Creative Decision Quotes

It's not about choosing a specific genre; that's not how I go about deciding what movies to make.

I did 'We Can't Stop' for Rihanna, but it never worked. Every time I would play 'We Can't Stop' I was like 'this is the new 'Party in the U.S.A.'' I was like OK if I keep saying this is the new 'Party in the U.S.A.,' why don't I go to the girl who did 'Party in the U.S.A.?'

Michel Gondry's 'Green Hornet' was another franchise flick that felt like it came out of left field - I thought in a good way, but most audiences disagreed.

I felt like it needed some color down there, so I painted the walls with the motherfucker.

Right after we recorded 'Satanic Satanist' and 'American Ghetto' here in Boston, we decided we'd grow our hair out. This is - was - like the Beatles thing. I wanted to see these pictures later in life.

I didn't change my voice for 'The Boondocks.'

All movies are pure process. A commercial movie isn't less process than an art movie. You can't make your decisions about a film on the basis of, 'Is it important enough? Is it serious enough?' It's either alive or it's not for me. If it's alive, I want to do it.

When I started making music I wanted it to have a narrative and be conceptual, but as time went on I thought it was probably more practical for a first album just to have good music.

When I was working on the music for this I didn't want to just use pop songs as the score - most movies do it and I've done it before.

Before signing 'Dawat-E-Ishq,' I came across few more offers, but none of them interested me. This film has a soul, and I went for it.

My director is usually aware of what works for me and what doesn't. For 'Srimanthudu,' I have to give full credit to director Koratala Sivagaru for handling my character the way he did.

If I get an interesting script, I will surely do it. I just don't want to do cliche films.

There was one moment, and it happened in school. I had a big final exam - we were supposed to write a 20-page report on this book about Houdini. I probably would have loved reading it, but I didn't, so I just decided to make a little super-8 movie based on it. I tied myself to the railroad tracks and all that. I mean, this is kid stuff, but it impressed the teacher, and I got an A. And that was maybe my first turning point, when I said, 'Yeah, I wouldn't mind being a filmmaker.'

I didn't want to be a rapper full time. You know, Big L kinda - God bless the dead - influenced me to do that.

I think I have made too many cop films.

I'll refer to my music in color, like 'This song needs to be bright red.'

Emotion is the surest arbiter of a poetic choice, and it is the priest of all supreme unions in the mind.

If it's something I feel I can do alright, I like being in those, and some that I think Rob Schneider and David Spade would be funnier at than me, I tell them to do it. I don't have any clue how we decide. There's this thing, this "Click", actually, one of my friends called me up, my partner told me about this idea that Steve Koren had. Steve Koren, by the way, the guy who wrote it with Mark O'Keefe, Steve Koren I've known since I was 22. He was a page at Saturday Night Live.

I got written out of 'G.I. Joe' and was like, 'Welp, I'm going to go back to what I do: writing and producing comedy.'

Of course I want my films to look really good, but every single element is chosen for a reason. It's telling something in the story.

The mask of the character was already written into the show, but I actually lobbied for a denser and more complete mask than they initially considered.

I've just simply used what I've used because of the great, great expressive potential of it.

When I directed the third 'Insidious' film I loved it so much that I decided this is what I want to do from now on. I don't even think I would write something as a screenplay now with no intention of directing it.

If I want to write a movie, I'll write a screenplay, but if I have an idea for a book, it's something that I think can only be done novelistically.

I do a film because I would love to be a part of it, but I also think from the audience's perspective. Our profession survives because of our audience.