Jean-Pierre Jeunet Famous Quotes and Saying

It's always more interesting and more difficult to make something positive than negative. To be negative is very easy.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

easy negative interesting

I like the cinema of people like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. I am not keen on trying to reproduce reality - for that you should do documentaries.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

trying reality people

For me, the most important word in cinema is the word freedom. For example, in Europe, we've got freedom, we've got the final cut and that's something which is marvellous.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

cutting important europe

In general, I have some precise ideas about everything, because the film is completed in my head before we ever start shooting. With casting, I am always present, even for the smallest character.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

shooting character ideas

In the States, I learned to fight for every idea. Sometimes, a director has to be a tyrant to keep the quality.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

tyrants fighting ideas

I believe in imagination. I was a worker when I was 17. Between 17 and 21, I was a worker in the telephone company and imagination saved my life.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

telephones imagination believe

All day my mind drifts off into fantasies and little stupid jokes.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

stupid mind littles

When I was a kid, I used to escape from my family with my imagination, and I kept this spirit into my adult life. This doesn't always happen. All children have imagination, but for some it doesn't carry over.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

imagination kids children

If you make the right choice in casting, your work is nearly done already. You don't have to spend a lot of time directing the actors, because they're so well suited to the parts.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

actors choices done

If I would want to have a huge audience, I would make American movies, not French movies, because there is a limit of course with French language. If I prefer to shoot in my own language, it is to play with my language, to play in my Paris, and I have complete freedom in France. It's so amazing. If American directors could imagine how free I am, they would have asked for political asylum immediately.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

paris political play

It's always been pretty easy for me to exercise my imagination. The other part of the brain, the one that does mathematics, is a nightmare for me. It doesn't work at all.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

imagination exercise brain

I think we're entering a new period of filmmaking that's analogous to switching from black-and-white to color, or from silent to sound. The medium is completely flexible, and it's not bound by anything. If you imagine something, you can do it.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

black-and-white color thinking

I've never made any concessions, so I am 100% responsible for my films. This makes me feel very proud.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

responsible film proud

I thought all I had to do was to buy a camera and become a film director. So when I left school I worked at a telephone company, which gave me the money to buy the basic equipment including the camera, the projector and the screen.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

cameras directors school

When you speak about generosity, about something good we have inside ourselves, you're speaking to the majority.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

generosity majority speak

When I was a child, I had a ViewMaster, those red box glasses with little discs, so that you can see 3D images. They were my first steps in cinema. I was eight years old, I would cut and change the order of the images and that's how I created films that subsequently I recorded and projected and showed my friends. So I already took my first steps in 3D when I was eight years old.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

cutting glasses children

I like looking back at people's faces in the dark. I like noticing details that no one else sees. But I hate it in the old American movies when drivers don't watch the road.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

hate dark people

When you make something you like and audiences reject it, the experience can be painful. But I've discovered...that when you make something you aren't exactly satisfied with, and someone tells you it's great, that's even mor...e painful and frustrating.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

frustrating satisfied painful

I think of a film as being like a toy train.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

toys film thinking

I write scripts by myself. It's not for everybody. It's someone's personal work. I need to be in love with the subject.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

scripts writing needs

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Professions :

Born :

It's always more interesting and more difficult to make something positive than negative. To be negative is very easy.

I like the cinema of people like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. I am not keen on trying to reproduce reality - for that you should do documentaries.

For me, the most important word in cinema is the word freedom. For example, in Europe, we've got freedom, we've got the final cut and that's something which is marvellous.

In general, I have some precise ideas about everything, because the film is completed in my head before we ever start shooting. With casting, I am always present, even for the smallest character.

In the States, I learned to fight for every idea. Sometimes, a director has to be a tyrant to keep the quality.

I believe in imagination. I was a worker when I was 17. Between 17 and 21, I was a worker in the telephone company and imagination saved my life.

All day my mind drifts off into fantasies and little stupid jokes.

When I was a kid, I used to escape from my family with my imagination, and I kept this spirit into my adult life. This doesn't always happen. All children have imagination, but for some it doesn't carry over.

If you make the right choice in casting, your work is nearly done already. You don't have to spend a lot of time directing the actors, because they're so well suited to the parts.

It's always been pretty easy for me to exercise my imagination. The other part of the brain, the one that does mathematics, is a nightmare for me. It doesn't work at all.

I think we're entering a new period of filmmaking that's analogous to switching from black-and-white to color, or from silent to sound. The medium is completely flexible, and it's not bound by anything. If you imagine something, you can do it.

I've never made any concessions, so I am 100% responsible for my films. This makes me feel very proud.

I thought all I had to do was to buy a camera and become a film director. So when I left school I worked at a telephone company, which gave me the money to buy the basic equipment including the camera, the projector and the screen.

When you speak about generosity, about something good we have inside ourselves, you're speaking to the majority.

I like looking back at people's faces in the dark. I like noticing details that no one else sees. But I hate it in the old American movies when drivers don't watch the road.

When you make something you like and audiences reject it, the experience can be painful. But I've discovered...that when you make something you aren't exactly satisfied with, and someone tells you it's great, that's even mor...e painful and frustrating.

I think of a film as being like a toy train.

I write scripts by myself. It's not for everybody. It's someone's personal work. I need to be in love with the subject.

Alex Graves

Brad Furman

Bryan Singer

Bruno Dumont

Bruce McDonald

Bruce Brown