The Pixar Power – The Gold of Story
A Few Aspects of Consideration To Level Up Your Story Game
Ideas With Infinite Potentiality
The gold of story ideas abound with a natural order force vibration of good feels in terms of the mother lodes of creative imaginings when it comes to Pixar films.
Relatable ideas that offer many levels of clear narrative and dramatic options are easily developed and universally accessible to audiences.
Being able to recognize and develop strong, engaging ideas which are infused with powerful and intrinsic emotional weight, imaginative set pieces, visual richness and originality in scenes IS the Pixar thrive.
The people who generate their ideas within the Pixar outfit lend themselves to generating ideas that are synonymous with tremendous physical and emotional stakes which make them immediately enticing and accessible to their fellow humanity.
Even the real life story of the polarity of Pixar’s long-standing leader Lasseter is not immune to one’s own governance and challenges of the poles of being human.
It is a refreshing feel to know that no matter the content of one’s own story, the plot, the script and the character’s can all be chosen deliberately and for a yielding of success or a yielding of one’s demise.
The iconic and formidable Brad Bird demonstrates his ginger gene acumen in the implementations of sovereign aligned energy of which he leads his movies.
Most notably the one that comes to mind is the sweet vibe of The Incredibles.
We as humans have incredible aspects to ourselves that align with the natural force order of things and that can compel the energy of the supernatural.
The character’s and plot of the Incredibles was a genius display of our human mutuality in terms of our capacities of what we are really capable of. Every human is equipped with infinite intelligence and the manner in which they propel their own aptitude of growth determines their trajectory of success.
The Incredibles proves a great inspiration to the naturalness of the human Spirit.
The entirety of the film proves a fundamental inspiration to the naturalness and compelling of lifeforce and it is presented in a humorous, dynamic and all encompassing engagement to the human sensory experience.
The original could stand alone and be iconic, the sequels are a beautiful example of how infinite curiosity and potentiality are available to expand our created worlds as we see fit. As well as have the curiosity, gusto and dial in to be able to bring it into materialization.
There are a myriad of men and women in the Pixar outfit who compel their energy towards the cultivation and creation of dynamic storytelling.
This exposition of one’s’ own creativity brought to life is synonymous with the creatively of one’s own capacities in their own lives.
Visual storytelling is intrinsic to the human condition and when a good story is compelled then the opportunities are infinite in potential as to what can be yielded to impact to a thrive, or as Lasseter has demonstrated, to one’s dive.
It does well for one to be mindful about that which they get quite comfortable within, and if it is, indeed, aligned with the natural highest order of things.
Leaving the Comfort Zone of Comfortable Storytelling
Most successful and appealing stories revolve around a character having to struggle outside of their comfort zone of their regular MO.
Pixar figures out what a protagonist wants the most with their heart and then throws the exact opposite at them. It is this state of discomfort and dissonance that is gold for creating narrative and emotional scenes.
It enables a breadth of curiosity and inquiry to be generated from purposefully heaving a character out of their own guidance of comfort.
This engages the universally understood and unconditional state that is the emotional body and journey of a human being.
A Character and World that Vie For Adventure – An Existing Flaw – A Problem to Be Solved
An uncomfortable character has motivation to return to their zone of comfort in which this desire of theirs propel actions, emotions and decisions that enable an exploration of a myriad of narrative possibilities.
Creating discomfort is more than just bad luck or a worst-case scenario.
it is a catalyst that our hero must react to and deal with, and in the best storytelling, grow, expand and change as a result.
Discomfort need not always be combative or rooted in conflict.
It can be sourced in love and create challenges of the heart.
In order to truly disturb a character you must create a fear of weakness that can be tapped into. This kind of existing problem in a protagonists world is fodder for expanded and propulsion oriented visual storytelling.
Pixar Films Kill It In This Respect.
They craft their stories in such a manner as they create an existing flaw and then craft a story that pushes it to the extreme.
The more a plot and the character flaw work in tandem, the higher the emotional impact and stakes and thus, the interest of the humans who are watching it.
Pixar’s films find the heart of their stories and then never deviate from it.
Once they have established the emotional core – the Flaw and the plot that infringes upon it, they ensure every character and developmental aspect of their film are closely connected to this narrative undertow.
Evolving stories out of their core idea and treating it as a seed that sprouts into a story, letting it grow and develop from this essence.
Uncomfortable character’s are appealing to all because all humans in their lives are on some level uncomfortable in themselves in one form or another.
When we reconcile the journeys and experiences of created character’s with whom our humanity finds mutuality, it makes for very popular and engaging visual storytelling.
The universal human vibe amongst all is that once we are taken out of the comfort of our regular existence, we need to reconcile these circumstances with who we are, what we have lost, where we are headed, and how we are going to deal with it as it all unfolds.
This natural desire in our universal humanity creates scenes and conflicts for character’s and the story.
