It’s not every day that students get to glean advice from professionals about the production of Hollywood blockbusters.
University alum Greg Snyder, a motion picture editor at Pixar Animation Studios, imparted advice gained throughout his career experiences at the Knight Library Friday as part of the University’s Cinema Studies Program’s Working Filmmaker Series.
Snyder has edited such Pixar films as “Monsters, Inc.;” “Cars;” “Ratatouille;” and “Toy Story 3;” and is currently working on “Monsters, Inc. 2.”
Although his editing career is admirable, Snyder’s success has hardly been instant. After graduating from the University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications and film, he moved home to San Francisco and lived with his parents for two years. From there he worked temp jobs and tried to gain experience through internships.
“I did whatever I could for free to learn as much as I could about video production and film production,” Snyder said.
Snyder learned of a production assistant position, which entailed copying scripts and other entry-level work, at American Zoetrope production studio in San Francisco.
Although the tasks were mundane, he used the valuable opportunity to make connections and get his foot in the film industry’s door.
By gaining experience, forging connections and mastering film-editing tools, his career took him to Turner Entertainment, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, where he contributed to such films as “Shrek” and “The Iron Giant.”
Snyder became an assistant editor at Pixar in 2001. When reflecting on his career path, he acknowledged that receiving such opportunities depended on much more than skill.
“My career has been a lot of luck and capitalizing on it,” Snyder said.
Students at the presentation took advantage of the rare opportunity to hear about the inner workings of an animation industry front-runner. When asked about the company’s success, Snyder listed the priorities.
“There’s three things you’ve gotta focus on in Pixar: story, story and story,” Snyder said.
Snyder also described the importance of a well-functioning “brain trust,” which is the filmmaking team within Pixar.
“What makes them great is they trust each other,” Snyder said.
The editor said the knowledge and understanding of the film industry that he has gained over the years equipped him with a wisdom that is applicable across disciplines.
“Relationships are probably the biggest, most important thing in your career,” Snyder said. “Don’t burn bridges.”
To become successful and reach goals, Snyder explained that the blossoming filmmaker must be flexible and have the bigger picture in mind.
“When opportunities come up, you’re going to end up going places you never thought to go,” Snyder said.
University senior Annie DeMeo, a film studies major, picked up some valuable advice from Snyder that she said will help focus her career.
“A lot of it is luck and connections, and it’s not always what you know, but how you know to do it,” DeMeo said.
Also in attendance, University sophomore Bailey Arthur said she found inspiration and encouragement in Snyder’s journey from University student to Pixar fame.
“It sounded very tedious, and very hard, but very hopeful at the same time,” Arthur said.
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