“Before writing a single note of music, and even before the spotting session, I find it best to sit down with the director and just listen to him or her talk about the film - what they're trying to say, what they want the audience to understand or believe, and a thousand other similar questions. The director has most likely been living with the film for years before a composer is attached, and so the director's inclinations, desires, and understanding of the film are paramount.” WantWritingTryingYearsBelieveFilmDesireUnderstandingAudienceThousandDirectorsNotesComposerInclinationSessionJust ListenParamount Author:John Keltonic
“I'm just happy when directors make a movie that is really sentimental but without being maudlin or saccharine or too much like Chewels gum. I don't want to be involved in a movie that's too much like a piece of Chewels.” WantToo MuchPiecesInvolvedDirectorsSentimentalGum Author:Paul Schneider
“When critics or people judge, I think it's harder to make a commercial, pop movie than it is to make a pretentious art film. It's harder to reach millions of people and satisfy them and make them happy. These films kind of get ghettoized, this genre because there are so many big, big movies that are such big hits, but aren't any good. The audiences, they're not judging the style of the director, or the execution of the film. They're just looking to be entertained. They want to escape from their reality, and that's why we make movies, to get people to escape from the realities.” PeopleThinkingWantKindArtBigsRealityFilmMillionsAudienceStyleJudgingDirectorsHarderCriticsPopsGenreExecutionPretentiousBig MovieArt FilmsNot Judging Author:Brett Ratner
“The first film that really knocked me out was Alien by Ridley Scott. This is a great movie because no matter how many times I watch it, I still find myself fully invested in the characters despite the fact I know what is coming. I think it was this type of mastery of storytelling and the ability of bringing the audience so completely into another world that made me want to become a director.” ThinkingKnowsWorldWantFirstsMadeStillsMatterCharacterFactsFilmAbilityWatchesAudienceTypeDirectorsStorytellingDespiteAliensMasteryAnother World Author:Nicholas Ozeki
“I think the power of the short film is incredibly underrated. It is way easier to get someone to watch a 15-minute film then a full-length feature. In those 15 minutes you have the opportunity to express your voice as an artist and hopefully connect with your audience. If you are trying to be a first time feature director then a short film that demonstrates you have a grasp on the themes and concepts of the movie you want to direct is a no-brainer. Whether they are collaborators or potential investors, filmmaking is a visual art form so you obviously need visuals to show them!” IfsThinkingWayWantNeedsTryingFirstsArtShowsFilmFormArtistOpportunityVoiceWatchesAudienceMinutesEasierDirectorsConceptsFirst TimeDirectHopefullyFeaturesThemeVisualsLengthInvestorsFilmmakingVisual ArtCollaboratorsUnderratedShort FilmsNo Brainer Author:Nicholas Ozeki
“Any good director creates a playground. That's what they do. They hire the right actor, open the door and let them play because stuff will happen, right then and there. The audience wants to believe that what's going on is happening for the first time, ever. That's what acting is. That's what good scene writing is.” WantWritingFirstsBelievePlayHappensActorsStuffActingAudienceDoorsSceneDirectorsHappeningsFirst TimePlaygroundsGood Directors Author:Martin Landau
“The thing that I think a director has to have in order to make a movie really work, and to certainly make a film that feels personal, which I hope this one does, is that you have to have a sense of the feeling that you want to create in people, the tone which you want to tell the story, and the basic themes you want to come out. You can't compromise on those because you are then not making the movie that you are going to be good at telling.” PeopleThinkingWantFeelsDoeStoriesFeelingsFilmOrderDirectorsBe GoodCompromiseToneTheme Author:George Nolfi
“Every director is different and they all have different styles. I've worked with directors who were very specific and they gave a lot of direction. The one thing about Michael [Haneke]that I think is interesting is that he really has a reason for everything he's asking you. If you challenge it, he is open for discussion but he has a clear idea of what he wants with reasons why.” IfsThinkingWantIdeasDifferentReasonChallengesInterestingClearOne ThingStyleDirectorsAskingReason WhyDiscussionDifferent StylesReason For Everything Author:Michael Pitt
“There's nothing really original. Alien was a B-movie. Five directors passed on it before me. Because I was into Heavy Metal, I read it, and thought, "Wow, I want to do this." I was on a plane to Hollywood in 22 hours. It was a B-movie and was elevated to an A-plus movie by sheer good taste.” WantHoursFiveTasteDirectorsHollywoodOriginalsHeavyAliensPlanesPlusWowMetalsSheerGood TasteHeavy Metal Author:Ridley Scott
