A Key To Communication

The “Pixar 22” , originally tweeted by Emma Coats, is a combination of things she learned from and with the company, as well as other thoughts she found valuable in her career in story development.

In order to drill them in deeply, I want to see if they pass the sniff test for life in general. To me, that’s “wisdom” as opposed to just “information.”

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.

THAT certainly applies to communication of all kinds: “the meaning of a communication is the reaction you get” is an NLP saying, and to the degree you accept that, if the intent of a communication is to produce emotion A and you instead get reaction B, you have a problem. In human communication you have many options: change your approach, educate the audience as to meaning, find a new audience.

In movies, you can’t do this once the film leaves the studio. You can “test” your succession of images by “pitching” your story, having people read an outline, treatment, script, or view a rough cut. Check their reactions, get their feedback, and make adjustments.

Does this inhibit artistry? Well, the collaborative process of theater is well understood, with actors and early audiences shaping thee final product, and this seems to be true of Shakespeare’s work, and HE is as strong a contender for “greatest writer in the English language” I know of. So no, I don’t think feedback corrupts artistry…and…