My biggest role as director on the film is keeping a sense of the overview - how to cast the movie and shoot it in such a way that it will cut together. And how to design the style and tone.
Entire families are attending 'Son of God' together and sharing it with their own kids. Parents are using the film as a conversation starter to help bring the story of Jesus to life for their children.
Even with a stable character, you want something surprising to happen, hopefully because that's what the camera loves the most. That's what is great about film.
I always say horror films are great date movies. In the first twenty minutes, you're going to end up in each other's arms.
Personally, I don't think the film and television industries are run as well as they used to be. Oh sure, we've got great digital effects now but... where are the visionaries?
I use the Philip Kingsley range of shampoos, and they've got a great elasticiser, which is fantastic. I wrap my hair in cling film and put that on.
David Mamet was great to work with. He was everything that I thought he would be as a director. He's incredibly articulate, an easy collaborator. Extraordinarily knowledgeable about film and writing.
As for Tenacious D, of course it could work as a full length movie; all it requires is a great writer and great director with an ability to think outside of conventional film comedy.
At some level, I feel it is nice to know that a film of yours is doing well at the box office and has also got great reviews. That feels like success.
For any filmmaker who has just released a film and who is experiencing some measure of success, the temptation can be great to respond to every screening request that comes in.
I like the George Romero films, which were really great, social satire movies; really twisted.
I don't feel, 'I've made a great film'; I feel I've made what I set out to make.
I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki. 'My Neighbor Totoro' and 'Castle in the Sky' are two of the great films that he's made that I just love.
The highest grossing films have great, moral messages - not dirty, base themes, so we're trying to get producers to make more of the uplifting movies.
I've been lucky enough to work with some great directors, and I don't want to throw that away by doing one big horrible big budget film.
I remember those days with Bergman with great nostalgia. We were aware that the films were going to be quite important, and the work felt meaningful.
I don't need a fantasy life as once I did. That is the life of the imagination that I had a great need for. Films were the perfect means for satisfying that need.
In my view, the only way to see a film remains the way the filmmaker intended: inside a large movie theater with great sound and pristine picture.
I think indie films are really important, because they show the studios and the audiences when they see them, great stories. Really interesting, small stories.
I feel like I share a great relationship with my audience where they trust my judgment and choice of films and sense of comedy.
'Newhart' ran the longest, and it was great to have a regular role, but I run into a lot of film fans, and they ask me about 'Blade Runner.' I was grateful to be a part of that.
