Quotes by Director | Beyond Motive 26/67

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Quotes by Director

"But compared to writing a novel, where you can be God, I did the Bay of Pigs invasion in six pages once, and there were 50,000 guys with boots that I didn't have to pay, and all those extras; we didn't have to pay them."

"But compared to writing a novel, where you can be God, I did the Bay of Pigs invasion in six pages once, and there were 50,000 guys with boots that I didn't have to pay, and all those extras; we didn't have to pay them."

John Sayles, American Director

13

"It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive."

"It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive."

Federico Fellini, Italian Director

13

"Rarest of the real poets are born poets. They are the oddballs, not the professors."

"Rarest of the real poets are born poets. They are the oddballs, not the professors."

James Broughton, American Director

13

"Whereas my producer literally worked on this thing for 10 years and because I gave that presenter credit to David Lynch, she to this day never gets credit. It really kills me."

"Whereas my producer literally worked on this thing for 10 years and because I gave that presenter credit to David Lynch, she to this day never gets credit. It really kills me."

Terry Zwigoff, American Director

Movies, Credit, Day, Years

13

"I had been a kid that moved so much, I didn't have a lot of friends. Theater really represented camaraderie."

"I had been a kid that moved so much, I didn't have a lot of friends. Theater really represented camaraderie."

Francis Ford Coppola, American Director

Friendship, Friends, Theater

13

"I've dropped myself into straightforward character pieces in order to explore that form and reap its values. But you are sort of restricted visually when your first requirement is to tell a fairly straightforward story."

"I've dropped myself into straightforward character pieces in order to explore that form and reap its values. But you are sort of restricted visually when your first requirement is to tell a fairly straightforward story."

Brian De Palma, American Director

Character, Values, First, Order

13

"That would be getting up at 5 am... I don't understand why film's shoot such brutal hours. I think it'd be worth it to not be so strictly cost-effective and have an 8 hour day. The film's would benefit in the end."

"That would be getting up at 5 am... I don't understand why film's shoot such brutal hours. I think it'd be worth it to not be so strictly cost-effective and have an 8 hour day. The film's would benefit in the end."

Terry Zwigoff, American Director

Movies, Day, End, Film, Worth

13

"I think he was explicit that it was a slave labor situation, but I was not alarmed at that point, because there were so many tragedies involved in that war. That was the first time I had any indication that something was sort of strange."

"I think he was explicit that it was a slave labor situation, but I was not alarmed at that point, because there were so many tragedies involved in that war. That was the first time I had any indication that something was sort of strange."

Charles Guggenheim, American Director

Time, War, First, Labor

13

"Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's."

"Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's."

Billy Wilder, American Director

Trust, Instinct, Mistakes

13

"Americans in particular are myopic. They're not traveling as much. When you were a college student, the next thing you would do on graduation was to take a year off and travel. That's what I did. I went to Indonesia."

"Americans in particular are myopic. They're not traveling as much. When you were a college student, the next thing you would do on graduation was to take a year off and travel. That's what I did. I went to Indonesia."

Julie Taymor, American Director

Travel, Graduation, Americans, College

13

"Photography must be integrated with the story."

"Photography must be integrated with the story."

James Wong Howe, Chinese Director

Integration, Photography

13

"Neither does man have gills for living in a water environment; yet it is not sinful to explore the depths of the oceans in search of food or other blessings."

"Neither does man have gills for living in a water environment; yet it is not sinful to explore the depths of the oceans in search of food or other blessings."

Walter Lang, American Director

Food, Blessings, Environment, Living

13

"These things are hard to pin down. We work on a script a bit, then work on a different one."

"These things are hard to pin down. We work on a script a bit, then work on a different one."

Joel Coen, American Director

13

"So on my screenplay, on the left-hand side of the page, I will put all the ideas that refer to the scene next to it so I have some sort of pictorial reference."

"So on my screenplay, on the left-hand side of the page, I will put all the ideas that refer to the scene next to it so I have some sort of pictorial reference."

Adrian Lyne, English Director

Creativity, Ideas, Will

13

"You could name the great stars of the silent screen who were finished; the great directors gone; the great title writers who were washed up. But remember this, as long as you live: the producers didn't lose a man. They all made the switch. That's where the great talent is."

"You could name the great stars of the silent screen who were finished; the great directors gone; the great title writers who were washed up. But remember this, as long as you live: the producers didn't lose a man. They all made the switch. That's where the great talent is."

Ernst Lubitsch, German Director

Talent, Man, Name, Stars

13

"For us music is mainly part of the entertainment world and is often a luxury."

