SNAPSHOT
For example, the question that led to Inside Out came when the film’s director, Pete Docter, noticed something about his daughter. According to Meg LeFauve, who wrote Inside Out with Pete Docter: “The director, he had a daughter.And she was so happy all the time, and was so joyful.” And then she turned eleven. And suddenly she was quiet and she wasn’t smiling… And he sat at breakfast and he wondered, ‘What happened to joy?’ And then he thought: I’m going to make a move about that”. (synopsis via Laughing Squid)
One of my favourite recent discoveries has been video essays, by a range of talented pop-culture literate people, which examine all sorts of fascinating elements right across the spectrum of creative activity.
This brilliantly-realised video from Michael Tucker of Lessons From the Screenplay examines the genesis of one of the great gems from Pixar, Inside Out, a superlative film that examines how pivotal a full range of emotions is essential to us being full well-rounded individuals and to experiencing everything that life can offer.
Sure we want to be happy all the time, but are all the other emotions every bit as important?
That was the question that Pete Doctor and the writing team grappled with in realising Inside Out and how, through the many twists-and-turns of their writing process, they came to craft this most perfect and emotionally-resonant of films.
It’s a beautiful movie and Michael Tucker examines its creation in such a rich, expansive way that it will have you looking at Inside Out all over again in a completely different way.
- If you enjoyed this video essay, you should totally support Michael Tucker on Patreon. Great system,