By the time 'Dumbo's Circus' wrapped production of its 120 episodes, I had an agent, and I had scored my first feature film gig.
On an independent film, you really learn about pace. You have so little time to do things, that you really have to know your scenes.
I really enjoyed working on the 2009 film, 'Aliens in the Attic,' because it was shot in New Zealand and I got to visit there for the first time.
I mean, there's definitely a difference between film and live performances or live television. But at the same time, it's just performing. No matter what, it's performing.
From time to time, there are people in the film industry who appear on the horizon with a unique vision. South African director Neill Blomkamp is one of those rare people.
'Once Upon A Time In America' is one of the cleverest films of all time, because you can get out of it whatever you want to get out of it.
The average development time for a Hollywood movie is nine years. Nine years for a studio film. And a lot of what you do is abstract.
Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.
There is no doubt that this film is autobiographical, but at the same time it also tries to portray an ordinary couple in a language that everyone can understand.
I don't know about relationships. Maybe I'm supposed to travel and make films and meet people and have adventures instead.
Bela Lugosi: [about to start filming at night] "All right, lets shoot this fucker!"
There is no filmmaking legislation because distributors are not interested in sharing their money with the film industry - for instance, by giving a percentage of ticket sales back to filmmakers.
Those big films are scary things. There's so much money behind those things. There's that hype. You enter a machine.
You have to draw on your unconscious when you make a film - you can't worry about whether it's costing a lot of money.
I'm so touched that complete strangers will send me a script asking me to be in their film. That still amazes me - and sometimes for a lot of money too.
When you're making an independent film what you don't have in time and money you have to make up with creativity and diligence.
Young film makers should learn how to deal with the money and learn how to deal with the power structure. Because it is like a battle.
I don't think people understand when you say you are making a micro-budget film that you are getting paid no money.
Even on a $100 million film, people will complain that they haven't got enough money and enough time, so that's always going to be an element in filmmaking.
A lot of times, you do independent films for passion because you may even lose money doing one, but it doesn't matter.
Cannes or any other major festival is basically an animal in its own nature, creating very specific perceptions of films in a moment.
