Denis Villeneuve Quotes

Every film you work on is different, and that's part of what it's like for anybody who works on a film, is to learn how to work with others. Learn from top to bottom. Actors have to learn how to work with the director and the director has to learn how to work with actors, and that's not just those two departments.

Collaboration is just, really, a group of people getting in a room with their eye on a very similar prize and wanting to come out with the same show. The director, ultimately, is the guy in front of whom the buck stops. So, he has to have the courage to prevail. But, he has got to have a huge amount of respect for his collaborators.

A good director has to be a captain - he has to work with a lot of people every day.

During this period at the Department of Education, my working relationship with Judge Thomas was positive.

I think a good director is a good listener.

It's part of the fun of it to work with strong personalities.

In a leadership role in Iraq and in running my own business, what I've learned is if you don't listen, you're going to strike out. You're going to fail miserably. The people you work with have got to know you're engaged and you're listening.

Leadership requires a blend of strategy, persuasion, inspiration and motivation. It is based on respect more than fear.

Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.

I haven't worked with a director who is a crazy person at all.

Part of being a successful leader is listening and looking for opportunities to bring people together.

If there is anything I wanted to learn in Europe, it was how I could be more of a team player.

Directing is such alchemy, it's so easy to fail. And I've seen people who are great at their jobs because everybody has a go. Editors, DPs, actors, craft services guy, everybody wants to try it out but it is such a diffuse but necessary set of skills that you never know which one this person might lack.

Making movies was a real weird kind of adult experience. In a way it was like MIT, in that it was a great education. The big lesson is, people are people. They're smart, funny, creative people, but they're people.

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

I guess confidence is the only thing that I take from project to project, but I'm always open to learning everybody's style - the director, the actor I'm working with.

Well, the first quality of being a good leader is you have to be able to follow. See, a good leader can't just be the leader all the time, I have to be able to follow.

I believe you can work with anybody.

I'm always learning from experiences because each one is different and there are different players involved in the project at the time with their own way of doing things.

The funny thing about directing is that you have your own opinions, but it's a collaboration. Directing is a group effort. Even though you might think something works, the smartest thing you can do as a director is try and weigh the opinions of the people around you.

I've played sports pretty much my whole life, and that teaches you how to work with anyone, whether you like that person or you don't, and whether you get along with them or you don't. The circumstances don't matter. Team work is part of life.

What I know about me is that, in order to lead, you also have to know how to follow.

Once you're more aware of people's needs, you can create action plans for others to follow. That way, you're responsible for your own well-being, too.

Making movies is not rocket science. It's about relationships and communication and strangers coming together to see if they can get along harmoniously, productively, and creatively. That's a challenge. When it works, it's fantastic and will lift you up. When it doesn't work, it's almost just as fascinating.

The most important thing for a director is being able to communicate.