Watching these character’s within our natural empathetic human qualities is the fundamental appeal of the Pixar vibes story dial in.
it is a great thrive and proves successful across the board.
Creating Compelling Characters
`With a strong story idea in play the next dial in is getting to know your character’s.
Strong, unique and autonomous character’s are the secret to any movie’s fundamental success.
No matter the content of the story that drives forward, the events and circumstances are occurring in someone’s life and that someone better be interesting and invested in the world within and around them.
The Pixar character’s are very successful given how unforgettable they are.
They seem to have characteristics that are one of a kind like Edna from the Incredibles, BuzzLight Year from Toy Story or amnesiac Dory from Finding Nemo.
They are all very much their own character’s and have a unique design that exemplify their individual attributes and specific traits.
This attention to detail in crafting the authenticity of these character’s are the key to making them engaging and entertaining. To compel an audience to their favour and interest, they must be endowed with a deep passion for something, anything.
Your audience will care because these character’s care.
Strong caring comes from having a strong Spirit which is usually expressed with strong opinions.
A character cannot run away from who they are so the duty and diplomacy and governing of the establishment and creation of your character’s is pivotal to the fundamental emotional tone you set in your story dynamics.
Pixar manages this task, what seems like, effortlessly.
Even the Incredibles are all incredible yet they all autonomously have different ideas about what it means to be Incredible.
The story and narrative opportunities from the autonomy of individuals in a cohesive structure makes for ample content creation for entertainment value.
Strong opinions come from drawn conclusions of one’s own life experience,
Strong character’s are shaped with pasts that are ripe with conflict, tension, even abuse and trauma. The shaping of one’s character is directly relative to the experiences one undergoes in their journeyed experiences through life.
Providing texture and depth to character’s behaviour can be exposed by their life’s backstory being antagonistic in ways to compel their own actualization forward to renewal and conquering of one’s own mastery.
In some respects a good deal of backstory information can be distilled to your audience in just one line of dialogue.
The choices of exposition you descend upon your character and their experiences shape the relational value that your audience will resonate with.
Pixar uses their flashbacks well because they are usually very entertaining and implemented with an economy and efficiency that proves to enhance and move the story forward.
Pixar uses longer flashbacks almost as their own short films rather than supplementary material for the main plot.
The three dial ins to creating compelling character’s are their emotional care weight they invest, their strong opinions and their experiences.
These aspects of their exposition makes the events in a story more meaningful and dramatic for the character’s, and by extension, your audience.
Creating Empathy
We as humans are naturally a co resonant vibe.
Creating empathy in your stories and character’s is a natural universal feel and proves key to human feels of engagement and understanding.
There are different levels of liking in terms of being a human.
In a high school dynamic the most popular kids tend to be the most attractive and outgoing – this level of liking is based solely on the external traits one expresses and that humans are visually drawn to given their aesthetic popularity.
Another kind of liking are acquaintances that are fun and interesting to be with, who introduce you to new activities or ideas or people you never would have known.
They are entertaining, engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about life or perhaps funny and have great talent in something – this level of engagement goes beyond the aesthetics and engages the person and their character.
You can learn about their world at the same time enjoy positive traits that lend you to requiring more interest and discovery about them beyond their physical appearance.
Another level of liking is when you yourself become emotionally invested and resonant with another and this level can include the shadow aspects of the one whom you are gaining interest in as the relationship becomes more resonant and involved.
When we understand and know someone through engagement and investment into them, we can more easily forgive their trespasses because we know them better and understand where their actions and behaviours are coming from.
Becoming personally invested in the world of someone else to the point that their wins are your wins and their losses are your losses transcends the other levels of liking in their superficial fondness by allowing the character to be fully seen in their proxy.
The character becomes a surrogate for one’s own hopes, fears, dreams and challenges.
This is where empathy is tapped and it is crucial to be established to evoke emotion out of your audience.
The aesthetic value of a character is a good vibe but without any substance, that value can fade fast in terms of engaging visual storytelling.
The more involved liking layer of the human condition requires more details and originality as well as more patience and investment but it creates a stronger bond with your viewers when done so.
Empathy is very powerful natural phenomenon.
Our ability to adopt the point of view and emotional state of another sentient being who is completely different from us except for the base of our shared humanity is a distinct human ability.
When used and implemented wisely the further you take your audience into the heart of someone completely different from their own, the more rewarding and expanded the journey through the story will be.
Empathy is the recognition of ourselves in another by investing in knowing them.
We all are human.
We all create.
We all want things.
When we see a character truly desire something we almost immediately want to stand up next to them and ensure that they get it.
Our own hopes and dreams of acquiring our goals are symbiotic with a character’s own hopes dreams and desires of acquisitions.
To know what a character wants, why they want it and the path of events that determine if they will get it or not creates infinite opportunities to compel empathetic feels in your viewers.
