Danielle Feinberg
Director of Photography
Pixar Animation Studios
Emeryville, CA USA
“You can get a lot of things by working hard...You don’t have to have some sort of genius; you just have to work hard.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationDanielle Feinberg
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
She went to Harvard University and studied computer science.
She was especially taken with her computer animation and graphics classes, and decided that’s what she wanted to do for a living.
She’s been at Pixar for over 20 years; she started in an entry-level technical position working on A Bug’s Life.
She realized that lighting animation was really where the films came together, and that lighting brought together coding, problem-solving, and art in a way that felt magical to her.
One of her favorite moments working at Pixar was getting to light the jellyfish in Finding Nemo.
She’d fought to be able to light that scene, so when she got it, she stayed late for several days trying to make it look perfect.
When she finally screened the scene with the director, the whole room started clapping; that payoff taught her that putting the extra time into her work would always be worth it.
Says that women in art and technology have the power to change society faster than anyone, and encourages young women to use STEM to help change social issues they care about.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Director of Photography
I am a digital animator of lighting at Pixar having worked on films such as Wall-E and Brave.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Technology
Being Creative
Day to Day
I work on the same film for roughly about 3 years. The first year, I do a lot of conceptual work thinking about what the look of the film is going to be and sourcing the technology we are going to need to pull it off. The second year is when more people start joining the team and we start to create things for the film. This stage is a lot of reviews, budget meetings, etc. The third year, I spend a lot of time in front of a computer helping solve technical and artistic problems with my team.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Put in the time and work it takes in order to do what you love.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I don't know how to do that. "
Challenges I Overcame
Self-Esteem Issues
Interviewed By
A Balanced Equation
Women in STEM careers
