Home / Quotes / Quote by Mike Leigh

Quote by Mike Leigh

“I discover what my film is by embarking on the journey of making it.”

Author

Mike Leigh is a renowned British screenwriter and director, born on February 20, 1943 in London. His works are known for their profound social insight and unique narrative style, having received multiple BAFTA and Academy Award nominations. more

“As a general habit and general tendency, I prefer not to bog a piece down with a great number of transitory, contemporary references, because in the end, I'm concerned, not in an abstract way, but an actual way, with creating a world which has a universality to it - even though what goes on is made up of texture and detail, contemporary detail.”

World Habit Concerned Abstract

Author:Mike Leigh

“I think the camera has got to be motivated. You can't have things arrived at gratuitously. Everything has to have an organic function, but the more comfortable I've become and the more imaginative and sophisticated and the more exploratory I've become at the medium, the more I've subtly deviated away from that in various ways.”

Thinking Various Motivated Sophisticated Imaginative

Author:Mike Leigh

“We've switched from a culture that was interested in manufacturing, economics, politics - trying to play a serious part in the world - to a culture that's really entertainment-based.”

World Trying Play Culture Serious Economics Entertainment Manufacturing

Author:Stephen King

“Because of the way that I work with the actors and because a scene is not in this rigid and literal interpretation of something written, I can constantly change stuff, which means I can get a scene absolutely perfect, and then when we go to shoot it, the requirements of the shot mean it would be useful to extend the dialogue or take a line out or swap things around. So the camera doesn't serve the action. The action serves the camera. That's important. So it becomes more and more organic and integrated.”

Mean Important Action Perfect Scene Dialogue Integrated

Author:Mike Leigh

“If I'm ever working on a set and anyone talks about a master shot, I say there is no master shot. Before I even went to film school, I learned about movies by being in a British feature film, where everything was shot master shot, mid-shot, close-up. But I reject the idea of a master shot. You don't shoot everything mechanically; you find imaginative ways that serve the action.”

Action School Film Imaginative

Author:Mike Leigh

“I did sit in cinemas as a kid looking at English and American movies thinking, "Wouldn't it be great if the characters were like real people?" And the worst thing is films are constantly advertising themselves, drawing attention to their style of things. But actually I make films that I think are extremely sophisticated and cinematic. But you don't want the audience thinking about the bloody film. You want them to think about what's going on, and believe in it. Be flies on the wall, you know?”

People Thinking Believe Real Character Kids Film Attention Audience Worst Style Wall Advertising Bloody Sophisticated American Movie

Author:Mike Leigh

“Don't be a rock star. I've seen people around me have their lives destroyed by drugs. It just depends on what kind of person you are. Like, some people have a "go" button and a "stop" button, and some people just have the "go" button, meaning that they take drugs and just take more, and more, and more. It could be 6 in the morning and they'll say, "Okay, I have to get more now." I'm not that kind of person.”

People Kind Morning Drug Okay Rock Star

Author:Dean Wareham

“It's not often I get to do a film that turns out good. Plus, there just aren't that many great directors out there. There are a thousand different decisions that need to be made with each script and it's the good directors that can make those decisions. It's a long and complicated process in regards to what looks good on paper. Working on a bad film can be fun too. It can be a good exercise that gets you writing.”

Writing Long Different Film Fun Decision Exercise Complicated

Author:Dean Wareham

“It's weird being an author because it's different than writing songs. You put so much more of yourself out there to be judged because it's a memoir. So when the reviews come in, they all feel really personal. Some people are just going to hate you no matter what. Personally, I never believe good reviews. When people tell me they love the book, I just shrug and say, "Yeah, whatever." My shrink says it's all about the love within. You have to love yourself or you'll never be able to accept compliments from anyone.”

People Writing Believe Book Different Hate Song Accepting Love You Memoir Compliment Judged Love Yourself Hate You

Author:Dean Wareham

“In a general sense, to convert any short story, novel, play, or opera into a movie, you have to re-rig it. Even though they're all narratives over time, they're very different forms.”

Different Novel Short Story

Author:Alexander Payne

Quote by Mike Leigh

Author

You May Also Like