Quotes About Filmmaking

Although filmmaking is collaborative and involves trust, ultimately it is the director who holds the whole picture together in their head.

There's something very cool about that indie spirit that I try to hang on to even now with the bigger films that I'm working on.

I think all indie filmmakers should just give up on distribution.

The only way independent cinema can come out of its own rut is by learning to be more consistent. An indie filmmaker should feel responsible for others as well.

Honestly, it is difficult for me because I cannot return to Indonesia safely. So how am I supposed to make another movie in Indonesia when I cannot safely return to Indonesia?

My passion for film-making was bordering indulgence. But gone are those days when I was adventurous.

Directing a film was something I always wanted to do, something that seemed an inevitability in my development as an actor.

Because I direct films, I have to live in a major English-speaking production center. That narrows it down to three places: Los Angeles, New York and London. I like New York, but it's inferior to London as a production center. Hollywood is best, but I don't like living there.

I've always said to people that auteurism is nice, but it's hypothetical, and gradually you learn how much or how little influence different directors had.

When I sit down with filmmakers, I feel like we speak the same language in a lot of ways. We watch the same movies and have the same influences. If anything, it creates a dialogue that makes my work more effective.

My philosophy as a filmmaker is to inform and entertain at the same time. And when I went away from documentaries into miniseries like 'Roots,' I did the reverse. Instead of just entertaining, I want to inform at the same time.

At the end of the day everyone has his own style of making a film and add the kind of ingredients which he feels would be good enough to entice audiences.

I feel like directing is an innate talent.

I have had my innings. And in a way I am happy that I came in an era when a lot of attention was paid to different aspects of filmmaking.

Hrithik is a great help to me while I compose the music for our films. He gives his inputs to us. He sits with me and learns a lot about music too. He is very fond of learning and very involved in the filmmaking process.

When I was younger, making films was so all-consuming. It was a life-or-death thing. Films still mean so much to me when I'm making them. So I had to get away from that attitude of living or dying with every film, because otherwise you'll go insane.

I have been very influenced by the director Maurice Pialat, who I continue to be in conversation and conflict with and get inspiration from.

My daughter and my wife inspire me to make movies.

I would say films inspire me more than the makers.

In my own life, I've written scripts that I want to direct, so I would love to take my own creativity in a way where I could tell my own story. That does inspire me, the idea of becoming a director.

When I look at makers like Rajkumar Hirani, Aditya, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Vishal Bhardwaj, I get inspired.

I like to work with artists from around the world. There are so many new inspiring filmmakers.

The new 'Avatar' BluRay is a lesson in filmmaking. It really is inspiring.

There's not a formula that I'm following; it's just how I feel at the time. For instance, I did a very experimental film called 'Hardcore Henry,' and that was simply because I thought the filmmaker was very interesting and a risk taker. A film like that had never been made before, so I chose to do that at the time.