When I tell people I work as a Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios, I typically get one of two responses.

1. Wow, you’re a Director? At Pixar?! (Haha, nope.)
2. Oh. So, what does that mean?

Like most folks, the me I was three years ago had not one single clue about what went on in the obscured, enigmatic world of film beyond the art I witnessed on-screen. I just assumed animation studios hired, well, animators.

The field of 3D animated films, which was largely born out of Ed Catmull’s pipe-dream-turned-revolution of making the very first feature-length animated film which we know now as Toy Story, is not too much older than 22-year-old me. It’s a field where we have quite a bit figured out, but also have a long ways to go. With each film, the story pushes the technology and the tech pushes the story.

By exploring the boundaries of what worlds can be brought to life if we just inch up our technical prowess a teeny-tiny bit more, we’ve seen Toy Story with a few animated characters move to Bug’s Life with hundreds of animated crowds. We’ve seen the world of pin-straight hair and hair shells give way to a vast array of possible textures and styles, addressing the need for more diverse stories that we so desperately need in Hollywood. Animation studios have been able to make incredibly complex characters made out of light, covered in fur, or with mind-blowingly realistic skin. Just look at how far things have come from Incredibles to Incredibles 2.

What Brought Me Here

I’ve always held onto a strong passion for both the arts and sciences and knew I would have to continue with both, somehow, in order to find a career which felt truly authentic to who I was.

I got my first taste at the studio environment as an intern with the Walt Disney Animation Studios Pipeline Engineering group. While I didn’t work directly on the films that were in the works, Frozen 2, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, or Strange World, I learned from folks across the studio, attended Production Technology meetings, sat in on a scratch recording session, walked through war rooms filled with concept art from in-progress films, attended movie screenings, and stayed late scrolling through the latest work published from the day. I sat in on talks which ranged from machine learning-based denoising algorithms to how the three act structure of Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse matches that of the 2007 coming-of-age comedy-drama Juno.

My takeaway from that summer was that animation studios are an environment of constant learning and change where art and technology are at their peaks individually and blossom together. I cherished that learning and collaboration were so central to each and every piece of work done in production. And not to forget, the alluring reality that these studios are releasing work that has a far-reaching impact being viewed all over the world. I was reminded, on a daily basis, that we were in a sense, writing history.

I wondered how I would best fit into this world.

Technical Roles in a Studio

With my background in Computer Science, I saw a variety of studio roles in which my technical skills could be of use in a studio setting. From my experiences with Disney Animation and Pixar, I mentally, roughly group the technical roles into the following:

• Research: The studio research teams work like academics, conducting high-level research, but are still slightly attached to the film’s production by following the general trajectory of where studio technology aims to be in a few years. They seem to not be tied to a particular movie as their work has an overarching impact on all productions. People on these teams have very deep knowledge in specific areas.
• Tools: The tools engineers work to develop and maintain the proprietary software used within the studios. They also are separate from each individual film and their work is meant to have an overarching impact on all films. Some of the tools they create are software used for creative processes in the film (modeling, rigging, shading, animation, etc). Others are internal tools used for tracking and viewing work done in the studio.
• Pipeline/Infrastructure: These are the teams I associate with maintaining the on-site render farm and ensuring all of the systems used within the studios are operating optimally. These teams do a fair amount of firefighting and are the studio’s reliable technical support system.
• Technical Directors: These are folks who are assigned to one specific film and work within an assigned department to aid in the making of that film. Technical Directors have roles spanning the full tech-arts spectrum. Where on that spectrum you lie depends on which department you operate in. There are hundreds of Technical Directors in Pixar working in departments all the way from Modeling to Rendering.

As a Technical Director, the cadence of my work is that I am “cast” onto a film in a particular department in a specified role and I “roll off” onto my next film once that department is finished doing their part on the show. I’m typically on a show for half a year to a year before moving onto the next one (with the potential for a break in-between, if I so wish). I work at the technical end of the tech-arts Technical Director spectrum with the Rendering department and most folks on my team have a background in Computer Science.

Rendering is the process of capturing the final frames of the film. Consequently, we work at the tail end of the production pipeline, churning out final-quality shots to be shown and reviewed by the director for approval. It requires knowledge about the rendering process and computer graphics in general as we often need to conduct deep-dive investigations of artifacts we spot in the final frames of the film. I see my role as being the “grease on the wheel” that is production, ironing out any final kinks in the shots to output clean final frames. Within our team, folks have their particular areas of expertise and have the freedom to take ownership on whatever projects best fit their skills.

