Paul Greengrass Quotes

I had a philosophy, which may have been proven right, that directing isn't as hard as everyone says it is.

I don't find acting and directing schizophrenic in any way. I find it completely easy to move between the two.

Directing is definitely something that is in my life for keeps, and the more I do it, the more I realize how much I want to learn and how much I have to give. And it kind of bolsters my acting - it enhances it in a really wonderful way that I wasn't expecting.

A film goes through so many hands, that by the time it's done, it might not resemble what you thought you were making.

I think the best directors aren't afraid to ask questions.

The job of the director is to make certain that the film has one voice and a sense of a single vision, even though it's produced by a large number of people making contributions - to turn all those contributions from individual voices into one coherent one.

The only place where you can be a dictator and still be loved is on the movie set

My father always watches my films and gives his opinion. I am even ready to reshoot at times if he asks me to.

Deep down inside, I do feel, at times, that I have to prove to people that I'm actually an artist.

I'm not the guy who does slo-mo, or I'm not the guy who does splashing rain or doves flying or anything; that's not me. Every film, I try and make it the way I see it in my head, and it really just depends on the script and the people I'm working with or whatever interests me at that particular time.

Every film is a human encounter. It's people trying to collaborate and create something together.

When you're writing, in theory, everybody is serving you. When you're directing, you're serving everybody - in the guise of acting like everybody's serving you. But you're really serving the materials. You're serving the actors. You're in charge, but it's not free.

I found filmmaking to be a very practical art form. It's about figuring out how to create within the very practical limitations/constraints of time, money, and large groups of collaborators.

I think there's an aspect of my soul, of my personality, that's very suited to directing. I like being in the room with actors; I love creating a safe space and a chaotic space for the discovery to take place. I love creating a sense of community.

Writing and directing, to me, was the logical evolution from my life as an actor: going from telling someone else's story to actually creating my own. Perhaps one day I will do all three: write, direct, and act in the same production. That might get a little hectic, though.

The sensibility I brought to directing was similar to what I bring when I write.

I tend to get hired because the filmmakers like what I do, so there's usually not that much conflict about the direction.

It doesn't really matter what someone's hair looks like or if the sound is perfect. Every director who's made a couple of movies knows that, because you can replace the sound. Or, like, any one shot is not that important, because they all add up together.

Film is always a fight because you're the person, as the director, with a clear picture in your head of what you think is really exciting, and you're just trying to convince a bunch of other people to buy into that.

Earlier, actors had a lot of power in their hands. And now, it has gone in the hands of the directors and writers, and that is how it should be. They are the visionaries, and we are the doers.

I don't understand how other producers who have no experience making a musical jump in and produce one.

I try to just focus on what feels right to me when I am conceiving it, conceptualizing, designing, etc. and then talk it through with the team and listen to what they have to say. This kind of thing is a team effort, and working with a great team is the most important part of filmmaking for me.

Andy was not a director and not a writer. He operated the camera a little bit, and he wasn't even so good at that.

What I look for in a director is a strong point of view, a clear vision, and an ability to multitask and make decisions on the fly.

I always thought that's the wonderful thing about filmmaking: people see things differently.