All or Nothing

The link between writing and directing

I learned very, very early—I spotted it at the age of twenty-two—that writing and directing could become inextricably one creative process.

Take the time to get it right

If you need to spend three hours on working on how to shoot [something], then this is what you have to do. There is no point in saying ‘There is no time for that.’ It’s part of the creative process… It’s about priorities…. It’s about making films in a way that isn’t bound by the wrong conventions for the wrong reasons.

The film is the screenplay

For me the process of filmmaking is [one] where the existence of a screenplay as such doesn’t exist. The film is the screenplay; the making of the film is the investigation into what the film is.

The myths of method acting

There is all kinds of amateur nonsense kicking around in the world of acting. People misunderstood the actions of method acting, people “becoming the character.” The fact is that if [the actors] were the characters, you wouldn’t be able to make a film with them.

Preparation makes for a healthy set

Technicians that come to work in my films, who haven’t worked [with me] previously, say ‘What is it with this film? The actors are so calm, so relaxed. They’re not as neurotic as they usually are. They don’t throw fits. Why aren’t the actors behaving badly as they normally do? How do they know the lines? Why aren’t they complaining about their costumes, about the sets and everything?’ [It’s] because we spent all this time preparing it.

Filmography for Mike Leigh

All or Nothing (2002)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Career Girls (1997)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Naked (1993)
Two Mikes Don't Make a Wright (1992)
A Sense of History (1992)
Life Is Sweet (1990)
High Hopes (1988)
The Short and Curlies (1987)
Four Days in July (1985)
The Five Minute Films (1982)
Home Sweet Home (1982)
Meantime (1981)