Steven Knight Quotes

I think I've had pretty good experiences for the most part with the people who have directed my screenplays.

Everyone has an idea that they think would be a great movie. Everyone has a cousin who they think you should work with.

I'm developing some screenplays at the moment with my Australian producer.

Every project that you write about or read about, it goes through years of hard work. We write a screenplay; we design. Then you submit those and the budget, and it's out of your hands.

A producer friend of mine from film school had read some of my early screenplays - some experiments I had done to see how fast I could write something.

The screenplay is a great document because it makes you have many discussions prior to actually being on the floor.

I wasn't trained as a writer-director. And the projects I write are difficult to finish.

The filmmaking process is a team effort. A screenwriter cannot possibly do exactly what he wants as if he was writing a novel.

It's difficult to get films made, especially films about poets.

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

Since signing with Universal, I have been working closely with Gary Ross, the director, producer and screenwriter. We have spent many hours on the phone, and I've been sending him information and items that have been useful to the writing process.

I love making movies and hope to write my own screenplay someday and do some producing and be behind-the-scenes as well.

It's incredibly, incredibly difficult to get a movie made.

About a year ago I got really exhausted from reading bad scripts and I know that I am a writer and that I have stories to tell, so I thought, 'Let's do this!' So I'm co-writing a screenplay now with another screenwriter and loving it. Absolutely loving it. And I would like to be the producer on the project and of course the lead is me.

I am co-writing a screenplay now and I'm working on the rights to another story I want to do. So I plan to produce and direct. So, for me, I don't really feel that I am vulnerable to that sad baggage that comes with the business of filmmaking.

As soon as you make some films that people like, you'll be sent material, and that can come from anywhere.

It is so hard to get movies made in Hollywood that you got to have six going at once, and you know, probably none of those get made.

Capra always wanted a screenwriter with him, even on the soundstage. The writer had to be there at his side.

I want to work with Will Ferrell. I want to do, like, an action-comedy with him. How do I get the project for that? It's killing me. I've got all these great ideas, and the hardest thing is getting the material, the screenplay, you know.

You can sit around and complain that Hollywood doesn't make any good movies. But you can generate your own material. So I read books. I come up with ideas. I was the producer on 'The Woodsman' to help get that off the ground. Sometimes that extends itself to directing.

Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.

'Basha' is the best screenplay in my career.

I really want to work with Mike Leigh.

It's fairly common to get something optioned but really rare to actually see it become a movie.

When you're making an independent feature, there are so many difficult stages. One, just writing the script is difficult on its own. Then, when you get it to a place where you're happy with it, great - but then you need to find persons who are willing to produce it, who like the script.