Within the technical side of the Technical Director role, career growth mainly takes on one of two tracks — the IC (Individual Contributor) track and the “Lead” track. ICs typically become better and better at their job with the highest level ICs being Technical Principle Artists who are pretty darn good (probably the highest studio-level expert) at what they do. Within the “Lead” track, folks become one of a few Leads for their department, then the Supervisor for their department, and perhaps even the VFX Supervisor (the single overarching technical lead for the movie). These are not necessarily career “levels” in a strict sense as folks can go back and forth, depending on their interests and the needs of different shows. For example, a Supervisor who feels a bit out of touch with more hands-on work can choose to operate as an Individual Contributor for a show and build back some of those skills.

From my experience at the studio, folks are encouraged to stay within their department and really become the expert in what they do. However, there are opportunities, when your desires and the needs of a show align, to do a “rotation” in a different department. I would personally be interested in doing rotations with the Global Technology, Sets Tech, and Studio Tools teams in Pixar.

Pros and Cons

In making my decision to leap out of the known world of big tech and Software Engineering and into the world of animation studios and Technical Directing, I made more than my fair share of pros and cons lists. Here’s what I’ve built up over the years so that it can serve as the base for yours, if you choose to go down this path.

Pros

• You get to be involved on a specific film working alongside artists. The sense of ownership and pride in being able to point to a film and say “I made that” is truly unparalleled. Working so closely with coworkers on such a beloved project provides a strong sense of satisfaction and camaraderie within the crew.
• You frequently change projects, allowing for variety within your role. If you don’t like things right now, it’s comforting to know that it’s not going to be this way forever. This also allows you to obtain a variety of skills and grow both your technical and artistic acumen if you so choose.
• You have the option to take a long break between projects to rest or to travel and see the world. Life is more than just work.
• Computer Graphics is a growing field (especially now with so many companies taking their bets on the metaverse and the emergence of many new studios making original streaming content) so optionality has never been better.
• There’s always the option to go back into Software Engineering and Big Tech, if you so choose.
• You have the ability to influence the culture of the studio and representation on screen if you choose to take a stand, be a leader, and use your voice to speak up for social justice. I’ve witnessed a lot of such change in the 10 months I’ve been at Pixar.
• You get to share your work and celebrate the release of each movie with the whole world. It’s a feeling like no other and a brief reminder that you are somehow connected to the dazzling world of Hollywood and the film industry.
• There is a culture of constant learning and teaching within studios, since we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
• You get to work with a lot of highly motivated and talented people, not to mention the folks who founded this field of 3D animation are still actively floating around in the workforce and you may get to work with them.

Cons

• The pay is not comparable to that you would get at a big tech company.
• You may have demanding hours during crunch periods.
• It’s very difficult to live as a digital nomad. Our work setups are difficult to transport form place to place and Pixar seems to wants folks back in the studio in the long run.
• The emphasis on developing expertise in a specific area makes it difficult to explore, something I think is important in your early career.
• Due to low turnover at Disney Animation and Pixar, upward mobility is difficult.
• Sometimes it can feel like you’re chipping away at small details and you wonder if you’re really having an “impact” with your work.
• There aren’t many “new grad” roles so the “cohort” aspect of simultaneously joining with other people your age is not quite there.
• I am a minority, in age, gender, and ethnicity, in my department. On the flip side, a pro would be that this is an opportunity to set up a path for others like me.

Setting Yourself up for Opportunities in Animation Technology

I typically dish out these pieces of advice to folks who are interested in pursuing this kind of career.

• Make a list of studios/companies you would like to apply to and check out their careers sites. Here are the sites for Disney Animation and Pixar which I applied through.
• Apply for a variety of roles, even if you’re not sure whether you’re qualified. Don’t hold yourself back!
• Look into learning more about the Animation Pipeline and tools via online courses like Pixar in a Box on Khan Academy or Blender tutorials on YouTube.
• Try to make a portfolio via a demo reel or a website with your projects. Graphics is a very visual field, even on the technical side, so visuals will go a long way.
• Look into attending SIGGRAPH, the main conference for Computer Graphics. It’s a great way to survey the field and get connected with some important players. If you are a student, there are volunteer opportunities and scholarships!