Quotes from Taylor Steele

I'm not the best filmmaker, but on the sets, it seems like everybody is having fun.

Every time there is a major shift in technology, it's been hugely exciting and scary at the same time. I have seen some really drastic changes in technology, like shooting only film to video to digital.

I would love to document all the interesting characters out on the East End. There are some really inspiring people - you can feel the creative energy out there.

I don't know how many movies I have made. Movies that pop into my head when asked are 'Momentum,' 'Loose Change,' 'Shelter,' 'Sipping Jetstreams,' and 'The Drifter.'

With talent so stacked on a project like 'Proximity' and so many intense locations explored, it's almost impossible to showcase every highlight in the confines of one film.

Going back to the films I made in the nineties, they might not have been the most thought-provoking movies, but there was always this conscious thing of knowing that it was fourteen-year-old surfers who were really into it, and so I've wanted to be responsible with that.

For me, storytelling is the most interesting part of movie making.

I get really excited when I see filmmakers make something that is subtle and feels real. It is really tough to do right.

My parents had bought a video camera for us to film Christmases and other family events. I took it down to the beach, set up a tripod, and I would grab two other friends, and we'd take turns filming and surfing. Then, at the end of the day, I'd go home and I'd make a video for everybody to watch.

During the '90s or the first half of the zeros, whatever you want to call them, I was just doing a lot of videos, and that was my only thing. I was super-focused on that.

I was hoping that I could one day get a job at Quik or Billabong working on their videos. So I made 'Momentum' on a shoestring budget for fun and sort of a resume to work for others.

I started doing non-surf stuff like commercials, short films, and music videos and just started expanding my filmmaking that way. I started doing that more for a career: you know, it was paying the bills, and it was challenging. I was stimulated by it.

It's not about the equipment. Be less concerned about what kind of camera you have and more about what kind of effect you're trying to accomplish. Finding an original take is much more important than what you shoot it with.

Surf films should be completely different from a webisode. They should give the viewer different feelings and emotions.