Pixar Short Film Workshops That Are Perfect For Mother's Day

Animated short films are delightful stories that contain all of the same elements of literature that you would find in a full length movie or novel. They are perfect for learning writer techniques in a condensed manner, and are often silent, meaning they have no dialogue. Because there is little or no dialogue, the writer relies heavily on the use of literary techniques to tell the story. This also gives students an opportunity to create the dialogue for a short film!

Here are some things short film creators do:

create the mood of the story with a visually interesting setting
develop dominant character traits such as: appearance, expressions, and behaviors to help the viewer gain a strong emotional connection
Use symbolism to represent concepts and help the audience make logical inferences.
Develop a theme, a lesson the character learns because of the conflicts they face. By extension, the viewer also learns this lesson.
Entice the audience through the use of art, animation, and sound effects.

It is the job of the viewer to pay special attention to every detail so that they can draw conclusions about the meaning of the film. Students should pay special attention to small details in the background. EVERYTHING on the screen is there for a reason. Look for hidden meaning! If something seems symbolic, it probably is!