"For us music is mainly part of the entertainment world and is often a luxury."

Wim Wenders, German Director

Music, Entertainment, Luxury, World

13

"I know a little more about Kinsey than I know about sex because that is his subject not mine."

"I know a little more about Kinsey than I know about sex because that is his subject not mine."

Bill Condon, American Director

13

"I cannot work fast enough. I cannot cope fast enough, really. And just releasing a film is hard."

"I cannot work fast enough. I cannot cope fast enough, really. And just releasing a film is hard."

Werner Herzog, German Director

13

"Its not really about the movie business, it's about staying in the picture."

"Its not really about the movie business, it's about staying in the picture."

Robert Evans, American Director

13

"It is interesting to be here and to see that for certain actors they have to live in a way that you think of nobody living anymore except for in small towns. They have such elaborate double lives."

"It is interesting to be here and to see that for certain actors they have to live in a way that you think of nobody living anymore except for in small towns. They have such elaborate double lives."

Bill Condon, American Director

Actor, Actors, Living

13

"I guess why the Ocean's films are hard for me is because on the one hand you have to make sure the performances are there, but on the other hand it's a film that demands, to my mind, a very layered and complex visual scheme. That takes a lot of time to figure out."

"I guess why the Ocean's films are hard for me is because on the one hand you have to make sure the performances are there, but on the other hand it's a film that demands, to my mind, a very layered and complex visual scheme. That takes a lot of time to figure out."

Steven Soderbergh, American Director

Time, Film, Mind, Ocean

13

"I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten."

"I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten."

Francis Ford Coppola, American Director

Writing, Bizarre, Speech, Writer

13

"When I was a teenager there was no video in my country. Betamax came to Mexico very slowly."

"When I was a teenager there was no video in my country. Betamax came to Mexico very slowly."

Guillermo del Toro, Mexican Director

Nation, Country

13

"Moonstruck... was one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar."

"Moonstruck... was one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar."

Norman Jewison, Canadian Director

13

"You know, I find it very strange when movies that I made that were just excoriated - I mean that I was just vilified for - are now looked at as classics."

"You know, I find it very strange when movies that I made that were just excoriated - I mean that I was just vilified for - are now looked at as classics."

John Milius, American Director

13

"Cocteau is someone who has made such a profound impression on me that there's no doubt he's influenced every one of my films."

"Cocteau is someone who has made such a profound impression on me that there's no doubt he's influenced every one of my films."

Jacques Rivette, French Director

Impression, Doubt

13

"The world is an infinitely fascinating, tragic and humorous place."

"The world is an infinitely fascinating, tragic and humorous place."

Mike Figgis, English Director

13

"I don't think you can ever be ahead of your time with cynicism about that subject. No, I don't think it was ahead of its time. I think it was very much a product of its time."

"I don't think you can ever be ahead of your time with cynicism about that subject. No, I don't think it was ahead of its time. I think it was very much a product of its time."

Joe Dante, American Director

13

"If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed."

"If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed."

Stanley Kubrick, American Director

13

"These wrestlers aren't organized. They have no union, no pension and no insurance. You meet wrestler after wrestler who sold out Madison Square Garden ten years ago, basically running on fumes today. There's a lot of drama there."

"These wrestlers aren't organized. They have no union, no pension and no insurance. You meet wrestler after wrestler who sold out Madison Square Garden ten years ago, basically running on fumes today. There's a lot of drama there."

Darren Aronofsky, American Director

Wrestlers, Drama, Garden, Running, Today

13

"When you're working with a smaller budget I suppose one of the things that has to be in your mind when you are writing is that you have to keep the characters down to a minimum."

"When you're working with a smaller budget I suppose one of the things that has to be in your mind when you are writing is that you have to keep the characters down to a minimum."

Atom Egoyan, Canadian Director

13

"I always admired Stanley Kubrick for the fact that he managed to beat the system somehow. I think he kind of had it all figured out."

"I always admired Stanley Kubrick for the fact that he managed to beat the system somehow. I think he kind of had it all figured out."

Joel Coen, American Director

13

"Yeah, getting the company that would help advertise and cross promote the movie on the release was an important factor for New Line, so we went out to a lot of different companies."

"Yeah, getting the company that would help advertise and cross promote the movie on the release was an important factor for New Line, so we went out to a lot of different companies."

David R. Ellis, American Director

Advertising, Company, Help

13

"I still can't quite believe it. Although there was something about the fact that it was a first-time writer, a first-time producer, and a first-time director all at the same time."

"I still can't quite believe it. Although there was something about the fact that it was a first-time writer, a first-time producer, and a first-time director all at the same time."

