It's terrible to write what are essentially comedies for people with no sense of humor. Everyone thinks they have a sense of humor, but observably not. Whit Stillman More Quotes by Whit Stillman More Quotes From Whit Stillman The Cha-Cha is no more ridiculous than life itself. Whit Stillman ridiculous I decided the moment I graduated from college that I would never wear blue jeans again. And I have never worn blue jeans again. Whit Stillman jeans college blue I explained to Amazon that I don't like outlining or projecting what something's going to be. I like to allow a story to arise as I'm writing scripts. I find it horrible when I try to think of something for the plot without really being on the ground and seeing where it goes. I was really resistant to do the mini-bible. So I gave them something, but I really didn't want to do it that way. Whit Stillman writing trying thinking That's one of the things I find really bad, is when people not only do injuries to others, but then lie about the others to justify it. It's not bad enough just being bad to someone, but then lying about it. Whit Stillman just-being lying people For me, there's a bad year of getting started on something. You write bad stuff and it's awkward to throw it out, and you wait around to get some good ideas that maybe do come or don't come. Until eventually you get the voice and autonomy of the characters, the characters have personality, and they sort of pick up the weight and put it on their shoulders. That's when it becomes a little more fun. Whit Stillman writing fun character The creation of a film starts with an idea, a notion of a time period or characters, and you get really excited about the idea, and sell it to others if you need their support to write the script. You can't wait to get started, and then you try to start, and you struggle with the blank page, and you get some ideas, and they're bad ideas, and you write bad stuff. It's really bad. Whit Stillman struggle writing character I can talk about Jane Austen until the cows come home. Whit Stillman cows austen home So something I've felt I've learned with The Cosmopolitans shoot is using some agility and changing things quickly. That's something I found really useful on this shoot too. The gestation of The Cosmopolitans and this are slightly different from my other films. The script would be done and I'd be cutting it, but I wasn't always writing new material. Whit Stillman cutting different writing I'm for people clinging. I'm pro-clinging. Whit Stillman clinging people Our roots are clinging, we shouldn't knock down so many old 'buildings.' Whit Stillman old-buildings building roots I think Austin is read more now than Charles Dickens, and Dickens was much more popular in his day. She endures because of her classicism. Whit Stillman austin endure thinking I would say on the other side of the equation that there were really some massive sales and massive enthusiasm for some films that were given big releases. And I'm not really sure that happens in quite the same way, small films getting big releases. Maybe it still does, I don't know. Whit Stillman enthusiasm doe way Find someone hypersocial and crazy and try not to follow them to their doom, but to make friends with their nicer friends. Whit Stillman doom crazy trying I've had no money, absolutely, from my family. They paid for a good education - or schools that purported to be a good education - but, um, not a dime. Whit Stillman dimes my-family school You can't go by what the governments say or do. It's not the governments. It's on the street where there's more hatred of Americans in Britain than in France. Whit Stillman france government hatred I think it's helpful to aspire to make films if you feel that other people are not doing what you want to do. Whit Stillman doing-what-you-want people thinking Sometimes you don't realize how dependent you are on just a few people, and if they disappear, suddenly you can be thrown on your own resources, which may be limited, and you're really in a fix. So I think that's authentic to the experience that it might be very lonely. Whit Stillman lonely people thinking I think crazy people are helpful, crazy people who are the catalysts who make other things happen for everyone else. It's almost as if they're not really making things happen in their own life, but their hyperactivity is triggered for everyone else. Whit Stillman crazy people thinking There's some people who are just very dynamic about social life, and it can be some pretty crazy stuff, but you end up meeting people you like. Whit Stillman crazy stuff people I love watching the romantic comedies of the late '50s and early '60s. I used to have a rule that if Tony Randall's in it, it can't be bad. Whit Stillman late comedy used
