Beware of being blinded by your own success.
Edwin CatmullRead
We encourage our people to build their ideas from scratch, and we give them the resources - and, crucially, the candid feedback - that are required to transform the first wisps of a story into a truly compelling film.
Interpretation
Encouraging creativity and providing essential support leads to great storytelling in film.
This quote emphasizes the importance of nurturing creativity and innovation within a team. By empowering individuals to develop their ideas from the ground up, and by providing them with both the resources and honest feedback, it is possible to refine raw concepts into excellent works of art, particularly in the context of filmmaking. The collaborative atmosphere fosters growth and success, illustrating how guidance and support are vital in the creative process.
In practice
In a workshop on filmmaking, this quote can be used to inspire budding filmmakers.
Beware of being blinded by your own success.
I started off life at Pixar with interesting technical problems. But as time has moved on, I found that the social and management problem was far more complex and interesting.
We need business leaders who have a respect for technical issues even if they don't have technical backgrounds. In a lot of U.S. industries, including cars and even computers, many managers don't think of technology as a core competency, and this attitude leads them to farm out technical issues.
A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms. Our decision-making is better when we draw on the collective knowledge and unvarnished opinions of the group.
It is only by trying new things that we can hope to create products that are original. Don't just say those words; act like you believe them.
The trick is, in everything we do, there are things we love. And sometimes the things we love get us stuck. And it's only if we let go of some of those things that we free the movie up to become greater.
It's always been difficult to make a good record. To be perfectly honest with you, it's really about the person that's pushing the buttons. No matter what type of equipment you have, you still have to have a certain talent to be able to make a good record.
As a songwriter, if you can touch people and make them feel a little less alone in the world, then you've done your job.
There's a difference between ad-libbing and improvising. And there's a difference between not knowing what to do and just saying something. Or making choices as an actor. As a writer also, as a person who's making a film, as a cameraman, everything is a choice. And it seems to me I don't really have to direct anyone or write down that somebody's getting drunk; all I have to do is say that there's a bottle there and put a bottle there and then they're going to get drunk.
Far from being dead, physical media has years of life left and must be preserved because there is no better alternative.
Ecstasy is not really part of the scene we can do on celluloid.
I doubt that I could create a character I loathed simply because when a character takes life, it is impossible not to be a little amazed by the phenomenon, and to find that the amazement has something of the quality of delight.
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