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Talk:Jennifer Lee (filmmaker)

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Move discussion in progress

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There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Andrew Adams (writer/director) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 19:01, 26 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Too narrow for lead

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This part of the lead is rather misleading:

Lee is the first female director of a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film, the first writer at any major animation studio to become a director, and the first female director of a feature film that earned more than $1 billion in gross box office revenue.

The HR article does say this, but point one and two are not quite accurate. There have been others; most obviously Brenda Chapman was a writer who directed prominent animated films. Jennifer Lee may have been the first to direct a strictly Disney film, but Pixar is part of Disney and Chapman directed Brave (2012 film) earlier. This paragraph should be amended. - Gothicfilm (talk) 02:03, 4 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

That paragraph (which I drafted) is fully sourced, fully supported by the sources cited, and completely accurate. You're way off base. Please read some introductory textbooks on filmmaking and animation. Chapman came from an animation background (she was at CalArts with John Lasseter et al.) and followed the traditional path of apprenticeship, animator, story artist, head of story, and then director. Lee entered filmmaking from 2-D graphic design in the publishing world (i.e., no background in animation) and by all accounts intended to become a screenwriter and was working as one when she was promoted on Frozen to director. There is a huge difference between story artists and screenwriters and that difference is not rocket science, if you don't get what that difference is, you don't understand how a movie is made.
It sounds like you have no idea how the Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Studios or Pixar are legally structured (which are all explained in detail elsewhere on Wikipedia). Every book and article that covers the purchase of Pixar has stressed the fact that Pixar remains a separate subsidiary of Disney with its own wholly independent production pipeline which just happens to share (1) a corporate parent, (2) film distributor, and (3) its top two executives with Disney Animation. Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, and Steve Jobs successfully pushed for extensive contractual stipulations (according to Catmull, 59 bullet points on seven pages) to preserve Pixar's actual independence from the rest of the Disney corporate hierarchy (i.e., as a day-to-day reality and not just a corporate formality). This was to specifically ensure that Pixar would not become a mere satellite of Disney Animation like the satellites they used to run in Florida and France. If you look at the text of interviews with Catmull and Lasseter, they consistently emphasize the separation of the two studios in every interview in which the topic arises that they happen to run both Pixar and Disney Animation. Thus, it is completely correct to say that Lee was the first female director of a feature-length film at Walt Disney Animation Studios. --Coolcaesar (talk) 16:37, 4 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That is too narrow a claim for the lead. To the average reader that paragraph as written comes off as a broad statement, and that broad statement is not accurate. Pixar films are now carry the label "Disney/Pixar". The very fact you indicate one should read some introductory textbooks on filmmaking and animation in order to understand your text shows why it is inappropriate for the lead. The lead is supposed to be fully understandable to the average reader. Most of them are not going to be up to date with your particular points above. They are going to assume Pixar is part of Disney, because it is advertised as such.
On point two the first writer at any major animation studio to become a director - that is simply not true. There have been other "writers" who became directors, including Brenda Chapman. Your sentence does not get into the difference between story artists and screenwriters. Nor should it, as such a narrow distinction does not belong in the lead. However, I would like you to explain the difference here, for the record, just as a side issue. I have my idea of it - let's see what yours is. - Gothicfilm (talk) 21:50, 4 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Just noticed this. Again, you really need to read several books on filmmaking and actually visit a major film studio --- I've photographed the front entrances of all six for Wikipedia and visited three (Universal, Warners, and Disney). A screenwriter is someone who writes a screenplay. A storyboard writer is someone who draws a storyboard. Most screenwriters are English majors who spend years sharpening their writing skills in all the different writing forms (essay, poem, short story, novel, novella) before they attempt their first spec script. Most storyboard writers are art majors who spend years practicing all the major art forms (drawing, painting, sculpture) before they sketch their first complete storyboard. These jobs requires completely different backgrounds, skill sets, and mindsets. Mixing them up is as silly as mixing up physicians and dentists, or physicians and veterinarians. (For your sake, I hope you understand the difference between the major health professions.)
Also, it's clear that you've never read any of the press coverage on Pixar that I just mentioned above. Here are links to a few stories on the difference between the two studios: [1] [2] [3] --Coolcaesar (talk) 06:44, 24 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
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