Sanaa Lathan Quotes

I loved being behind the scenes and finding out how they make movies.

Being in front of the camera, you never got to see the whole process from the conception of the script all the way through to the filming process.

When you're filming, it's very different from what you see on screen.

When I'm in a movie, what I always do, instead of sitting in a trailer or watching a DVD, is I go on the set and watch the director work and the actors work, and sometimes I'll hang out with B camera and watch what they're up to and ask questions because there's so much to learn about the medium.

When I make a live-action movie, it's a very physical process. It's like running a marathon.

Film work can be very interesting, but it also can be awfully boring because who creates the film? The actors? No. It is the director. It's his piece of work.

Making a movie and not directing the little moments is like drinking a soda and leaving the little slurp puddle for someone else.

I loved being on the set with my stepfather. I loved the magic of movies. I went on the set of 'The Mod Squad' - I mean, can you imagine? Just walking into a living room and then walking behind the living room, and it's just flat. There's nothing I love more than being on a sound stage.

A lot of hard work goes into making a film.

I am eternally impressed and amazed by what directors do.

I never think about it much, the visual aspect of it, until we start making the movie. I don't really think about it when we write. When we finish, and I start putting the film together, and we pick the locations, I do think about that a lot.

Filming is repetition and many takes.

I've been in enough movies to know that when you're on the set and you start shooting, you're looking at playback and you get a sense of what it's going to be like.

I don't like to watch playback. But being on the set, watching the way the camera is being moved and the way the light is being used, you do get an idea of it.

Movies are in a much longer production conversation before an actor is even involved. I always thought of actors as the last piece of the puzzle - so you're a tool.

Filming is like a house, you have to feel comfortable in it.

It is not as though the process of production holds any mystery for me, I know exactly what it involves and I know the predominant concern in shooting one of those things is production values - or as they would say, seeing it all up there on screen.

I really love diving in, head first, with directing and not having to worry about hair, makeup or lines.

You can't work in the movies. Movies are all about lighting. Very few filmmakers will concentrate on the story. You get very little rehearsal time, so anything you do onscreen is a kind of speed painting.

Film-making is a physically hard job.

When you're in front of the camera, for a small budget or a big budget movie, there's no difference.

I think you cannot make films without choosing everything.

I like to direct for the big screen.

I love directing.

I loved making Pure Country. It was a great learning experience for me, seeing another part of the entertainment industry.