I find, surprisingly, that actors are liberated in their work if there's stuff going on around them, because they can't think too much about who they're supposed to be. Michel Gondry More Quotes by Michel Gondry More Quotes From Michel Gondry Every great idea is on the verge of being stupid. Michel Gondry stupid fun ideas Misinterpretation leads me to inspiration and creativity because I think my brain is trying to figure out some information that I'm confused about. Michel Gondry confused creativity inspiration I shoot people in a way that makes the audience feel equal to them. And it's hard to express and it's hard to execute but I think it works on every level - the choice of the material the choice of the actor, my relationship with the actor, and so on. Michel Gondry choices people thinking I have a video store next to my apartment in Paris, and they still have most of their videos on VHS. A lot of people think Be Kind Rewind is set in the past because they just wipe this reality out of their head, but it is true that there are a lot of movies that don't exist on DVD. But I'm not like a big movie buff. Michel Gondry reality past thinking I don't mock things, which makes me more vulnerable to mockery myself. If you're cynical, you're protected from mockery. But I have to be nice. I don't think I have irony. A sense of humour, yes, but not irony. Michel Gondry cynical nice thinking In my opinion, it's more interesting to see magic happening in a world that feels grounded. If the world is already crazy, then anything can happen. So it's better to start with something real. Michel Gondry crazy real interesting Of course, from time to time, I want to do everything myself and be more involved on my own with the creative process. But I don't mind the collaboration at all. Michel Gondry collaboration creative mind I find it particularly shocking that people work all week long, and then on the weekend they give their money to another big corporation. I remember reading an interview with Walt Disney, and he said how he got the idea to create Disney World. He saw his grandson playing in the sand in a little park, and he assumed he was bored. And he said he could provide him a better alternative. But what you get is a little bit of entertainment, and then basically they try to get your money. And I truly believe his grandson was having a great time when he was playing with the sand. Michel Gondry weekend reading believe I've dreamed a lot, but i'm not a very good sleeper. Michel Gondry sleepers very-good All these gadgets, the phone and the computer, they expose the inside of your brain in a way that's bad. Michel Gondry gadgets phones brain I'm not against the technology at all, I just don't like to use it if it's just to mimic what you can do with traditional methods. Michel Gondry method technology use When I was young, I would stay in my backyard and I would create roads and tunnels and systems. My uncle had a sawmill, and we had all sorts of pieces of wood, and we'd create a city. I truly believe that kids enjoy the box better than the car or the toy that's inside. So many times during Christmas, watching a kid, or even myself... There is excitement toward your toy, but then you put the toy on the side and something is created with the package. Michel Gondry car believe kids Sometimes it's interesting to see something that you're not used to seeing, which is the main ingredient of life, and it's removed from the usual entertainment. I think it's important to give the opportunity to people to witness the life of somebody who was not public. Michel Gondry opportunity people thinking I like the days when all the filmmakers had was a film roll, a camera and a gangster. The Mack Sennett comedies were all like that. They'd create little teams to go out and shoot films. Michel Gondry cameras team littles I kind of like the idea of taking a concept and going all the way with it, even if it's not completely plausible. It's something that I like about making movies. You have a concept that maybe would not work in real life, but you can make it work in the world you're creating. Michel Gondry real-life real world It's a very American thing that everything has to be a business. Americans think... I like America, or I would not be here. There are great qualities to this country. But this sense that everything has to be a business is sometimes overwhelming. Michel Gondry quality country thinking It's part of my job to maintain the emotional reality and the naturalism even when the atmosphere is contrived. Michel Gondry emotional jobs reality You don't watch home movie for the technique, you watch because it's reminiscing on good moments you spent with your friends. It reflects you. It belongs to you. So I was thinking people could, instead of spending their money to go and see a blockbuster, make their own movies. Collect the money and make a new one every week. I thought it would be nice to create a world that makes this construct possible. Michel Gondry nice home thinking The beauty of doing film is that you construct whatever you do block by block and you can build something that will stay. Michel Gondry constructs block film I think the tools were always available, for decades and decades, to make your own film and be creative. I don't think people had to wait for YouTube to do this type of small project. YouTube, I think it's great. I have this idiotic satisfaction. And I think there's a bit of that in YouTube. You share, true, but it's centralized, and it's already sort of controlled. I'm more for something that's not a centralized medium. Like doing your own film and screening it yourself. You cannot control people doing that. Michel Gondry creative people thinking