Tom Stoppard Quotes

I love working with directors who have good taste. It's incredible when a director can say something and things open up for you. I went to The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and some of my best experiences on sets have been working with other alums.

Twelve years on sets watching directors, I've taken a bit from everybody and rejected a lot.

There is the danger of over preparation, of loss of spontaneity; over rehearsal is the most terrible thing you can imagine. We do have a very close association between costume and set designer, though. And the cameraman is very important, of course.

If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like, 'Man, I've got a million decisions to make; can you show up with an idea for the scene?'

A lot of directors in my experience are very receptive. They see what you do first, and then they want to find a place to put the camera, and they tweak you here and there.

In film, you're painting a canvas. I got really excited about that.

A great movie evolves when everybody has the same vision in their heads.

Films are not mathematics - that's the first thing you need to understand. At least, that's how I feel. They are not words on paper. Films are made with people, with teams and with individual bundles of creativity coming together to fulfill the vision of an individual who is the director of the film.

When I'm directing films, I mostly try to create an environment on set that mimics what's in my mind as to the tone and feel of things. I try to create a place where you feel that anything's possible.

I love David Fincher - even though it was just two scenes, I loved the way we worked and could tell by the way he was shooting it that this was going to be an affective movie to say the least.

When the director has a vision for a piece that I've never heard before, and they can back that up with visuals, and they talk a good game, I get really interested in the world that they're trying to create.

I make a movie because it's something that inspires me.

I think what makes a good actor's director is the same thing that makes a good director. Acting is just one of the trades necessary to make a movie.

The beauty of doing film is that you construct whatever you do block by block and you can build something that will stay.

When I can see things through the lens of the director, it's like being able to see the whole puzzle - it's not just about my role, but the whole script.

I like to just work with great directors.

I provide the bricks and mortar with the words and situations - the director and the actors and the designers build the house.

You need these experiences. Just know that sometimes, the director has a specific look in mind.

I love reading different scripts and helping create different looks, different environments. Sometimes you go to meet a director over a particular script, and they'll say, 'I want you to do this because I want it to look like Shawshank,' and I'm like, 'Well, I'm not that interested in doing that again.'

That's the joy of making a movie: watching all the elements come together.

You're always just trying to make your film, tell the story you're trying to tell - best you can, you know.

Good directing is good writing and good casting.

As a filmmaker, I'm a collaborator first.

I have always believed that when a film is being made, it has to be the director's vision.

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.