Quotes by Directors

The hardest part of this whole movie-making endeavor is finding ideas. Alexander Payne

Endeavor Finding Part Ideas Whole Hardest Hardest Part

A book suggests a whole world and story that I could have never thought of in a million years. Alexander Payne

Book World Thought Could Never Years Story Whole Million Million Years

Life mixes tones all the time. Alexander Payne

Life Time Tones

The kindest thing a director can do is look with open eyes at everything. Alexander Payne

Director Eyes Everything Kindest Open Open Eyes Look Thing

When you're a houseguest and you leave, it's nice to straighten something up or send your hosts a useful gift. And when you leave the planet, it's nice to have made a positive contribution. Alexander Payne

Positive You Gift Made Nice Something Hosts Leave Up Contribution Send Straighten Planet Your Useful

I like to think of film-making not just as an act of personal self-aggrandisement but rather as an act of public service. Alexander Payne

Service Think Rather Like Personal Just Public Act Public Service Film-Making

I guess maybe I try to make movies that are closer to real life than are many Hollywood movies. But I still try to stay within a commercial narrative, a contemporary American vernacular. Alexander Payne

I always wanted 'Sideways' to be like a great 1960s Italian film. Alexander Payne

Great Sideways Like Always Italian Italian Film Wanted Film

The novel succeeds on terms exclusive to literature. A good film succeeds on terms exclusive to the cinema. That's why so many bad novels can become good movies, like 'Jaws' or 'The Godfather.' Alexander Payne

Good Cinema Become Good Movies Bad Exclusive Like Terms Godfather Literature Movies Succeeds Jaws Many Novel Novels Film Why Good Film

Each one of my movies becomes easier to get off the ground. Alexander Payne

Easier Becomes Off Get Movies Ground Each Each One

'Independent' means one thing to me: It means that regardless of the source of financing, the director's voice is extremely present. It's such a pretentious term, but it's auteurist cinema. Director-driven, personal, auteurist... Whatever word you want. Alexander Payne

I get asked, 'How can you have such failures in your films?' Well, what else is life about? There's some sense of constant failure in something. Humor gives you a distance from it. Alexander Payne

Life Failure You Humor Sense Films Else Distance Constant Some About Something Gives Failures Well How Get Asked Your

It seems that our politicians see the world in black and white, so why not our artists? Did Woody Allen's 'Manhattan' have to be in black and white? No. But is it fantastic that it was? To see New York like that? Yes! Alexander Payne

I like voice-over in films, and most of my films have been voice-over films. Alexander Payne

Films Voice-Over Like Most Been

I don't want all of American cinema to be big cartoons that are just made to be digested by the entire world. Alexander Payne

World Cinema Made Big Cartoons Entire Entire World American Just Want

To every little girl, her father is a hero. My father actually is one. Alexandra Kerry

Father Hero Girl Every Little Little Girl Her Actually

I got involved in Gateway National Park and just became fascinated with gardens. Alexandra Kerry

National Park Involved Became Got National Park Just Fascinated Gardens Gateway

It's taken some getting used to, that my father actually is a hero. Alexandra Kerry

Father Hero Some Taken Getting Used Actually

My relationship with the journalists who covered the campaign was complicated. I often hid from the critical eye of their cameras and their omnipresent digital recorders, wary of the critique implicit in every captured moment. But I also grew to respect and understand their passion for their work, their love for the journey we were sharing. Alexandra Kerry

Work Love Journey Relationship Respect Complicated Passion Digital Every Omnipresent Hid Eye Critical Critique Sharing Journalists Implicit Also Understand Were Covered Cameras Campaign Often Grew Moment Who Wary Captured

In Europe, there is no horror movie. It's very hard to make a slasher or gory movie. There is no audience for that. Alexandre Aja

Horror Horror Movie Make Audience Very Movie Hard Europe Slasher

Growing up in the eighties, you could go from one style in a movie to another style, and that was okay. In the nineties, you had to obey your niche. You had to follow the code and never step outside of exactly what you're doing. Alexandre Aja

You Obey Style Nineties Okay Exactly Exactly What Follow Could Outside Never Had Step Another Doing Go Up Movie Eighties Your Growing Code Growing Up Niche

I'm a huge fan of movies, and I watch DVDs all day, and I like to be able to watch DVDs that are different from what was in theaters. Whether that's uncut or a director's cut. I think it's an awesome way to rediscover the movie. Alexandre Aja

Day Director Awesome Think Way All Day Able Like Rediscover Huge Huge Fan Different Movie Fan Whether Theaters Movies Cut Watch