Matt Ross Quotes

Movie making is really, it's a director's medium, it's not even so much an actor's medium.

Genre aside, I'd like to make a film about people.

I actually started as a model builder and quickly progressed into production design, which made sense because I could draw and paint. But I kept watching that guy over there who was moving the actors around and setting up the shots.

I love the work that goes into making a movie and creating a different world. It is a wholesome experience.

I spend a lot of time in preproduction working with authors, and a lot of time in postproduction.: editing, music, all that sort of stuff. Casting. On the set there's not a lot for me to do.

Being movie director you've got the art department, you've got the actors, you've got the camera department, you've got make-up and hair, and props. You've got your finger in all these pies, and you're making sure that everything cooks at the right temperature.

Film is a collection of many mediums and collaboration and you're only as strong as the people you're working with - and everybody owns their mediums.

I think that in big-budget movies there's a lot of other stuff going on besides acting, like special effects.

I have been directing and involved in producing and the creating of films for quite a while as well as acting. I always think in terms of what the director needs, and not just for this scene but for the film.

I had fun doing it, but acting ain't really my thing. I am more of a production/director type. I would rather be behind the scenes and organizing and putting things together like that.

Music is where I have the most creative freedom, but I love producing. To me, that's kind of where all the action is. You get a chance to have your hands in every aspect of a film. From picking a director, sometimes picking a writer, to the actors, the wardrobe, set design, editing, music, and marketing.

Writing, directing... anything behind the camera is what I want to do.

From my experience as an actor, choreographer, action director, and producer, I understand the elements and the dynamics of being a film maker.

There are still things technically about films that I think are a mystery to me and I want to remain a mystery. I don't particularly want to know what everyone's job is because I've got lines to learn.

The reward is that you can actually create a world separate from reality with a story, actors, music, and camera design. When it works it can entertain, move people and teach us all.

A good project but a poor director will always make a mediocre film, but an average script and good director can make a good film, as he will put in everything to make the film look good.

I want to direct, produce, and write, learning as I go.

We had a great time making 'Chennai Express.' It was a learning experience working with Shah Rukh... it was a positive experience.

Filmmaking is a very complex form - ya know, acting, lighting, screenwriting, storytelling, music, editing - all these things have to come together.

My goal is to keep making films and grow as a film maker; that's always my goal.

Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.

When I'm working on the scripts or working with the other actors or rehearsing with the director, and when the director is cutting the movie, and we've shot the scene, the director is not looking at the visual effects.

The thing is, making movies as an actress, you learn so many things. Like when you're making a movie with Quentin Tarantino you're just at the best cinema school ever.

Movies are not scripts - movies are films; they're not books, they're not the theatre.

While making Genevieve, I learned there could be a lot more to a film than just acting in it.