The blessing that this film business has given me is that when I walk into a school I automatically have everyone's attention. They want to hear what the guy from 'Con Air' and 'Desperado' has to say.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'm a believer in film school.
It's truly gratifying to see my films reach beyond a familiar public, to get a chance to move new audiences. It's nuts. It's extraordinary.
I think everything that you do, you're learning. I mean, every movie that you make is like a film school; that's one of the things that I enjoy about filmmaking.
The real trouble with film school is that the people teaching are so far out of the industry that they don't give the students an idea of what's happening.
The informing idea of what you want to say and do, that's what will take you from film school to professional - the idea. That's what is original to you.
Almost any film that you do is an opportunity to open you up and make you more aware of an area that you might not be thinking about. That's what is kind of cool, or one of the cool things about this profession.
Our films tremendously influence people. But at the same time, no one goes to the cinema to listen to lectures, so if you have an interesting story, and if you can showcase it as a film, and its messages are good, then it's like an icing on the cake: it shall be a superhit. And if I get those kind of films, I'll definitely want to work on it.
The public scrutiny element they don't teach you in film school. So few people are ever subjected to it.
When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films.'
Going back to my film education, I always have that voice in my head that's always screaming, 'Sell out!' And that's good: you want that, because it keeps you on your toes, and it's important to remember what's actually important.
No opposing quotes found.