“It's very bizarre though when you get hired and then the director will say, "I know how this goes." And you're thinking, "Wait a minute, I thought that I was doing this" but basically what they really want, especially if they wrote it, is they want you to do it as they imagined it. It's virtually impossible.” IfsThinkingKnowsWantWaitingKnow HowImpossibleMinutesDirectorsBizarre Author:Christopher Walken
“As an actor, I want to give in to the collaboration with the director because I don't want my work to be all the same. The more this can be done with comfort, the more variety my work has had.” WantGivingDoneActorsComfortDirectorsVarietyCollaboration Author:Jack Nicholson
“I don't want to rescind American directors but I think that European directors in general, because of the size of the nations in Europe are exposed to all different cultures, they can easily travel from one distinct culture to another in a matter of hours - you can drive for two weeks across the United States and you're in the same basic culture - so there is a certain breadth of understanding and sophistication that they bring to it and frankly, in some cases they are less expensive than American directors.” ThinkingWantTwoDifferentMatterStatesCertainCultureNationsUnderstandingHoursUnitedCasesUnited StatesWeekDirectorsEuropeSizeExpensiveExposedTwo WeeksSophisticationBreadthDifferent Cultures Author:Wes Craven
“People often ask me if I feel discriminated against as a black female director. I don't. I'm actually offered a ton of stuff. But I only want to direct what I write. And I prefer to focus on black female characters. What's most important to me is to put characters up onscreen who are not perfect, but who are human and flawed.” PeopleIfsWantFeelsWritingHumansImportantCharacterAsksStuffBlackPerfectFocusDirectorsFemaleDirectAsk MeFlawedNot PerfectFemale Characters Author:Gina Prince-Bythewood
“Oliver Stone is a great director and I've seen many films over the years, but I try to create stuff out of my own imagination. I want to break all the rules and mess about with it and make a different movie just for the fun of it.” WantTryingYearsDifferentFilmFunStuffImaginationMy OwnBreakDirectorsStonesMess Author:Anthony Hopkins
“I was never a nightclub manager or a hostess. I want to make that very clear. I was an executive at my club. I was a director of VIP operations, that's much different than a manager, that's much different than a waitress, it's different than, you know, a host - I was like an executive-level position” KnowsWantDifferentLevelsClearPositionDirectorsClubsManagersOperationsExecutivesHostWaitressNightclubsHostessesVip Author:Rachel Uchitel
“I learned that as a director, you're around all these talented people, so you have this window that all these really good ideas can come in to help your movie, so you're crazy to close them. You need to be inspiring people, engaging people. There are lots of people who are really good at their jobs but might not know or feel like they want to come up to people and get them to participate and want to do their best.” PeopleKnowsWantNeedsFeelsIdeasHelpingMightJobsCrazyDirectorsWindowCome UpGood IdeasEngaging Author:Ben Affleck
“As an artist - I'm sure like most creative people - you have a kind of board of directors that you make your work for. It's a group of people that you have, these friends, and you want to know what they think. In a weird way, you're making the work for them.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWayWantKindArtistCreativeGroupsDirectorsBoardsCreative PeopleBoard Of Directors Author:Robert Longo
“As a director you want to have actors, not only surpassing themselves, but also going somewhere, going different places.” WantDifferentActorsDirectorsDifferent PlaceSurpassing Author:Xavier Dolan
“People think women directors are tough. Truth is, I'm a pussycat and I hate conflict. I just want everyone to be happy on set.” PeopleThinkingWantHateTruth IsDirectorsConflictToughI Hate Author:Julie Delpy
“You always like to be the collaborator. I don't want to take over the movie, because if I want to do that, I should really become a director because then you have the control of everything, basically. I'm very happy to just be the visual part of it, doing the visual part of the movie.” IfsWantShouldDirectorsVisualsVery HappyCollaborators Author:Vilmos Zsigmond
“There's no director who wants to portray cheese puffs with a certain color that's going to make or break the commercial, in his opinion. We don't have to do that, so I don't miss it at all, really.” WantCertainOpinionBreakMissingColorDirectorsCheesePuffMake Or Break Author:Jamie Hyneman
“If I would want to have a huge audience, I would make American movies, not French movies, because there is a limit of course with French language. If I prefer to shoot in my own language, it is to play with my language, to play in my Paris, and I have complete freedom in France. It's so amazing. If American directors could imagine how free I am, they would have asked for political asylum immediately.” IfsWantPlayPoliticalCoursesLanguageMy OwnAudienceImagineHugeDirectorsLimitsFranceParisAsylumsAmerican MovieComplete FreedomFrench LanguageFrench Movies Author:Jean-Pierre Jeunet
