Debra Granik Quotes

I try to look at the whole thing and say 'yes' to the projects that I cannot stop thinking about. If I read a script and the subject stays with me - then that's when I want to go to work.

Fortunately, John Houseman is a marvelous writer and he sat in on so many story conferences. He worked with Welles, you know, and he's a marvelous man.

I enjoy the details. I enjoy coming up with ideas for improving the script, changing scenes and deciding what locations and wardrobe should be - the process of making a film.

I allowed the scriptwriter to come to my parties for research and it's a good thing he did otherwise I don't think Personal Services would've been so good.

My number one passion is acting, but I also think there's something so special in being able to support a script and an idea and take it all the way through to fruition. I think that process is so rewarding.

If I read a script and I like it, there's nothing that will stop me from trying to be in that movie.

Doing a movie is a stressful thing. You spend months of you life focusing into that one project, and I want to make sure I do something I really like or I'm really passionate about.

I started out my career as a screenwriter and quickly discovered that adhering to a script isn't always the best way to make a film. You have to take into consideration the nuances of the characters and what the actors bring to their roles.

If I were to write a book about the progress of getting to a third film, it would be a long one.

I'd jump to do a film with Aamir Khan. Aamir thinks through things before starting a project.

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.

If the script doesn't excite me, there's no point working on the music.

Whenever I hear the narration for a new film, I have this process back home where my mother reads all my scripts.

I will always choose to work in a movie based on whether I would want to watch it - if I would be willing to spend money in a theatre on it. The script and the people you will work with come after that.

I really love being in a room and developing work.: being at the table, looking at the script for the first time, and putting a story on its feet.

Many times, what's in the script doesn't make it to the film these days, and when you choose a job, you take it based on genre and whom you're going to work with, if you believe in them.

Finding one good script is a huge challenge. So I do a film whose script comes and grabs me. Once I finish that, I look forward to the next movie.

I am mostly concerned about the script. If I get something that excites me, I will do it.

I used a video camera, and shot on film cameras at school and stuff, but I had a lot more training as a writer. I kind of live like a writer. I get up and I write. I've done that my whole life.

If actors are making a little film with me at 2am in Nashville, they're not doing it to get paid. They're doing it because there's something special about the characters, which helps the film become more interesting.

Dean [Devlin, Emmerich's partner on "Independence Day"] and I always said that we'd only do it when we had a really good story that excites us both, and we have the story written. And we've had it for a year and a half, two years. So we've been ready.

I've always loved the collaborative side of filmmaking, and there's a lot of things I can do in the acting side of things in terms of the creating of action sequences, and coming up with ways of doing things with a stunt coordinator.

I never see how meaty my role is. If I like the script in its entirety, the director, or if my co-star is someone I greatly admire, I sign up. You learn so much being part of a great team.

With the first 'Toy Story,' we didn't know what the hell we were doing. We'd never made a movie before, so we went down a lot of blind alleys along the way. We went through seven different writers before we finally settled into our groove.

I mean, in terms of comfort, it was horrible, but we knew the sequence was going to be good. That sort of drives you forward when you know what you're working on is going to be fun. You'll go through all manner of discomfort to get the shot.