What did Steven Markowski do as the "Story Watchdog" for Wreck-It Ralph?
That's a good one! Steve is an old friend, colleague and classmate from Cal Arts. He was born with an innate sense of story. He is someone that has worked on some great movies – Iron Giant, SpiderMan 2, most recently Thor 2. And Steve as a story artist keeps me as a director honest. We spend long hours working out the beats. If something didn't ring true to him, if a plot point didn't make sense, Steve had no trouble letting me know. Always there in defense of the story. That's why I wanted him on the team. Because I knew he would do that. So when he is quick to point out something isn't working it comes from a place of wanting to make the story better, not critiquing me or my style. Steve is my secret weapon when it comes to directing and I hope to have this watchdog by my side throughout my career. I would advise all directors to get a story watchdog like Steve. But don't go to those story puppy mills – go to the story rescue shelters.
How can I achieve my dream of getting into CalArts, and from there Pixar?
I'm 14, just entering High School. It's my dream to be a Storyboard Artist or Animator for Pixar. I thought the best way to get there would be to go to CalArts, create a short film, and be offered an internship at Pixar. That's of course assuming I get into CalArts, which I've read has a 27% admittance rate. I just feel like this is what I was meant to do....and after seeing "The Pixar Story", I've made up my mind that I will try to pursue my dream at all costs. My High School has limited Art Classes, but I'm going to take as many as possible. People say I'm a good artist, and as much as I hate to say this, as it sounds like boasting, as far as I know, my cousin and I are the best artists in our class. If anyone would be kind enough to give me some advice, I'd be very grateful. Thank you so much in advance.
Which university is the most focused on entrepreneurship (regardless of my major): USC, UCLA or Cal?
I agree. No university can magically spring bottom to top some quality, say, smartness or creativity in a person, but an environment definitely helps. Cal has Twitter across the bridge, Pixar in Emeryville right next door, one of Apple's founders an alum along with a bunch of Nobel Laureates on campus and graduated ("reserved for Nobel Laureates" is a literal parking sign -.-"), Silicon Valley and the rest of the Bay open to Cal graduates and a bunch of Start-Up Hubs/Accelerators right in Berkeley's downtown. It's a center of innovation, and you can read more about it in "Geography of Jobs" by Enrico Moretti (also a professor at Berkeley). Graduates often find jobs in the Bay, and I know several seniors who are trying their luck with their own start-ups. Oh and yeah, CS, math, chemistry, and engineering are the more renowned programs recognized as top but apparently history, English, and economics are top-notch (at least top five departments in the nation) too.
What degree do I need to be a Disney Imagineer?
A lot of the answers cover some of the basics so I'll try and answer differently.It was my dream to become an Imagineer, but there are over 140 disciplines within Imagineering, so you need to decided on what you want to do first.There are 3 main ways you can get a job at WDI:Apply on the website (it's simple but chances are lower due to a lack of familirity, and being part of a flood of applicants)Start somewhere within Walt Disney Company and move towards WDI (this is the most traditional method and due to this many Imagineers feel that they have earned their way to Imagineering the hard way), a good way to do this if you're in college is start with the Disney college program.If you're in college, partake in the WDI ImagiNations competition that happens every year. It's a design competition that WDI holds every year, if you make it to the finals (top 6 teams) you are invited to Glendale to present your work to Imagineers and have it be judged. Even though there is a 1st, 2nd and 3rd team, that doesn't really matter as the real win is getting to go on this experience. We were told to treat it like a week long interview, on-top of the awesome experience they give, the team works to assign you 2 or 3 job interviews while you're there based on your major. This opportunity is huge, and many people get hired for internships from there if they've got the skills and drive. (This is what my team and I did)My degree was Architectural Engineering at the time, and we were the only team of all engineers, mostly up against students from Art schools and illustrators. There are many disciplines within WDI, as long as you have decided on something that is part of the huge process that is making Theme parks come alive, you'll be good. But whatever you do, be great at it. Hope this helps, it really was a dream come true so I wish you all the best!
Difference between Demo reel and Portfolio?
I'm a film major and am currently applying for other universities, one school has asked for a portfolio of at least 8 pieces. Obviously it would be incredibly long if it was 8 full pieces. So do you think that they mean a demo reel?