David Lowery Quotes

With a lot of these social realist films, the first thing you do is drain the color.

I realised that there's a more muscular approach to film-making that I found very inspiring.

Agnes Varda changed my view of cinema; she directs from an artistic point of view, and a film is most of all the expression of an artistic director. I learnt to enter the world and the imagination of a director.

On a Terrence Malick set, your thoughts are his voice. You think you're thinking, but actually he's thinking for you. He speaks to you, and he's the voice in your mind.

I think there's a connection with 'Nightcrawler' and 'Blowup' and other films where visual imagery is integral to the story. It allows you to play with images.

The thing that is so great about Ang Lee is the diversity in his filmmaking, from 'Brokeback...' to 'The Hulk.'

Film is abstract, not definite. It is a dream.

A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.

There's something special about 'Looking.'

My films express me, my sense of rhythm, my sense of impact, my sense of kinetic energy. I like films to move, but I like also clear storytelling and characters, and most of all, I like authentic emotion.

When I have been told that my films remind people of Ozu, I have never been too convinced.

I'm not a big fan of shooting something that looks like it could belong in any movie. I'm not a fan of, okay, 'wide shot, wide shot, medium shot, close-up, close-up - we'll figure it out in post.' I hate that.

I love the way the long scenes feel - one of the characteristics of '70s filmmaking is that you don't cut around a lot; you let things play out. I did that on 'Samurai Jack,' and it carried over into 'Clone Wars.'

I was criticised for making 'Devdas' so ostentatious. But stark and realistic cinema isn't the only real cinema in this country.

In all my films, I have tried a different look.

I think of myself as a cultural filmmaker.

As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.

What you write sets the visual style for the film. But you have to compromise your style in your first few films before people let you do what you want to do.

When a director shifts gears as often as does Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the man behind the emotionally rich debut film 'Amores Perros,' you may wonder if he knows what he wants.

Film becomes a living organism. After awhile, it begins to tell you what it needs, and you're usually best listening.

My favorite filmmakers are in the Kubrick, Polanski kind of mold. I just like that world. I think it's more cinematic and gets under your skin more.

I would love to meet or work with Sofia Coppola. Or Wes Anderson or Spike Jonze. I'd love to meet them. The way they film, it's all so geometric.

Professional cinema image-taking should integrate, serve, interest, and enhance the story. I judge cinematography not just for a story well told but for what the story is.

'Twin Peaks' is like a movie; 'China Beach' is like a movie. These are two of the most cinematic shows on television, and they belong together.

A period film is a gift for a cinematographer.