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the worst sin a filmmaker can commit is to bore his audience and fail to captivate from the very first moment.
It was instantly clear to me what the key to filmmaking was. They have a beautiful expression in Peru: “Perseverance is where the gods dwell.”
If you give a piece of an unknown metal alloy to a chemist, he will examine its structure by putting it under great pressure and exposing it to great heat; this gives him a better understanding of what that metal is composed of. The same can be said of human beings, who often give insight into their innermost being when under duress. We are defined in battle. The Greeks had a saying: “A captain only shows during a storm.”
I try to give meaning to my existence through my work. That’s a simplified answer, but whether I’m happy or not really doesn’t count for much. I have always enjoyed my work. Maybe “enjoy” isn’t the right word; I love making films, and it means a lot to me that I can work in this profession. I am well aware of the many aspiring filmmakers out there with good ideas who never find a foothold.
My advice is to find the best people and keep it exclusive.
I prefer wide-angle shots because I want audiences to be aware of the physical space the characters inhabit.
I never look for stories to tell; instead they assail me,
Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. I was overwhelmed by the feeling that before he started painting, no one had articulated and depicted human pathos with such clarity. Pathos had always existed, but Michelangelo was the first to really express it. Since then we have been able to understand ourselves that much deeper. The purpose of the filmmaker is to record and guide, as chroniclers of past centuries did.
I am seeking some insight into human nature. There’s nothing exceptional about this; most painters and writers with any skill are working away at the same thing.
Spielberg deserves the position he is in because he understands something that those who are concerned only with the fireworks of flashy visuals don’t. If a story in a narrative film doesn’t function, that film won’t function.
Our culture today, especially television, infantilises us. The indignity of it kills our imagination. May I propose a Herzog dictum? Those who read own the world. Those who watch television lose it.
A coward in body is often also a coward in mind.
Any aesthetic pattern that emerges within a shot always comes from a physical understanding of the environment in which the filming is taking place. I could never work competently in a space – interior or exterior – that I hadn’t experienced with my body.
there is no such thing as problem children, only problem parents.
A positive review doesn’t make a film better, nor does a negative one make a film worse. I’ve never been interested in circling around my own navel; I try to avoid myself. I might glance at some of the more important reviews because they can influence box-office takings, but generally none of it has anything to do with me. Audience reactions have always been more important than those of professional film-goers.
dig in your heels and budge not a single inch.
The idea of everyone having an equal chance to succeed, no matter who they are, is impressive.
Wall-to-wall protection is devastating because children are conditioned not to be intrepid; they will never grow up to become scientists who jump across boundaries into the unknown.
I always felt that if you really love cinema, the healthiest thing to do is ignore books about it.
the intensity of your wishes and faith alone are the deciding factors.
Cinema emboldens us. It helps us surmount everyday life and encourages us to take our hopes and desires seriously, to turn them into reality.
The same could be never said for filmmaking. A musician is made in childhood, but a filmmaker any time.
Technical knowledge inevitably becomes dated; the ability to adapt to change will always be more important.
The spontaneity necessary for the kind of cinema I want to create is easily extinguished in such sterile and controlled places.
I have always functioned better out in the world, where a story that looked abstract on paper is finally able to engage with real life.
The other thing I’m fiercely opposed to is storyboards, the instruments of cowards who have no faith in their imagination and no confidence in their fantasies. I can see the need for them when it comes to a scene with special effects, but otherwise story boards turn everyone into marionettes of a pre-existing design.
I don’t give much thought to the composition of an image; I focus instead entirely on what that shot is about and how it fits into the overall story.
If I were to think about my handwriting while writing an important letter, the words would become meaningless.
the important thing is to know your story and what the scene is about.
“How many shots are we going to do for this scene?” Eventually I looked at her and said, “At least one.”
When I direct, I feel like a football coach who has given tactics to his team but knows how vital it is for the players to react to unexpected situations. Too much planning means things become stale. If a footballer worked out his every move in advance, he wouldn’t be a very effective player. My approach to filming is that from the start I have a general sense of what I want, but allow the action to develop naturally without knowing precisely what camera angles and how many shots will be needed. If a scene develops differently from my original idea because of the actors or vagaries of the
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People who moan about these kinds of things aren’t suited to this line of business. It’s the very nature of the medium. Your job is to overcome these problems, to cope with the mischievous realities that do everything they can to prevent you from completing your work, to think around corners and respond to unforeseen circumstances. You have to learn how to turn the forces of catastrophe in your favour.
The film director has to be a lion tamer of the unexpected.
It’s no coincidence that George Méliès, the great pioneer of early cinema, was a magician before he became a filmmaker.
Try to discover the hidden mechanics behind such things and you’ll discover countless other rules that apply to westerns and other genres.
“Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.” When the system doesn’t respond, when it doesn’t accept what you’re doing – and most of the time it won’t – you have to become self-reliant and create your own system. There will always be periods of solitude and loneliness, but you must have the courage to follow your own path. Cleverness on the terrain is the most important trait of a filmmaker.
Always take the initiative. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in a jail cell if it means getting the shot you need. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey. Beware of the cliché. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief. Learn to live with your mistakes. Study the law and scrutinise contracts. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern. Keep your eyes open. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it. There is never an excuse
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Those who read own the world; those who immerse themselves in the Internet or watch too much television lose it. If you don’t read, you will never be a filmmaker. Our civilisation is suffering profound wounds because of the wholesale abandonment of reading by contemporary society.
It’s the same attitude required of filmmakers, who need to discover and seize upon the intensity within.
Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and America, America, all examples of great Hollywood storytelling. I also recommend Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, which I admire because of the acting, and Elia Kazan’s impeccable Viva Zapata!.
What distinguishes us from the cows in the field is an inherent human desire to understand the world around us. It doesn’t matter that many of my interests have never been translated directly into my film work. Everything that simmers inside of me eventually finds its expression somehow, somewhere.
Absolute concentration, quiet and focus are required from everyone, at every moment, on my set.
Your attitude should always be as if you have only two days to make the entire film.
There is often great frustration in this work. I say this not to discourage anyone; it’s just a way of life. One way to get through it is sheer discipline. This isn’t about physical discipline, rather a certain psychological state. Plough on no matter how many spectacular humiliations and undignified defeats you suffer. Under normal circumstances, when a human being leaps into an abyss, he shrinks back. But when a ski jumper takes off, he leans forward, head first, into the void. If he doesn’t, he rotates backwards. A downhill racer might be able to brake if he needs to, but when a jumper
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Writers and filmmakers are all alone; there is usually no one to help you, so just get off your ass and start walking. When you make a film or write a book and roll it out to audiences, be prepared to deal with either kicks to the stomach and slaps to the face or complete indifference. Most of the time no one cares about what you’re doing, except you. A filmmaker’s existence is different from that of a train conductor or bank teller. You have made certain choices about your life, which means you need to learn to overcome the despair and loneliness. Stay focused, quiet and professional at all
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What makes me rich is that I am welcomed almost everywhere. I can show up with my films and am offered hospitality, something you could never achieve with money alone.
The most important thing to say about editing is that it isn’t a technical process. It comes from something much deeper, from an understanding of the vision behind the images and the story you need to tell. If you don’t have that, your work will be subject to whims and continual fumbling.
anything mediocre or that detracts from the story is easily junked,
I don’t need yes-men and -women around me, a docile crew that tells me everything I do is great. What I want are people like Beate, who bring with them a strong independent spirit and attitude.
At every stage it’s vital to allow the material to take on a life of its own.
