The TED speech we watched in class was incredibly inspiring. When I was a little girl I used to draw cartoons with the goal of one day working for Disney Pixar (pushed by my father), so I have always felt a strong connection to films like The Little Mermaid and A Bug’s Life. I now still want to work for Disney Pixar, but on the story side. I wan’t to create stories that anyone can watch regardless of their age and feel connected to.

It was that sense of wonder that Andrew Stanton mentioned in his speech for TED that reminded me why I ever started wanting to work in this industry. My favourite films (as mentioned in class) are those that transport you to another world, and show you something that you could never imagine happening in your own life. Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, Avatar.

I loved his idea of teasing the audience.

“Don’t give them 4, give them 2+2.”

Audience’s love to work for their meal. I find myself being drawn to these stories a lot more. Ones that are crafted to make the audience work, to finish the sentence. One of my favourite genres of novels are murder mystery and that is mainly why. I love trying to work out what has happened before the characters do. I love trying to work out what the author was thinking, all their sly red herrings, all their subtle hints at the killer. Even though Stanton was referring to Pixar films, I believe this theory can be applied to every genre.

It has really inspired me to go out looking for hidden gems of stories that are in everyday life. He teaches to capture truth from your own experiences and express values you have felt.

“There isn’t anyone you can’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.”