My job is to make a film that can sit as a standalone piece, that if it's the only Marvel film you see, it's a great film with a great story in and of itself. The lucky thing is that there's a bunch of geniuses who run Marvel that make sure, even if it's a standalone piece, that it's part of a great big jigsaw puzzle that could be appreciated as a whole as well.

Taika Waititi

Categorized in : Running Lucky Genius

The films I like to watch are when they make it relatable to human audiences.

Taika Waititi

audience film watches

A big part of the humor is in identifying with the tragic elements of the film. The New Zealand sense of humor is very dark. Our films are usually very dark and it's always someone being killed. Usually a child.

Taika Waititi

elements dark children

I'm used to working with restrictions and that's when you come up with the more creative stuff.

Taika Waititi

used creative stuff

To make filmmaking interesting to me, I want to keep learning things.

Taika Waititi

filmmaking want interesting

I never wanted to be a filmmaker. I still, sometimes, think I got sidetracked by this, like this is a tangent. My main thing was painting; I was just going to do that.

Taika Waititi

painting sometimes thinking

I love heroes that really go through ordeals and then come out the other end completely changed.

Taika Waititi

changed hero

Sometimes there are really happy mistakes.

Taika Waititi

really-happy mistake sometimes

When you're actually making a film, it's just people on your back all the time wanting stuff and you're constantly having to it deal with them. It's probably the most time consuming of all the arts, but I do love it because it is a great mix of visual art and music and writing.

Taika Waititi

writing people art

With a feature film you're dealing with so much more money and you've got to be very aware of the fact that you're really working with an audience. You've got to have a relationship with the audience. Play with them and show them things you want them to see.

Taika Waititi

want play facts

I constantly remind myself that there are terrible movies out there. I try to watch them, some of them, to give myself an understanding of what not to do.

Taika Waititi

understanding trying giving

I hate the modern day the kids live in. I don't think it's very cool. Everyone's interconnected.

Taika Waititi

hate kids thinking

I've become more like water, I'm more relaxed and I'll say, "Okay, let's just completely change it and do it that way."

Taika Waititi

okay water way

Hitler rounded up all of the vampires in Europe.

Taika Waititi

vampire europe

I like to find comedy or something interesting to look at with whatever I'm working on.

Taika Waititi

comedy looks interesting

I've loved comics since I was a kid, collected them, I've always dreamed of being involved in comics.

Taika Waititi

involved kids

Also with that money comes the idea, "Let your imagination run wild." Which I think is a very dangerous thing. I think it's dangerous because you can get into pretty wacky territory. There are things that are too crazy.

Taika Waititi

crazy running thinking

Short film: you can be poetic and you don't have to answer anything. You can make whatever you want. You have creative freedom with short film.

Taika Waititi

creative answers want

I want to do weird things and big budget things and no budget things. I don't have a five-year plan.

Taika Waititi

weird-things want years

I really love him [Jack Gleeson as Joffrey in Game of Thrones] - I love watching that character. It's quite phenomenal how people love to hate that character.

Taika Waititi

hate games character

If you're tracking with a character that's running off a thing and diving off, I would leave the camera there and not follow them down, because cameras don't do that. The audience understands that. I'll definitely bring that understanding of keeping things a bit more grounded.

Taika Waititi

understanding running character