
plustwo.'AndwhatImeanisthatgoodstorytellingnevergivesyoufour,itgivesyoutwoplustwo.

Ifyouconstructyourstorycorrectlyitcompelstheaudiencetoconcludetheanswerisfour.Thisworksfor
everyaspectoffilmmakingdowntoamolecularlevel.Mostobviouslyitworkswitheditingofcourseyou
knowtheEisensteinwheretheyshowtheface,thentheyshowthefood,thentheyshowthesameface,and
theyshowthewoman,andyouinterpretthateitheraslustorashunger.

Butitalsoworksindolingoutplotlines,justlikewesawintheRyan'sDaughterclip.Itworkswithdialogue,
whereyoudon'tsaywhatyouactuallymean.Itworkswithrelationships:howtogetsomething,because
youraddingwhatsomebodysayswithsomebodyelse.

There'sagreatcomedysketchbyMikeNicholsandElaineMay.I'mjustgonnaplaytheverybeginningofit.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 23/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

But...it'sjustamazinghowtwoplustwoworkssoeconomicallyandsoquick...
MAN(ANSWERINGPHONE)
Hello?

ELDERLYWOMAN
Hello,Arthur?Thisisyourmother...Doyourememberme?

[audiencelaughter]

AndwheneverBobandIaretryingtointroducecharacters,wealwayswantedtodoitassmartand
economicalasthatskit.We'dalwayssay,"Itneedtohavethat'It'syourmother,rememberme'getability.
Youjustrightawaygotitlikedoingtwoplustwo.

There'sagreatquoteaboutthisverysubject.
"Ithinkthatforamovieoraplaytosayanythingreallytruthfulaboutlife,ithastodosoveryobliquely,so
astoavoidallpatconclusionsandneatlytiedupideas.Thepointofviewitisconveyinghastobe
completelyentwinedwithasenseoflifeasitis,andhastobegotacrossthroughasubtleinjectioninto
theaudience'sconsciousness.Ideaswhicharevalidandtruthfularesomultifacetedthattheydon'tyield
themselvestofrontalassault.Theideashavetobediscoveredbytheaudience,andtheirthrillinmaking
thediscoverymakesthoseideasallthemorepowerful.Youusetheaudience'sthrillofsurpriseand
discoverytoreinforceyourideas,ratherthanreinforcethemartificiallythroughplotpointsorphony
dramaorphonystagedynamicsputintopowerthemacross."StanleyKubrick,1960.

Inotherwords,don'tletthestringsshow.Moviemakingisallaboutmanipulation,butit'sonlytruly
successfulifyouraudiencehasnoideathatyouweremanipulating.Alwaystrytoworkwithtwoplustwo.

So,I'mgonnaslowlywrapuphere.AllofusatPixarhavelearnedquiteabitmakingthesemovies,buteven
moresoaboutourselvesasastudio.Andeventhoughwe'veneversatdownandmadeanysortofmission
statement,therearecertainphilosophiesthatwe'vecometoadheretoovertheyears.

Oneis:Toughforkids.Weneedtomakethesemoviesforus.Wedon'tsecondguesswhoouraudienceis
orwhattheywant.WhatIalwayssayisthatwe'refilmgoersfirstandfilmmakerssecond.It'sbetterthat
you'reintouchwiththeaudiencepartofyourselfthanthefilmmakerpartofyourself.Theonlyconsideration
thatwemakeiswedon'texcludefiveyearoldsasstudioexecutives.

Theotherthingis:noformulas.SortofthesamethinginToyStory,wesortofwantedtobreakthemold.We
don'twanttomakethesamethingtwice.Ifweweretobestartingtomakeamovietoday,I'dsay,well,I
don'twanttomakeanythingwithwisecrackingwildlifecreaturescrammedwithAlistactorvoicecasting,
becauseit'salreadyananachronismthisyear.

So,whenyouhaveaformulaappearing,don'tdoit,stop.Everyonekeepsdefiningthefrostingandthen
replicatingittodeath,andnooneseemstobetryingtogettherecipetothecake.BradBirdhasagreat
saying,whichis:"Animationisamedium,notagenre."Andit'strue.We'remakingmovies,andwework
hardatmakingthemasoriginalaswecanfromthelastone.Yes,audienceswanttoenjoythemselvesas
muchastheydidonthelastfilm,buttheywanttogetthereinanewwayeverytime.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 24/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

TheCatch22alwaysinentertainmentisthattheaudienceswantthesamesuccessbutdifferent.Andthe
onlywayyoucandothatistobeoriginal,andtheonlywaytobeoriginalistodaretobestupid.Andthat's
onlypossibleifyou'reinsomesortofcreativelysafeenvironmentwhereyou'rewillingtotakerisks.

