Pixar storytelling nuggets

Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled a list of nuggets of narrative wisdom she's received working for the animation studio over the years and she's shared them with us! Most of the individual pieces of information are pretty basic, but I've never seen them enlisted like this.


A friend told me something which I recognized in most of the points in the list. "Kill your darlings." It's a piece of wisdom from poets, but applies to a lot more than just poetry. It means that sometimes you need take out a piece (of story, of poetry, of art in a portfolio) that you've grown attached to if it doesn't make the whole better.

In poetry that would be a line that might be wonderfully phrased, but has a different tone than the rest of the poem. In film that might be a scene that's incredible, but doesn't add to the progression of the story. In a portfolio, that might be a modelling piece that you're proud of, but doesn't help you get that animation job you want. This is something I'll need to apply to movements in animation too.



Official list:
http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar