Pixar's big dreamers

Finally I learnt to sit down to devour a thick book called 'To infinity and beyond: The story of Pixar Animation Studios', a biography of the growing power (at its zenith). If you're interested in the success story of the company, it's a good read.

Hitting the 72 page mark just before jumping to a major milestone, namely their first feature length film 'Toy Story', what's covered before gives a good history of the core founders at Pixar. You, or I, realize the early talents are interconnected in a full circle of creative power. Before the famous John Lasseter, the prototype of Pixar was just a computer division at Lucasfilm. George Lucas has been kind to this division that focuses on special film effects but didn't have the extra bucks to stretch its full potential. Later on came Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apples Inc.) who bought Pixar from Lucasfilm and threw faith/money in it for 10 years before seeing profits. Then hopping on board is the true believer of character animation John Lasseter who acted like a boisterous user interface that binds technology and art in a creative marriage. It's a touching story of coincidences, opportunities and most importantly, hanging onto your dream when things are striking out. To simplify matters, I would say Ed Catmull is the technology, Steve Jobs the money, and John Lasseter the art. None without the other.

I was kidding YY if she'd work for Pixar. Her reluctance was instantaneous but I guess there's a misunderstanding. Software or hardware engineers are not underated compared to pencil holding artists. For a start, Ed Catmull is a computer geek. If not for 3D rendering tools, the studio won't have existed. They have a solid R&D division and a patented working system based on their own research. Isn't that appealing!

Here's a story from the book that makes you realize Wall-E won't be there if not for a twitch of fate tens of years ago.(ie, if Andrew Stanton quit animation industry before John's offer)No Stanton, no Wall-E. There're countless hypothesis if fate goes the other way. Say, if Lasseter goes back to Disney (although he does now but would be totally different then). Maybe Pixar would stay as a small company of 50 people till the day they go down and down. There might be another brilliant studio rising along the way. Pure randomness. The crucial part is, they are visionaries who persevered.

Urgh, I didn't realize there's an icon for blockquote; or the html code for blockquote is blockquote.

As it turned out, Lasseter couldn't have called at a better time. Stanton had been trying to find steady work as an animator, but found himself unable to break out of the in-betweening or assisting ranks.' I got turned down at Disney three times over the course of three years; never got in for any opening for any kind of job that I wanted. My friends would give me a call or recommend me if their companies had work, and I'd get in, but I'd never get in at their level; it was always a more junior position. My short films were the one thing that gave me some sort of an identity, because outside of that I was just another penciller, a number in the industry, and not a great one at that.' The realization that he was in danger of being permanently pigeonholed was slowing crushing his spirit, and he said, he had even begun to consider leaving animation altogether.

'When John hired me, I told him, 'I don't know how to use the computer.'But he told me that he wasn't hiring me for my technical skills. He said, 'I want you because you have something in your short films that really appeals to me.' He was hiring me for me, for my sensibilities. That has made me give 200 to 500 percent ever since I stepped into this door and made me faithful until the day I die. Because it not only saved my potential career, it invigorated me as an artist; it made me believe in myself. I don't know that I ever believed in myself to the level that I did once I got in here because of that opportunity.;

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Coldplay的新专辑不错，推荐一下。

很喜欢伴都美子翻唱的青春の影(下载)，本以为是唱消逝光年的，看歌词又不然。我日文太烂看不懂，不过理解偏差不大的话这是说曾经能在一起的恋人最后离开了，道路漫长还要继续走这个意思吗？啊，又一首哀怨歌=.=

1974年的原唱，曾经是那一代人的青春呢，这么想还蛮怀旧的。喜欢上这样的歌的自己感觉像个老头。


青春の影
作詞・作曲：財津和夫

君の心へ続く長い一本道は
いつも僕を勇気づけた
とてもとてもけわしく細い道だったけど
今君を迎えにゆこう

自分の大きな夢を追うことが
今までの僕の仕事だったけど
君を幸せにするそれこそが
これからの僕の生きるしるし

愛を知ったために涙がはこばれて
君のひとみをこぼれた時
恋のよろこびは愛のきびしさへの
かけはしにすぎないと

ただ風の中にたたずんで
君はやがて見つけていった
ただ風に涙をあずけて
君は女になっていった

君の家へ続くあの道を
今足もとにたしかめて
今日から君はただの女
今日から僕はただの男