“If there is one thing that, as a director, you don't want to be a part of, it's a group. It's the same thing with music. I don't want to be a part of a scene. Just leave me alone. It's just my nature, and it's nothing against the people that are in that group, but I just like to be left alone.” PeopleIfsWantLeftOne ThingGroupsSceneDirectorsLeaving MeMe AloneLeft AloneLeave Me AloneJust Leave Me Alone Author:Rob Zombie
“For me, the greatest kind of success that I've had on a particular project or in exploring a role does come through collaboration. I wouldn't want to do a movie where everything I do the director just says, "Good job" and I'm under directed.” WantKindDoeJobsRolesParticularDirectorsProjectsCollaborationExploringGood Job Author:Miles Teller
“It suits him because way back many years ago when Nikita Mikhalkov, the great Russian director, came, I said, "I want you to meet somebody." So I get Billy Bob from Malvern, Arkansas and Nikita Mikhalkov from Moscow. It's just two big talents meet. We sat for two or three hours and talked. It was great. He's the real deal, this guy.” WayWantYearsSaidTwoRealBigsGuyThreeHoursDealsTalentDirectorsYears AgoSuitsSatBobI Want YouThis GuyMoscowArkansas Author:Robert Duvall
“Your director is your everything and you devote yourself to them and you want to help create their vision.” WantHelpingVisionDirectors Author:Natalie Portman
“I take bits and pieces from every director. I'd say Sylvain [White] and Nimrod [Antal]. They were more about teaching me lens sizes and depth of field and how to move the camera and lighting. I do want to direct and I didn't go to film school, so having a director that are very much hands on that way and looking to let me learn, that is a key factor.” WayWantHandsSchoolFilmMovingBitsWhitePiecesTeachingFieldsKeysDirectorsDirectLet MeCamerasDepthSizeFactorsLensesLightingFilm SchoolBits And PiecesDepth Of Field Author:Columbus Short
“You stay with the foundation and then you just try different things because you don't know how the director will cut it and you want to give him, what will work, and you want to give him some options, give yourself some options, discover some things when you start to play. That's what we do; we get paid to play.” KnowsWantGivingTryingDifferentPlayKnow HowCuttingDirectorsPaidFoundationDifferent Things Author:Columbus Short
“I don't feel one could even remotely touch the idea of intimidating others, but because I've understood the other side of the experience, I will occasionally, if I smell that could even be in the air for a few minutes, say to the director, "Please, you must tell me anything you want. Please say all the things you think might be terribly hurtful like, 'That was boring.'"” IfsThinkingWantFeelsIdeasMightSidesAirMinutesPleaseDirectorsUnderstoodBoringSmellIntimidatingHurtful Author:Kenneth Branagh
“There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that.” WayWantMadeEmotionSceneDirectorsBrilliantBrilliant Ideas Author:Bruce Beresford
“People have asked me throughout the years which directors have influenced me. I don't know their names, because I was mostly influenced when I'd see a film and think, "Man, I want to be sure to never do anything like that." So I never learned their names. It wasn't a matter of copying or emulating somebody I admired. It was getting rid of a lot of stuff.” PeopleThinkingKnowsMenWantYearsMatterFilmNamesStuffDirectorsCopying Author:Robert Altman
“Sometimes you can't even find the director on a movie set. Sometimes you don't want to find the director on a movie set.” WantSometimesDirectorsMovie Sets Author:Stanley Tucci
“I like working with directors much, because I want to be able to give myself completely to their vision. Otherwise I would only do what I could do, again and again. I want to be taken by someone in a different direction.” WantGivingDifferentAbleVisionTakenDirectorsAgain And AgainDifferent Directions Author:Catherine Deneuve
“You hear again and again that audiences want to see movies that are different and critics say we [directors] make the same thing again and again in Hollywood, then you go and make something different and you get kicked in the gut for it.” WantDifferentAudienceDirectorsHollywoodCriticsGutsAgain And Again Author:David Ayer
“And if I'm running away from something, I try to make myself face it and overcome that initial fear. As a director, I don't think it's possible to make a movie that you really don't want to make.” IfsThinkingWantTryingRunningFacesDirectorsOvercomingRunning AwayInitials Author:Takashi Miike
“I want to do literally everything. I think I was gifted... I inherited one of the best comedy visionaries as a director.” ThinkingWantComedyDirectorsGiftedVisionariesBest Comedy Author:Marlon Wayans
“Definitely the script because you want to be part of an interesting story, you want your character to be a challenge, then comes the director. But essentially it's the script first and whether it's a character that you think you can do.” ThinkingWantFirstsCharacterStoriesCan DoChallengesInterestingDirectorsScriptsInteresting Stories Author:Eric Bana
