I'm not a huge fan of very plotty shows. I'm much more of a fan of character-driven stories.
We in Illumination Entertainment tend not to put ideas through a brand funnel. We've collected a group of people who share a certain taste, and that is connected to our aspirations for our brand. We pride ourselves on making character-centric movies. If I had to say what's the most important thing this company does, it's creating characters that stay with the audience long after they leave the theater.
Coming from TV and film, rule number one is that you always service the main character first and foremost. If that's not working, you've got nothing.
Those are my favorite kinds of movies, where the plots are quite small and character-driven.
The story is always in service to the characters, and is only as long or short, or neat or ragged as it needs to be.
In drama, the characters should determine the story. In melodrama, the story determines the characters.
I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation.
The shows I've been working on, especially 'Parenthood' and 'Friday Night Lights,' I think are completely character-driven stories. I think, for most writers, that's a privilege to be telling those kinds of stories. It's erroneous to me.
For me, the story must be the hero of the film. The screen space or the length of my role does not matter.
I'd be more interested in doing a smaller, character driven thing, rather than another action picture.