Sam Mendes, British Director

Time, Fact, First, Writer

13

"The point at which we worked with some of these actors, they weren't really stars yet. Nicolas Cage was not a big star when we did Raising Arizona. A lot of these people were also virtually unknown, too, when we worked with them first."

"The point at which we worked with some of these actors, they weren't really stars yet. Nicolas Cage was not a big star when we did Raising Arizona. A lot of these people were also virtually unknown, too, when we worked with them first."

Joel Coen, American Director

People, Actors, First, Stars

13

"Dogs got personality. Personality goes a long way."

"Dogs got personality. Personality goes a long way."

Quentin Tarantino, American Director

Dogs, Personality

13

"There was a perverse side of me, with things like Van Helsing coming out. I didn't want to go down that route."

"There was a perverse side of me, with things like Van Helsing coming out. I didn't want to go down that route."

Terry Gilliam, American Director

13

"I believe that the best cameraman is one who recognizes the source, the story, as the basis of his work."

"I believe that the best cameraman is one who recognizes the source, the story, as the basis of his work."

James Wong Howe, Chinese Director

13

"It's kind of interesting to be a director who is all of a sudden being an actor playing an agent. This is my whole world!"

"It's kind of interesting to be a director who is all of a sudden being an actor playing an agent. This is my whole world!"

Mark Rydell, American Director

13

"I like actors that are good with pantomime and that can transmit a lot by their presence and attitude more than through their dialogue."

"I like actors that are good with pantomime and that can transmit a lot by their presence and attitude more than through their dialogue."

Guillermo del Toro, Mexican Director

Attitude, Actors

13

"I'd like to do a lot of different stuff. I think it's important as a creative person to keep challenging yourself and keep doing new stuff. If you end up trying to repeat yourself it's death. It just becomes boring and takes the passion out of it. You gotta find stories and characters that you really want to hang out with."

"I'd like to do a lot of different stuff. I think it's important as a creative person to keep challenging yourself and keep doing new stuff. If you end up trying to repeat yourself it's death. It just becomes boring and takes the passion out of it. You gotta find stories and characters that you really want to hang out with."

Darren Aronofsky, American Director

Death, End, Passion, Trying

13

"I hope before I am getting too old and when my mind is still functioning, I can tell some better stories."

"I hope before I am getting too old and when my mind is still functioning, I can tell some better stories."

Zhang Yimou, Chinese Director

Hope, Mind, Old

13

"It's a big part of what we do - we test our movies extensively. I'm always there myself. It's sometimes difficult to sit through, especially if it's a version of the movie that's not working particularly well."

"It's a big part of what we do - we test our movies extensively. I'm always there myself. It's sometimes difficult to sit through, especially if it's a version of the movie that's not working particularly well."

Bobby Farrelly, American Director

13

"The first thing I can really tell you is I really love the work."

"The first thing I can really tell you is I really love the work."

John Frankenheimer, American Director

Love, Work, First

13

"The written word is the basic of everything. Most important, the idea, and after that, the dialogue. You can rehash the dialogue as you go along, it 's disgraceful to have to do this, but now and again you have no choice."

"The written word is the basic of everything. Most important, the idea, and after that, the dialogue. You can rehash the dialogue as you go along, it 's disgraceful to have to do this, but now and again you have no choice."

Terence Fisher, British Director

Creativity, Idea, Choice, Now, Word

13

"I got put on jury duty, which is where I learned how to write."

"I got put on jury duty, which is where I learned how to write."

David O. Russell, American Director

13

"I ran into Isosceles. He had a great idea for a new triangle!"

"I ran into Isosceles. He had a great idea for a new triangle!"

Woody Allen, American Director

Creativity, Idea

13

"Painting does what we cannot do - it brings a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional plane."

"Painting does what we cannot do - it brings a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional plane."

Chuck Jones, American Director

Painting, World

13

"I wanted to shoot straight, mainstream, somehow off-beat. Not only realistic West, which is quite unfamiliar to the world's population - even to a lot of Americans."

"I wanted to shoot straight, mainstream, somehow off-beat. Not only realistic West, which is quite unfamiliar to the world's population - even to a lot of Americans."

Ang Lee, Chinese Director

Film, Americans, Population, World

13

"I also think the relationship I have with my audience is a lot more complex than what Hitchcock seemed to want his to be - although I think he had more going on under the surface as well."

"I also think the relationship I have with my audience is a lot more complex than what Hitchcock seemed to want his to be - although I think he had more going on under the surface as well."

David Cronenberg, Canadian Director

13

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