“I read the books the day before I had met with the director Catherine Hardwicke. The first I heard of it was my agent called and said, 'Do you want to be in a vampire movie?' and I said 'No.' I thought it was like a zombie, blood-and-guts, vampire movie.” WantFirstsSaidBookHeardBloodMetsDirectorsAgentsVampireGutsZombieVampire Movie Author:Peter Facinelli
“There's no point in it unless it's a story that you really want to tell. It's a nebulous job. Unless you're doing it well, you're not doing anything. And there are a few of those. It's perfectly possible to be a passenger on a film set because if somebody else has written it, you can make nothing of that role and that's exactly what bad directors do.” IfsWantWellsStoriesJobsFilmRolesWrittenDirectorsNo PointPassengersFilm Set Author:Colin Firth
“Some people come up to be directors by coming through the camera department and there's not a lot of women in the camera department. The ones that are have to kind of prove they're one of the boys, I think. I don't want to get into trouble with generalisations but I think it's a fair observation.” PeopleThinkingWantKindBoysTroubleDirectorsProveFairsCamerasCome UpObservationDepartmentGeneralisation Author:Colin Firth
“It depends on the scripts and the character and just everybody involved, the other actors and directors. It's just a gut feeling when you find something, you're like, 'Yes, I want to sink my teeth into that.'” WantCharacterFeelingsActorsDependsInvolvedDirectorsScriptsTeethGutsGut Feelings Author:Mandy Moore
“You have to really be able to trust the director. It's about the filmmaker and whether or not I'm going to be able to have a relationship with them and want to follow them down that road, wherever it may lead.” WantMayAbleDirectorsFilmmaker Author:Cameron Diaz
“In a love scene that's really advantageous because you don't have that horrible moment of: "We don't really know what we're supposed to be doing, we just know we're supposed to be snogging and then shagging." Then the director shouts "action" and it's like: "Should I feel her boobs? I don't want to feel her boobs!"” KnowsWantFeelsShouldMomentsActionSceneDirectorsHorribleSupposed To BeShould IShaggingSnogging Author:James McAvoy
“Most films and directors lose their nerve and want to indicate [emotions] a bit more, to show that their story is clear. I'm not saying that's a good thing; as an actor its anathema to good acting, but to have someone with the confidence to say that should I be utterly natural and minimalist is great.” WantShouldStoriesShowsFilmActorsBitsLosesNaturalActingEmotionClearDirectorsGood ThingsNervesShould IMinimalistAnathemaGood Acting Author:Matt Damon
“I love rehearsals and I love creating a character, sticking with it until you have something to tell. It's always different though. Sometimes a director will tell you from day one what they want. Then you throw in your idea.” WantIdeasDifferentSometimesCharacterDirectorsCreatingRehearsal Author:Gael Garcia Bernal
“I always say to people when I'm trying to get something going, bringing on other producers or other directors, "You can think of 95 reasons why not to make a movie. You've got to address why you want to make the movie and get it done. Just do it." I tend to live by that rule.” PeopleThinkingWantTryingReasonDoneDirectorsProducersReason WhyAddressesLive ByWhy NotJust Do ItGet It Done Author:Ridley Scott
“If a director says he doesn't care how many people see his films at all, I simply don't believe him. Otherwise why would he bother to make the film? The only explanation would be that it would be an act of masturbation. I think that every creator is looking for a receptor. He's looking for an audience. There are two parts of the equation: a creator and, necessarily, the receiver of the work. It's the same thing for a painter who wants his paintings to be seen.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantBelieveTwoWould BeCareFilmAudiencePaintingDirectorsDon't BelieveCreatorPainterBotherExplanationWorking ItEquationsMasturbationReceiverHe Doesn't Care Author:Michael Haneke
“Be yourself. Forget about whether you are male or female and just work hard to become a director who truly knows her craft and the direction she wants the film to go. People respect a director for her work regardless of her gender.” PeopleKnowsWantHardFilmForgetHard WorkDirectorsFemaleMalesGenderCraftsBeing Yourself Author:Mabel Cheung
“I would not like to direct, I would be one of those terrible directors who can't help line reading the actors their lines, because I would just want to be doing their parts.” WantHelpingWould BeReadingActorsLinesTerribleDirectorsDirect Author:Ruby Bentall
“I'm trying to avoid any more asshole roles, at least for a little bit. The main criteria for me when choosing a project is a good director. I just want to work with these guys that I admire because I do want to direct my own films one day, and I want to pick their brains to see what their process is like, and see what I can take from that.” WantTryingLittlesI CanFilmGuyBitsProcessMy OwnBrainRolesOne DayDirectorsProjectsLittle BitPicksDirectAdmireCriteriaGood Directors Author:Dave Franco