Pixar has been breaking technical barriers since it was founded in 1986. But talk to any of their top filmmakers and they’ll tell you that a focus on story and characters has been the true key to the studio’s success. Now, storytellers looking to improve their craft have a chance to learn from the masters. As TechCrunch reports, Pixar has teamed up with the online education service Khan Academy to release a six-part free course titled “The Art of Storytelling.”
The course marks the third season of Khan Academy’s “Pixar in a Box” series, following previous lessons on subjects like color science, virtual cameras, and character modeling. In this class, remote students will receive lessons from some of the brightest minds to work for Pixar. They include Brave (2012) screenwriter and director Mark Andrews; Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Monsters, Inc. (2001) director Pete Docter; and “Sanjay’s Super Team” director and Ratatouille (2007) animator Sanjay Patel.
The first lesson provides an introduction to storytelling complete with videos and activities to coach you through each section. Lessons on character building, storyboarding, emotional appeal, and more will roll out on Khan Academy throughout the year. You can watch a teaser for the course below.
[h/t TechCrunch]
February 17, 2017 – 11:30am