Jonathan Demme Quotes

The films I want to make, I really want to be passionate about.

I just want to produce and create projects that I'm passionate about and I love.

I only want to make music because I have a passion for it.

I just love working with actors, and I love working with writers, working with designers. I feel that I am just a storyteller, and whether I am wearing the director hat or the playwright hat, it doesn't matter. And the rooms I tend to be in are pretty democratic, and the best idea wins.

In truth, making films doesn't feel like hard work because I always have such a good time doing it.

I've learned over the years that you're going to be most successful at the things you're most excited to do. Every artist has a special set of tools. When you really use those tools, and you make yourself feel really good about the product you create, I think you'll find an audience for it. I've been very fortunate in that respect.

I try to make films that I find exciting. It makes me want to get out of bed at five in the morning, have my make-up done and play for the rest of the day.

When you're a director, you really live whatever you do.

Directing is really exciting. In the end, it's more fun to be the painter than the paint.

I don't look at it as a career. I've just made a few films, and I want to make a few more.

We have to make some movies we have passion for, respect for.

As a director and filmmaker, I love creating my own opportunity, and getting to share the love, in that way, by creating other opportunities for people that I admire, so that they can do something in a way they haven't done it before.

I think 99% of the whole thing is to have passion about the idea yourself. I think part of your job as a filmmaker is to tell someone that might not think it's going to work that, actually, it will work.

If you just write the kinds of stories you think others will want to read, you'll be competing with cartoonists who are far more enthusiastic for that kind of comic than you are, and they'll kick your ass every time.

My friends and I started making films when I was still in kindergarten.

My goal was not to be famous or rich but to be good at what I did. And that required going to New York and studying and working in the theater.

I don't like directing that much to want a career as a director for hire. I like to have as much creative control as possible.

I have a great little camera, and I had a theory that if the story is interesting, it doesn't matter what medium you shoot it on. You just have to make a good film.

For me, to be perfectly honest, the part of my brain that was stimulated by directing was much more exciting than a typical day of acting.

I fight to take a good photograph every single time.

I think it's always good for the author to stay a good cattle prod's distance from the actual moviemaking.

I think the good thing about Macklemore is that he is very precise about what he gets involved in. As you can tell, he's very passionate about what he puts his name on, because he talks about things people don't usually talk about, and his concepts are very, very passionate.

Making a movie is so hard, you'd better make movies about something you really know about. And even more, it's really good to make movies about things you need to figure out for yourself, so you're driven the whole way through. It's going to make things more crucial for you.

Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum.

I'm glad I took the leap away from acting into going behind the camera because it's much more satisfying - I love acting and I still do, but it's much more satisfying to be able to make the stuff.