But to actually direct—something scripted no less—felt like a sham. People went to school for that. Or they had climbed the proverbial ladder to earn it.

I remember projects where the writers excitedly discuss their stories. Joy, heartache, and love of the story make all the difference.

I think people can relate to feeling so desperate and invisible that they might do something they think they would never do.

Rewrite hell, I’ve come to understand, isn’t what someone does to you, but what you do to yourself as a writer.

Unless we are performing and/or directing, we aren’t building the house or moving into it—we have to leave space for the other collaborators.

What effect did all of this end up having on Hollywood? A culture of abusive bosses, low pay, and hazardous working conditions that has continued for decades.

Do most filmmakers consider it too gauche to center a film around a monster these days?

Today is Ted Dickerson’s 84th birthday. Or his 4,534,119,982,103rd birthday if you count his other lives, which he, of course, does. Either way, he’s determined to make it his last.

You’ve just signed your entire career over to a complete stranger. Whether you succeed or not in your chosen field is completely up to someone who you’ve known for about sixty minutes. What have you just done?

There is nothing more motivating than just observing human beings in the wild.

Any good "how to make a documentary" guidebook would tell you to hire a qualified DP and sound mixer to get the best quality picture and sound. But we didn't have money—we just had each other.

Knowing that even A-list authors have “my dog ate my homework” moments can be reassuring, and ironically that reassurance can help the rest of us unleash our creativity.

"I'm not interested in people’s pain; I'm interested in their salvation. I'm not interested in their isolation; I'm interested in their catharsis." - Stephen Chbosky

"... the country right now is so fucking political and divided that the only safety you have is if you feel that the art is regurgitating your own opinions and political beliefs back at you. I find that incredibly boring."

I think all artists are inherently invisible problem solvers. We see an empty space in the world and want to fill it with our ideas, our images, and our stories.