Latest in: Filmmaking
One of the most bizarre reactions to my films occurred on When You’re Strange. Before editing started, I spent weeks looking at all the footage from The Doors archive. Interspersed with hours of concert …
June 5, 2024
Enough about nutjobs. My only point is that they are out there, and it is absolutely certain you will encounter them. I don’t think I remember them teaching that in film school. But, most …
April 17, 2024
Filmmaking is like being in a mosh pit. Sometimes, the intimate contact with all the heaving, sweating bodies can be exhilarating. Sometimes, it just hurts and stinks. What happens when all of your careful …
April 10, 2024
I’ve mentioned Willingness and how crucial it is to making a Film. But what about Unwillingness? What makes someone Unwilling? I still don’t know exactly, but I’ve felt it, and I’ve got the scars …
April 2, 2024
Fellini was asked once if he ever used improvisation with actors. He replied, “Yes, if it is something that helps the actor or the scene, then of course I will use it. The only …
March 19, 2024
Twenty-five days. That’s how long I was on the set directing Delirious. Out of six years, twenty-five days. I’ve often wondered what my job was all the other days—the days before and all the …
March 7, 2024
Some of the best acting I've ever seen has been in an acting class. No directors, no writers, just two actors bringing in a scene. They've worked on it for a week or so …
March 5, 2024
I moved to NYC in 1976 just as the Punk scene was erupting. It was the first cultural movement I experienced firsthand, and it completely turned me on. Although the initial blast was music, …
February 22, 2024
A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak with Ellen E Jones, who has a cool podcast on Film on BBC Radio 4. We talked about Dreams in Film, particularly the use of …
January 27, 2024
Down in Shadowland is the most personal film I’ve made. Everything in it; every shot, every cut, every dissolve, every sequence, every piece of music is there because it was something I wanted to …
January 9, 2024
I was asked recently about a camera teacher I had at NYU Film School. The teacher had shot several award-winning features, but his classes were two grueling hours of resentment and self-promotion. He withheld …
October 30, 2023
I first met Sam Rockwell in 1990 when he came in to audition for Johnny Suede. The part ultimately went to another unknown and rising talent, Brad Pitt, but Sam made such an impression …
October 12, 2023
I don’t have any qualms about working with stars. There are many who are very gifted and brilliant performers who don’t bring the whole movie star baggage with them. This was our starting point …
September 27, 2023
Sometimes you know an actor is the only one for a role, and at the same time, you know you’re both in for a wild ride. Michael Pitt embodied all the elements that were …
August 8, 2023