Look,thetruthisthatatPixarwe'renotthatgoodatgettingitright.Butwe'rereallygoodatbanding
togetherandfixingourmistakes.Andinvariablywediscoversomethingfreshforhavinghadthegutstogo
anddosomethingreallystupidandmakethatmistake.

TentingallofthisisprobablytheonlymantraI'veeverheardsaidbyeverybodyfromthetopdown
throughoutmysixteenyears,whichis:justmakegoodmovies.Thisisalwayspracticallytheultimatesolution
toanyoftheproblems:whatisbestforthemovie.Notwhat'sbestforme,notwhat'sbestforyou,what's
bestforthestudio,what'sbestformycareer.Ifyoudowhatisbestforthemoviethenyouwillmakeabetter
movie,andtheneverybodybenefits.It'seasytofollow,hardtodo.

Finally,IwanttoendonaquotebyWaltDisney.
"Funandwonderaretheimportantelements,inadditiontoqualityinproductionandperformance,which
aremostresponsibleforthesuccessofDisneyproductions.Funinthesenseofcheerfulreaction:the
appealtoloveoflaughter.Wonderinthatweappealtoconstantwonderinmen'sminds,whichis
stimulatedbytheimagination."

Thisistheelementofthatquotethatisthemostoverlookedandtheleastunderstoodbythosetryingto
succeedwithanimation.Idon'tmeanfinanciallyImeanartistically.Ifyoudon'thaveanaturalloveforthis
medium,andaburningdesiretofurthertheartform,thenevenagoodstory'sgoingtoendupbeinghollow.

So,Iwanttothankyouforjoiningmeonmy'journeyofpain.'

[soundeffectofheartmonitorflatlining...]

[59:26extendedaudienceapplause]

[59:54Q&Acommences]

ENDOFTRANSCRIPT.

MysummaryofStanton'skeypointsonstorycrafting:
Storytellingisknowingyourendingandthenbuildingthestorytowardsthatsatisfyingconclusion,likehow
ajokebuildstowardsthepunchline.
Theaudiencemustlike(empathizewith)themaincharacter,butthisdoesnotmeanthemaincharacter
mustbeaniceperson.
OpposingGoals,or'unityofopposites':Setupdirectlyopposingdesiresbetweenthemaincharacters
(protag/antag).
Bewrongasfastasyoucan,andperseverethroughthestorycraftingprocess:writingisrewriting.
StoryPhysics:Findthetruthinyourstoryanddebateit,trytoproveitwrong.
http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 25/26
3/8/2016 RageAgainstThePage:AndrewStanton(PIXAR)transcript

FindyourKeyImage:thetouchstonethatepitomizestheemotionalcoreofyourstoryandkeepsyouon
track.
EnsuretherearepowerfulreasonswhytheProtagonistcannotsimplywalkawayfromtheProblem.
Theaudiencewantstoknowthattheywererightintheirassumptionsaboutthecharacters,butalsothey
wanttobesurprised.Theywanttodiscoverthereismorethanmeetstheeye.
Storiesareaboutcaringandworryingaboutthecharacters.Thestoryworldmustfollowit'sownrulesif
anythingcanhappenatanytimethentheaudiencehasnoreasontocareorworry.
Storyisanticipationmingledwithuncertainty.
TheUnifyingTheoryofTwoPlusTwo:Don'tgivetheaudiencetheanswergivetheaudiencethepieces
andcompelthemtoconcludetheanswer.Audienceshaveanunconsciousdesiretoworkfortheir
entertainment.Theyarerewardedwithasenseofthrillanddelightwhentheyfindtheanswers
themselves.
Appealtotheaudience'ssenseoffunandwonder:funinlaughterandacheerfulreactionwonderinthe
stimulationoftheaudience'simagination.

http://rageagainstthepage.blogspot.pe/2008/12/andrewstantonpixartranscriptkeynote.html 26/26