I don't put on my best clothes to make a film, my Sunday best.
Every film deserves its own unique look.
I am very active on the Internet. In 2007, I made one film every day and posted it on my website. That was a 365-day project, really exhausting, but I still put a lot of stuff on - from life, friends, my own life.
In 1962, we created the Filmmakers' Co-Op because nobody wanted to distribute our films. If we had the Internet in those days, we wouldn't have needed the Co-Op.
I always work only with friends, but it must be about them and myself. Because I film only very personal moments, nothing preplanned, staged or written, it has to be real and spontaneous. Some of them have become famous, some are not yet famous, some will never be famous. But they are all my friends.
I am a filmmaker fanatic. I have never been star-struck by an actor once in my entire life.
Me and music are not good friends, so I do my best to augment the music part [of my films] and come up with something worth watching.
They said, "You get $2 million to make the film, if you're not in it. If you are in it, you get $5 million to make the film." There was no way to make the thing for $2 million, so I made it for $5 million. And then, it turned out there was no way to make the thing for $5 million. That's when it got weird.
Every filmmaker's different, every filmmaker has a different approach.
Some filmmakers go into a film and it's already shot and cut in their head.
There have been many times when I've auditioned and I've actually won a different role in the same film.
I never rewatch the great films of my favorite directors because I'm afraid they won't hold up.
I was as equally influenced by Bergman as I was [low-budget sexploitation filmmaker].
I probably would have made [films] anywhere. Every city has something they're ashamed of. I would have made films about it and turned it into something positive.
I've always liked clothes. I usually work very closely with the costume designer when I work on films, picking the fabrics and the clothes. And colors convey feelings. I like swatches and things like that. It makes me feel at home.
I’m willing to look my own nightmare on film, but if it endangers my life, then I’m willing to put my life before movies.
I guess, you make a big studio film, you spend a lot of money on it and you hope people go see it. It's really risky.
To me, photography is 90% a retrospective experience. There's the part of pursuing the image, and exposing the film, but once you make the exposure, you're always looking backwards in time. I like that aspect of photography.
I've written films that are violent. I'm not big on sitting and watching violence.
I'm still really into set design and construction when I do films. I notice that stuff.
The Australian film industry has recognised Tropfest as a place to nurture young talent. It's a stepping stone between amateur and professional.
I grew up in a show biz family and, if you wanted to talk at the dinner table, you'd better be prepared to talk about film.
What I've observed is that television in the last decade has increased to something that's almost unrecognizable. They are feature films. That's a huge shift, and it's something the audience expects. They still may want to watch their half-hour sitcom, but when they watch scripted drama, they expect the standard.
I also thought of myself as the Sonny Barger of the film industry.
I do miss sometimes being onstage, because when I do film and television, it's usually so brief and funny.
