Journalism of Courage
Art director Jay Shuster can make machines come alive with emotions – refer to Wall E and Cars 2
One popular line from Toy Story 2 states that ‘You can’t rush art’. This certainly holds true for Jay Shuster. He had spent one-and-a-half years designing the much-loved characters of Wall E and Eva for Pixar Animation Studio’s 2008 Oscar-winning feature,Wall E . Then,Shuster was a sketch artist at Pixar. Today,he is the art director behind the intricate creation of 150 new characters for the just completed Cars 2. In Pune on Wednesday to address aspiring animators as a part of Big Animation’s ‘Cool Guru’ series,Shuster relived the journey of his career through the animated characters he has helped create – from the trash-loving and warm-hearted Wall E to the emotionally expressive road paver Bessie.
At the seminar,Shuster revealed a deeper insight into his creative work. Almost everything that he had done for Cars was pen on paper,but the mechanics of the characters were true to the real deal. There were times I had to go over the same thing over and over again. I would be asked to ‘smooth out the transitions between the cogs on the wheel or fix the hood,things that I grew up with in Detroit. I used my knowledge and that was the most satisfying part of Wall E . We had to always maintain the honesty of the characters.”
Shuster predicts the build-up a good animation base in India. The tools are being made to build the industry in India and the future looks good. People quite often are overawed by companies like Pixar. Yes,there is a lot to learn and get inspired from,but you don’t really have to go to Pixar,you can create your own here!”
