After the success of Star Wars, George Lucas became
interested in using computer graphics for the follow-up film, The Empire Strikes Back. While the cost
was prohibitive at the time, what he saw in the early examples of computer
effects used in the 1973 movie Westworld
and its sequel, he understood that it was still possible, so he decided to
create his own graphic department. Therefore, a search went out to find anyone
who could help the writer/director accomplish this goal. Eventually, in 1979 they
found Ed Catmull, who studied computer graphics at NYIT. He was hired on at
Lucasfilm to teach and lead the newly created The Graphics Group (it would be
renamed Pixar later), a division within Lucasfilm that also included the FX
company Industrial Light and Magic. While Catmull had the knowledge to help
Lucas out, he had never managed a team before. One of his first road blocks was
the film editor crew, who not only resisted any type of change, but did not
believe the computer would be able to do anything more than what they were
already doing. He realized then that a transformative idea, no matter how good,
would be useless unless the people who had to implement the change fully
embraced the concept.
The Graphic Group's first attempt to
create a fully computer generated image story was the 1984 short film The Adventures of André and Wally B.
However, several structural issues stymied the production team and no one
seemed to know how to solve them. It was not until Catmull hired John Lasseter
–let go at Walt Disney Animation for thinking outside the box- who would help transform
the team at Lucasfilm. Lasseter, with his never waning energy and his open
enthusiasms about the future of animation (like Catmull, he wanted to make a
film made on computer) brought the one missing link that could prevent a fully
CGI movie being made -its lack of expressive tension. By adding a second
character to the main one, this changed the dynamic of the short and introduced
what all films truly need to connect to an audience –emotion. It became clear at
this early stage to Catmull then, his dream of a fully CGI movie was now within
reach, if only because they overcame its biggest obstacle -using the same tool
live action films have done for a hundred years: make people care about the
characters. This emotional arc is the one main narrative device that would play
out through all of Pixar’s films in the future, which is probably why they have
been so successful (but I also believe that character driven films are more
rewarding than plot driven ones).
Still, even after the shorts
creative success, Lucas admitted he was not interested in making a fully
computer animated movie –this new format was only supposed to be a mere tool to
enhance live-action. A noted example of what he meant was the 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes, which became the
first film to include a fully photorealistic animated character -a knight
composed of elements from a stained glass window. So in 1986 he spun it off the
renamed Pixar to the legendary Steve Jobs -who was between careers at that
time, having been let go from Apple and was still working on NeXT. While Jobs provided the capital, Catmull faced his first real
dilemma while working with him. Lucas was always somewhat hands-off boss; he
seemed to understand that talent did not need constant attention and understood
that creative people need space to create. But Steve Jobs was someone
completely different. "When I don't see eye to eye with somebody,"
Jobs had told him, "I just take the time to explain it better, so they
understand the way it should be." That philosophy is great, in some ways,
but in a business world where ego and rules of engagement are paramount, Jobs
was a thorn in many peoples side (that he was proved right on most things
showed what a revolutionary mind he truly had). Now Catmull had to deal with
him directly and he wondered how he was going to deal with a man who might
fight him on anything and everything Pixar was bound to do towards the future
road that would lead to Toy Story.
Of course, ultimately Jobs backed
down if only because Catmull eventually understood how to work with him, along
with his wide personality. Sure, it would take time, but as he writes,
"Steve had a remarkable knack for letting go of things that didn't work.
If you were in an argument with him, and you convinced him that you were right,
he would instantly change his mind." As an example, Jobs wanted to be
heavily involved with the direction of the animation studio then, but he came
to the realization that while he knew many things on many subjects, he was not,
in the end, a filmmaker. What Catmull needed was his innate abilities and
shrewd business sense and when he came to that conclusion, he became Pixar's
biggest supporter when negotiations began with Disney that would lead to Toy
Story’s release in 1995 and everything
beyond.
While the success of Toy Story
marked a turning point in film animation, Catmull realized there was a serious
problem lurking within Pixar, something he had never seen before. When it came
to begin work on A Bug’s Life, he was astounded to find that the
production managers were not lining up to come back, as the battle lines
between them and the artists and technicians had been drawn (no pun intended). Moreover,
it came down to one simple fact - that the bean counters, while doing their
jobs, were impeding good filmmaking. However, no one, not one artist or manager,
came to Catmull to explain this during the chaotic atmosphere that existed when
making Toy Story. Moreover, this type of mentality exists in almost
every company because people fear that their constructive criticism is an attack
on someone's ability more than on a reason for the teams disconnect. Therefore,
he implemented an open door policy that said anyone should and could be able to
talk to anyone else, anytime without fear of reprimand and reprisals. A very
candor policy that, while a great theory for many companies, is never successful
because no one actually thinks it can work. Nevertheless, it did and it
successfully changed the culture within Pixar.
There are many bumps along the way
as the animation company grows; new issues are addressed, and they face many
new challenges that include the acquisition of the company by Disney in 2006
and the death of Steve Jobs in 2011. At the core though is the belief that employees
will work hard for you if you allow them a proper culture in which to
accomplish goals. That upper management needs to allow everyone to rock the
boat occasionally, to have a voice (because you can treat your employees like servants,
they will love you, tell them they are servants, and they will rebel).
What Catmull suggests -how candor
and transparency might help all sorts of businesses- is broadly painted here,
but I like the idea that (especially) being candid with all folks within a
company, including the upper management, which can be the key to a more
productive company. I mean, living off the wits of your staff in not called
leadership.
