Film Quotes
I find that in preparation for a drama you can do a lot of character work and develop the character and know what you want to achieve and project throughout the course of the film.
For whatever reason, every project I do becomes sort of a cult, or a cultish show, you know, like 'Battlestar,' or even a film I did years ago, 'Kalifornia,' people refer to it as a cult film.
My films always leave me unsatisfied, since I've always worked under fairly disastrous conditions economically.
It's only human and natural that an actor should see the film in terms of his own part, but I, as a director, have to see the film as a whole. He must therefore collaborate selflessly, totally.
I believe in the autobiographical concept only to the degree that I am able to put onto film all that's passing through my head at the moment of shooting.
When I see a good film, it's like a whiplash. I run away, in order not to be influenced. Thus, the films I liked most are those I think least about.
I never seem to be able to sell my films correctly in the U.S. The U.S. defends itself on its own turf.
Before my commercial success, I had difficulty doing what I wanted, but my sincere short films always won prizes in festivals. So I was ready for larger successes.
All of my films are based on personal experiences and beliefs. Many of my heroes are my spokespeople - and some are not!
I do my films the best as I can, period. I always hope that, gradually, my honest work will reach Americans.
I've always felt that I've made films, period. I wanted to leave the "ghetto." And here I am, I'm out.
My producers give me total freedom. No one asks me for anything; they just tell me to make a good film, and that's what I do.
The film industry needs to find a way to bring audiences to movie theaters. It's more of a technical trick than a revolution.
I love silent cinema but don't hold it sacred. Like any branch of film there are some very boring films alongside the masterpieces.
There is an amount of abstraction in my movies, and sometimes they don't really understand it until the film is finished.
I think the purpose of test screenings is different for the studio and for the filmmaker. For the studio, I think they want to know whether the film works or not.
The problem when you edit a film together, when you shoot a film, you are drawn into the moment. You want each moment to be special and full of life.
You need philosophy. It sounds a little pompous but I think when you direct a film, the only way to find a response to the questions you keep asking yourself is to have a philosophy.
We have so many American and English films in Australia that we hear those accents often, so they're not too hard to pick up, but it's always a challenge.
What's going to be hard for me is to try to divorce myself as much as possible from what I wrote. I'll have to approach it simply as raw material and try to craft a film script out of it.
I don't think there's any money to be made doing something that's that contemporary without having a spin on it. If there's a London riots film with zombies, that'd have more chance.
In my early days, I didn't know what a good film or a bad film was, and I was trying to make some money. As it happens I was lucky. I made some good films.
I am often asked which of my films has come closest to my own ideal of performance, and I always answer, 'Educating Rita.'
I'd rather have a small part in a good film with good people than play the lead in something I don't really care for.
I had wanted to make a film about World War II for some time, but I didn't really want to do something that was set in the trenches, so to speak.
I'd always wanted to do something about the Second World War, but I didn't want to do another combat film, whether it was air, land, or sea.
The independent films are really where I kind of come from and where I feel comfortable.
There's a bunch of directors that I really admire, and Australian ones as well. It would be nice to do a film at home.
The great thing about film is you start and finish. It's a journey that lasts so long, TV lasts a long time.
Always had a passion for acting since I could remember, but I started when I was ten going for short film and commercial auditions in Los Angeles with my mom's help!
The new film I'm shooting in Jerusalem - which is partly why I'm here in Israel - is something I co-wrote.
I think digital will displace film, yes. We're talking about digital as a thing of the future, but I'm afraid that it's here.
With a film, you have to pare down and take stuff out and squish it all down into a 110 page script.
I think when you're on a show that takes place in N.Y.C. but film it in L.A. there is just a vibe that feels wrong.
The only kind of film I want to write is a story where I can keep on seeing the stories play out. I'm a huge television fan, and I'm a huge continuing storyline fan.
