# How do story supervisors and directors describe building and iterating story reels, and what limits do they name?

- id: art_01M5ME1SMTRZFJHQBZ6CDR2KAK
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T01, T07 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-23T13:08:51.978Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5ME1SMTRZFJHQBZ6CDR2KAK

Pixar story supervisor Jason Katz says Pixar screens its story as reels every three to four months, reel goals vary by director, films tend to have 'two lives' with story staff rotating around screening four or five, and Coco's first version centred on death before research shifted it; Klaus director Sergio Pablos records performances, pairs them with storyboards and cuts a story reel to test how scenes play, including trying music in the reel. Practitioner accounts; reel limits not stated.

Pixar story supervisor Jason Katz says Pixar screens its story as reels every three to four months, reel goals vary by director, films tend to have 'two lives' with story staff rotating around screening four or five, and Coco's first version centred on death before research shifted it; Klaus director Sergio Pablos records performances, pairs them with storyboards and cuts a story reel to test how scenes play, including trying music in the reel. Practitioner accounts; reel limits not stated.

Curator qualifications: Papers and pages read 2026-10-22; no segmentation or annotation run.

Limitations: Papers and pages read 2026-10-22; no segmentation or annotation run.

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.animationscoop.com/creating-coco-an-interview-with-pixars-jason-katz-story-supervisor/",
      "note": "Animation Scoop: Creating Coco, interview with Jason Katz (live); AwardsWatch: interview with Sergio Pablos (Klaus) (live)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://awardswatch.com/interview-klaus-director-sergio-pablos-on-his-unique-take-of-a-classic-christmas-story/",
      "note": "Animation Scoop: Creating Coco, interview with Jason Katz (live); AwardsWatch: interview with Sergio Pablos (Klaus) (live)"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Pixar story supervisor Jason Katz says Pixar screens its story as reels every three to four months, reel goals vary by director, films tend to have 'two lives' with story staff rotating around screening four or five, and Coco's first version centred on death before research shifted it; Klaus director Sergio Pablos records performances, pairs them with storyboards and cuts a story reel to test how scenes play, including trying music in the reel. Practitioner accounts; reel limits not stated. · locator: Animation Scoop: Creating Coco, interview with Jason Katz (live); AwardsWatch: interview with Sergio Pablos (Klaus) (live) · source: https://www.animationscoop.com/creating-coco-an-interview-with-pixars-jason-katz-story-supervisor/

Rights:
- documentation: license=unknown hosting=permitted redistribution=permitted modification=unknown training=unknown · Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources.

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