A look at the visual storytelling with sound design and character design in this Pixar video essay on WALL-E.

Best Pixar Movies Ranked ►► http://bit.ly/wll-e

00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Script Setup
00:56 - Setting the Scene
02:35 - Exercise: Beyond the Script
03:44 - Use "Appeal" for Character Design
05:46 - Recap

WALL-E isn’t just one of the best Pixar movies to date, it’s also a masterclass in visual storytelling. For a majority of the film, we get zero dialogue and yet a complicated and compelling story is unfolding in front of us. This isn’t impossible, it was done for decades before sound was introduced to motion pictures. WALL-E seems revolutionary because we’ve become so reliant on dialogue that we’ve forgotten the power of visual storytelling.

In this Pixar video essay, we’re going to look at the first couple minutes of WALL-E to see how sound design, music, audio editing, and character design are all we need to tell a complete and nuanced story.

One of the most impressive feats in the opening minutes of WALL-E is how the combination of sound and image create and balance tone. The very first images we get show us the majesty and wonder of the universe. When soundtracked with a jaunty and peppy show tune (“Put On Your Sunday Clothes”), the tone is clear and consistent. It is an optimistic and adventurous call to action.

But then we plummet through Earth’s atmosphere to the surface and the imagery has taken on a completely different message...yet the music remains unchanged. Now we have the desolation of an abandoned planet that is juxtaposed with the unabashedly optimistic music. The tone, now, is complicated.

And then, the music fades away, as if dissolved and carried away into the past. We are left with only the sound of hollow wind pushing through an apocalyptic landscape. The tone is once again balanced between matching sound and image, albeit on the pessimistic end of the spectrum. In 90 seconds, we have three distinct tonal shifts, all due to the aural and visual storytelling. This is masterful and economic filmmaking — and in a “kids movie” nonetheless!

The lesson here is that dialogue is important and can be used with great purpose and strategy. But as you approach your next project, don’t forget that visual storytelling, film language, sound design, character design, and audio editing are also equally important communication tools. Anyone can tell a story with dialogue, but can you tell a story with images and sound alone? Give it a shot and remember Pixar and WALL-E when you do.

#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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Spotify Playlist ►► http://bit.ly/wa-e

Songs Used:
First Date - Wall-E Soundtrack
Wall-E - Wall-E Soundtrack
Put On Your Sunday Clothes - Hello, Dolly (Soundtrack)
2815 A.D. (Wall-E Soundtrack)
Bubble Wrap (Wall-E Soundtrack)
It’s the End of the World as We Know It - REM
It Only Takes A Moment (Hello, Dolly Soundtrack)

Music by Artlist ► https://utm.io/umJx
Music by Artgrid ► https://utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► http://bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by Music Vine ► http://bit.ly/2IUE0pT
Music by MusicBed ► http://bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq

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#film-theory, #video-essay, #filmmaker