Designing antagonistic character’s in regards to this human phenomenon is a very useful tool too. Being able to equip a character with a state of conditioned moral governance of good or evil, naturally compels the Spirit of LOVE to be present in one’s choices of who they will be rooting for and love is humanity’s most universal energy.
It has reach.
In order for your audience to transcend liking your character’s to empathizing with them, creating rich, autonomous and strong spirited character’s is key.
Through the process of evolution and discovery you must dole out the idiosyncrasies o f your fictional creations while highlighting what is relatable, human and universal about them.
One of the most fundamental human and universal conditions is DESIRE.
Giving you character(s) a crueler goal and a strong motivation behind it will enable your audience to empathize with your character even if and when their actions are morally questionable.
While pursuing their goals the character’s should be bold and determined, bravely battling their own self-doubt and not giving up until they have done everything imaginable to achieve their end result
Drama and Conflict
Peace is the natural order of life but films cannot thrive in a neutral peaceful balance so it becomes common knowledge that films thrive on conflict.
Conflict can appear as a vague concept which lends itself to misleading interpretations.
Conflict Is Quite Comprehensive.
One way to define it would be to denote it as obstacles that stand between your protagonist and their goal.
The more unique, layered and original these obstacles are, the more your story can stand out and satisfy your audience.
Pixar, again, kills it in terms of their films implementations of drama and conflict.
Pixar engages moments of physical, life or death moments in practically all of their films.
Fighting for one’s life is the biggest conflict a character can face, as death is by its definition, an insurmountable obstacle to any and all goals a character may have.
Writers use this especially when depicting dangerous worlds.
Creating opportunities for life threatening situations is very useful, but also just a starting point.
Death is an obstacle to all human goals, but merely living a mundane life is a pretty dull goal in itself when no drama or conflict are in play for the Expositional growth of your character.
Based on the goals and values you have delineated for your protagonist, there are infinite conflicts that can be explored and implemented.
Another manner to define conflict in your visual stories is creating a dynamic where two opposite forces struggle with each other.
This creates a built in buried question throughout the events of who will end up being the victor?
This can be useful not only for external conflicts but inward character conflicts that need a yielding of resolution too.
Strong opinions, as stated earlier are a great fuel for drama and conflict.
Once a character cares very deeply about something you can create powerful emotional conflict surrounding their emotional investment.
Emotions are universal to all humanity and are yielded in the Unconscious life creative state.
Having a character of which your audience has a deeper understanding and emotional resonance with requires the storyteller to explain/expose the emotional constitution that enables your character to have cultivated his/her strong opinions.
Highlighting two strong character’s who have opposing strong opinions is a storyteller’s playground in terms of creative potentials.
Conflict evolves by way of something your character’s stand to lose.
This is where the use of your character’s opinions come in. When they stand to lose something that each one cares about, has a strong opion about, there you have your conflict.
The PIxar Thrive Makes The Stakes Larger Than Life
Pixar films deal in extremities. No matter what the stakes are, the Pixar thrive will amplify them as much as possible.
Making the stakes of a character’s motivation larger than life make the visual storytelling enjoyable to an audience because people unconsciously thrive off of conflict.
Characters always have the opportunity of two poles.
Destruction or construction.
Two opposing forces will engage each one to an outcome.
This is true to all humans as well which is where the mutuality is found in terms of how invested your audience becomes in your character’s own personal narrative.
Pixar films often depict dangerous worlds and life and death situations which proves to have a deep emotional impact upon their audience.
This is achieved thorough compelling character development and strong inner and outer conflicts that move the story and evolution of its character’s forward.
The extremes that are gone too in terms of a character’s struggle depicts the fundamental meaning and fabric of the character’s plight.
At Pixar, it is done masterfully and with great attention to the details and richness of being human.
Endings Expositions and Resolutions
Crafting satisfying endings can prove to be a visual storytelling challenge from a written script.
A good ending must make complete sense but lack in predictability.
If it gives off the feels of coming off as surprise but also justifies and elucidates the journey having led up to it, then a successful ending there you have.
The final action must Be a direct result of the journey taken.
One way to craft a good ending is to answer a question the audience has forgotten or had not even thought about but should have.
Planting a seed and then having it pay off at the end can offer your audience a sense of cohesiveness thereby strengthening the meaning of your ending.
Audiences love to see the character arc of change in the main protagonist and creates a more satisfying feel when it comes with a ripple effect of impact.
In Pixar films the resolutions to the created drama and conflict often resolve with the creation of a better world about the character as a result of his/her change.
The most impactful endings are fraught with visual impact as well as emotional and psychological engagement.
Pixar dials in all its movies, long and short with a fine esteem of the visual language and tools at their disposal.
They Are Masters Of Their Story Craft And It Is Always Well To Do To Study From The Masters.
