Learn about the process and challenges involved in creating Disney/Pixar's latest feature film, Monsters, Inc. in this special series of presentations, brought to you by Youth in Arts and CenterStage at the Osher Marin JCC.

Youth in Arts presents this annual 4-part speaker series as a fundraiser for its programs in arts education.

Single tickets are $18/general, $14/seniors or JCC members, and $8/students. Series tickets (for all 4 presentations) are $68/general, $52/JCC members or seniors and $30/students. Tickets are available from the Osher Marin JCC, (415) 479-2000.

Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 PM
Creating the Storyboards
with Rob Gibbs, Story Artist

This presentation will explore one of the most important aspects to creating an animated feature -- the story!

Rob Gibbs joined Pixar Animation Studios in February of 1998. He began working in the story department on Pixar's Golden Globe winning film, Toy Story 2. On Pixar's most recent feature film, Monsters, Inc., Rob was part of a team of artists responsible for creating the heartwarming, comedic story. During his time at Pixar, Rob has also worked in various story capacities on short films and future projects. Prior to Pixar, Rob worked in Disney Feature Animation on a variety of films, including Pocahontas, Dinosaur, and Atlantis.

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Wednesday, March 20 at 7:30 PM
Making Monsters and the World They Live In
with Tia Kratter, Art Director

Inventing the Monster World was one of the most challenging and fun assignments for the creative team on "Monsters, Inc." It was a chance to let their imaginations run wild and to envision what a world populated by creatures of every conceivable shape and size would look like. This included the color and texture of both the characters in the film and their environment. This presentation will center around art direction and the elaborate process it took to create a "realistic" environment in Pixar's latest feature film.

Tia Kratter joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1993 as Lead Digital Painter on Pixar's first animated feature film, Toy Story. On A Bug's Life, she worked as Shader Art Director and Digital Painter. Her responsibilities included specifying colors and textures for every model in the film, providing visual reference and direction for Shader Technical Directors and Digital Painters, and contributing vital input into Master Lighting and the Lighting team. Monsters, Inc., Pixar's fourth animated feature, brought new excitement for Tia as she was named one of two Art Directors. Tia worked to define the look of all of the objects, props and characters via colors and textures. She also art directed the look of the fur on Sullivan, one of the two lead characters in the film.

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Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 PM
Creating an Animated Feature
with Lee Unkrich, Co-Director

From conception to the final product, this presentation will explore the extensive process it takes to create an animated feature.

Lee Unkrich made his feature co-directing debut on the 1999 Disney/Pixar film, Toy Story 2 following successful collaborations with John Lasseter as film editor/supervising film editor on two previous features (Toy Story and A Bug's Life).

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Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 PM
The Technology Behind the Fur
with Steve May, Simulation and Effects Sequence Supervisor

Monsters, Inc. has always been a film about a big hairy monster interacting with a small child. It was realized early on that Pixar's technical team had to deal with hair and clothing -- two issues that computer graphics had not dealt with in the past. It was the goal of a skilled technical team to solve the problem of having animators detail the movement of every individual hair and movement of the wrinkles on the clothing. They set out to build intelligence into the models to dynamically move the hair and clothing in accordance with the character animation that was created. This presentation will explore the many challenges faced by the team responsible for creating a solution to this very complex technical issue.

Steve May has been a Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios since 1998. He was the co-creator of the fur technology and the looks development in Monsters, Inc. for the character "Sullivan." In addition to grooming hairy monsters, he was also a Sequence Supervisor for the Simulation and Effects department. Steve is currently a Lead Technical Director for Pixar's next release, Finding Nemo, due for release in summer 2003.

Series Sponsor: Fair, Isaac
Segment Sponsor: Ex'pression Center for New Media