My characters are not thinking about the act breaks. They're thinking about what they need to do to move forward. As long as I focus on that, the story starts to progress. As soon as I think, 'We're 20 pages in, something better blow up,' we're in trouble.
More Quotes by Jeff Nichols
The funny thing about 'Take Shelter' is that a lot of people talk about how it was allegory for the economy and things that were to happen. And that was so on the nose in the movie for me. I was like, 'That's obvious.' It's the other stuff about marriage and commitment and those other things that I spent the most time thinking about.
As a storyteller, you have to have something to say. You have to look at the world, think about it in relationship to yourself, and say, 'I think this is a pattern,' or 'I think this is the way fatherhood works,' or 'I think this is the way first love feels.' The danger in that is, that's when you open yourself up to real critique.
If you want someone to show up and execute your script for you, seriously, there are a lot of great people out there. Don't call me.
I can talk to execs very clearly, very plainly. I don't get nervous in front of them anymore.
There's one right place to put the camera. I'm a big believer in that. You'd think you could put it anywhere. Nope.
I never wanted to make movies just for me. I want to make movies that people watch.