Things I’ve Learned

  • Movie News

Martin Scorsese at 80: Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

Martin Scorsese turns 80 Thursday, and in honor of his birthday, we're sharing this edition of Things I've Learned as…

1 year ago
  • Movie News

Maggie Gyllenhaal: Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

Sometimes Maggie Gyllenhaal has worked on films with directors who appreciated her brilliance. Sometimes she hasn’t. “I have learned over…

2 years ago
  • Movie News

Mahershala Ali: Things I’ve Learned as a MovieMaker

"My goal is to be a transformational actor,” says Mahershala Ali, star of Apple TV+'s Swan Song. “What I mean…

2 years ago
  • Movie News

Paul Verhoeven: Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

Paul Verhoeven is the rare director who makes hit films that also invite deep analysis. They’re often violent, and sexual,…

2 years ago
  • Movie News

Spike Lee: Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

When Spike Lee arrived at New York University’s graduate film program in the early ’80s, he had never heard of…

3 years ago
  • Articles - Directing

Things I’ve Learned As A Moviemaker: Taylor Hackford

You have to be passionate. When a script is ready, I commit to it. That’s one of the problems with…

3 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Robert Downey Jr.

From Kings County State Correctional Facility to the private tutelage of the legendary Lee Strasberg, Robert Downey Jr. has blazed…

3 years ago
  • Movie News

Ken Burns: Things I've Learned as a Moviemaker

This fall marks the 40th anniversary of Ken Burns’ first documentary, Brooklyn Bridge. In the decades since, he’s established himself…

3 years ago
  • Movie News

Viggo Mortensen: Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

Viggo Mortensen has disappeared into roles as a Russian mobster in Eastern Promises, a Bronx bouncer with a lot to…

3 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Jonas Mekas

"I hope you’re taping this. One day I would like to have a copy,” Jonas Mekas tells me from his New…

6 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy is an actor’s actor. Over the past four decades, he’s appeared in well over 50 features, including some…

7 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Cinematographer Nancy Schreiber

Nancy Schreiber, ASC was the fourth woman ever voted into membership of the American Society of Cinematographers. This weekend, the…

7 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Mira Nair

Variety is the spice of filmmaking. It might also be Mira Nair’s secret ingredient for longevity. You know the Indian-born,…

8 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Luis Guzmán

Character actor Luis Guzmán has been a favorite of director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, The Limey, Out of Sight) and Paul…

9 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Mike Leigh

Wickedly observant, consummately English, a cinematic storyteller par excellence: Mike Leigh is the award-winning writer-director behind Naked (1993), Secrets &…

9 years ago
  • Festivals
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Guy Maddin’s Five Tips for Making a Silent Film

Director Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg, The Saddest Music in the World) serves as guest judge for this year's Toronto Urban…

10 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Atom Egoyan

This Wisdom Wednesday, director Atom Egoyan tells us his golden rules for happiness, both in the realm of moviemaking and…

10 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Thelma Schoonmaker

This Wisdom Wednesday, legendary editor Thelma Schoonmaker shares the lessons she's learned from over three decades in the cutting room.…

10 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Kevin Smith, Jim Jarmusch, Anthony Minghella, John Sayles, James Mangold and Robert Duvall

Instead of one moviemaker serving up a single course of wisdom, this Wednesday we have five experts coming together to…

10 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Wim Wenders’ 50 Golden Rules of Moviemaking

Wim Wenders is known for his poetic and emotional films, like 1984’s Palme d’Or-winning Paris, Texas and 1987’s Wings of…

11 years ago
  • Articles - Directing

Things I’ve Learned: Harmony Korine

As Josh Ralske writes in his forthcoming MovieMaker interview... "I was never really a fan of Harmony Korine’s work. I…

11 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned As a Moviemaker: Ti West

With The House of the Devil, writer-director Ti West showcased an uncanny ability to pay tribute to the classic horror…

12 years ago
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Harmony Korine

Harmony Korine first gained notoriety at the age of 22, when his screenplay for Kids, about 24 hours in the…

16 years ago
  • Articles - Directing
  • Articles - Moviemaking
  • Things Learned

Things I’ve Learned: Zak Penn

1. On the blockbuster summer movies, writing subplots that intersect with the main plot in the third act can be…

16 years ago