'Finding Dory' Filmmakers Discuss the 'Pixar Rules'
With the highly anticipated and, so far, well-reviewed Pixar film Finding Dory coming to theaters Friday, Yahoo Movies had the opportunity to chat with writer-director Andrew Stanton and producer Lindsey Collins. We asked the pair about the “Pixar Rules.” Let me explain. Back in 2012, Emma Coats, a then-storyboard artist for the company, tweeted some lessons about storytelling she had learned there. We have them listed below if you want to take a gander.
Stanton, who wrote screenplays for Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., WALL-E, and Finding Nemo, said they aren’t exactly firm-and-fast rules; they’re something else. “I think the biggest trap is to think the rules are actually rules,” he told SuperFan Movies host Khail Anonymous. “They’re guidelines. And every story is like a different kid — you can’t treat them exactly the same way. You have to start with a method that you know has worked historically but be willing to kind of bend and weave, and that’s the only thing that makes it seem like it’s not a product or a widget from a factory. I try to not get too stuck on the rules. It’s good to know them, but it’s also good to be able to break them.”
Collins, who collaborated with Stanton previously on WALL-E and John Carter, agreed. “The minute we try to make it a kind of pattern or take any lesson from any of our films and apply it to the next one, instantly it doesn’t hold,” she said. “I think [the ‘rules’] are part of the creative process.”
So, there you are. If you follow the guidelines, but also not follow them, you’ll become an award-winning filmmaker.
Speaking of storytelling, why not enjoy Dolph Lundgren reading nursery rhymes as Ivan Drago?
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The “Pixar Rules”:
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about till you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff, but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard — get yours working up front.
Finish your story, and let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world, you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount the first thing that comes to mind. And the second, third, fourth, fifth — get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on — it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best and fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How would you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool.’ What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
