Sam Esmail Quotes

Most TV shows are writing the next episode while you're directing the one you're doing, and they're trying to figure out what they're going to do, and they're putting it all together.

When you make a film you usually make a film about an idea.

If you're writing a screenplay for a feature, you don't have any involvement with the casting process, the editing process, the set design, the costume design, or any of that stuff.

To make films, it always begins with two words: what and how. First of all, you have to find a story, or what are you going to tell? And you have to find a way to tell it visually.

I am not interested in doing a film on the basis of a good story. I want a proper screenplay.

A movie is very different when you're writing the script and you're building a story compared to what the final product is.

As a filmmaker, I'm very collaborative. I don't pretend to know everything that is needed to make a movie. What I like to do is get together with a group of people, starting with developing the story and bounce around ideas.

There's something about taking a film from concept to script, through production, and then to see the final thing happening in the edit phase. It's almost like a miracle in the making.

Making films has got to be one of the hardest endeavors known to humankind.

I got involved in script development from the beginning. It was nice to see how a film gets made right from the beginning. It was quite hands-on for me.

There's nothing more important in making movies than the screenplay.

I like acting, but I like filmmaking better. I went to film school. I want to make films.

Where I think the most work needs to be done is behind the camera, not in front of it.

We all write, but the script is a blueprint. We can lose whole scenes when we're shooting.

I've been doing a bit of screenwriting and producing, and even a bit of directing.

Pre-production and post-production is something that I've never been exposed to. I was pleasantly surprised that you could accomplish a lot during pre-production.

Making a movie is a network of decisions that keep multiplying as you go. You leave a trail of decisions behind you, and that's how you start to see the shape of what you've done. When you get far enough, you turn around and say, 'Ha, that's the movie.' It's only then that you find out if it's going to work or not.

When you're working on a novel, you never think about how much it would cost to shoot one of your scenes. But that's a huge consideration in film and TV.

First hand on 'Go Goa Gone' I learnt how to write on final drafts, how the process works.

To get the film in your head on the screen, first you have to take it out of your head and explain it to everyone who is working with you. This will take work and planning.

I have gained a lot of confidence in my process of making films. It does't mean I'll make a successful film or even a good film, but I know how to make my film.

There is so much that I love about all aspects of making a film or a TV show.

If you just love movies enough, you can make a good one.

I haven't thought about getting into production. I'm interested in the creative aspect of storytelling.

Filmmaking is the ultimate team sport.