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8 cgw j a n • f e b • m a r c h 2 0 2 1 every Black person – thus the need for the consultants throughout the entire filmmaking process, from development to completion. It was apparent that the main character would be an artist of some type, fed by his passion. The filmmakers settled on a musi- cian, and that evolved into a jazz musician – so it was only fitting that the character would be African-American. While jazz did not originate in NYC, this highly recognizable city has a rich jazz his- tory. "But it's not just about the music," says Powers, who grew up in the city. "It's about the dynamism of that world. Soul is a story about the meaning of life and the connec- tions we make with each other. In New York, people are literally bumping up against one another. Diversity is visually evident on every single street. There's no place quite like it." Yet, the human world depicted in the film had to be authentic to the New York City ex- perience: solid, physical, and reflective, with lots of color, says Steve Pilcher, production designer. "It's very tactile, with a history of wear and tear. Buildings, railings, and pave- ment are weathered or bleached. Nothing's really perfect in this world. It's very organ- ic and interesting," he explains. "There's texture and tons of variety, color variation, weather conditions, wet and dry surfaces; all that beauty we take for granted becomes evident, particularly once you've been in The Great Before, where everything is based on almost perfect symmetry." HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE Once it was determined that the main char- acter was a musician, the filmmakers knew that music would be an essential part of this film. Just as there were cultural consultants, there were musical consultants too. Never- theless, Soul is not a full-blown musical, as the story, which is grounded, was not a fit for that genre. The two worlds of Soul have two distinct styles of music that help shape and define each. Singer, composer, songwriter, band leader, and jazz genius Jon Batiste (pianist from The Colbert Show) produced the jazz compositions and arrangements that ampli- fies the gritty New York City side of the film. Because Pixar was animating a film whose primary focus was on playing jazz music, it was vital to get the notes correct. "When you see Joe's hands playing [the piano] in the film, that's Jon's playing," says Producer Dana Murray. "Our animators studied reference footage of Jon at the piano to capture details of how he plays – everything from how his fingers move to the breaths he takes." The hand motion was extremely nuanced but very important to Pixar. "It's one of those things that goes back to Pixar's roots," says Animation Supervisor Bobby Podesta. "We make films that are accessible to everybody and want the whole world to appreciate, but we also know that there will be people who are experts in whatever it is." For instance, the filmmakers focused on a lot of details while making Cars, knowing that car aficio- nados would notice otherwise. The same holds true for the guitar playing in Coco. "Not everyone will get it, and we could have faked it, but we would know. And they would know," says Podesta. Joe's hand motion is all keyframed; no motion capture was used. "If you've ever watched Jon Batiste play piano, it's extreme fast. He's a virtuoso," comments Podesta. So, for the piano playing especially, the animators imported MIDI data; the keys would light up, so [the animators] could determine which keys were being hit at a certain time. They then interpreted that by hand, moving each finger on the character accordingly. The Great Before While Batiste provided the music for scenes in NYC, it was Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails who took on the ethereal notes from the soul world. "Their music is so different [from that of Batiste] yet somehow is perfectly matched for the film," says Murray. The music here is further differentiated in the various realms: The Great Beyond (for deceased souls), The Great Before (for unborn souls), The Astral Plane (a mystic place near The Great Before); there are also specific locales such as The You Seminar (where a soul's life summary is laid bare) and the Hall of Everything (where souls go to interact with possible interests). The realms each have their own identity in terms of sound as well as aesthetic. Unlike the realistic aesthetic of Earth, The Great Before is an abstract, illusionary world craed entirely from the artists' imaginations. While filmmakers were able to tap into real life when it came to the New York City scenes, The Great Before (and The Great Beyond) had to be created from scratch. This ethereal world has a kind of soness to The imagery on Earth is realistic and vibrant.