At Pixar, a group of senior directors reviews each film in production. Ed Catmull describes the group in his book Creativity, Inc. He calls it “our primary delivery system for straight talk.”
The Braintrust has one strict limit. It “has no authority.” The director does not have to follow any of its suggestions. The candor survives because the film, not anyone’s standing, is at stake.
The group grew out of the making of Toy Story. Steve Jobs was kept out of it by mutual agreement. His presence would have discouraged people from being candid.