Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker

From Oliver Stone

Always fight for what you believe in.

From Terrence Malick

Always search out the beautiful accidents.

From Cameron Crowe

Have a good time.

From working with multiple editors

Diplomacy.

From working soley as editor

Keep an open mind.

On the relationship between editor and director

Be brutally honest.

On the difference between cutting action and cutting
drama

Find the drama in the action and the action in the
drama.

On the skills that make a successful director

You’ve got to be partially a cheerleader and be able
to extract the talents from the people around you, yet maintain
your own vision and what you wanted to say in the first place.

On the skills that make a successful editor.

Different editors have different skills, but find
your individual voice. You’re not a pair of hands. You have to have
some sort of vision of your own. You need to take what the director
does and work with him, but it’s a partnership, so don’t just agree
and nod and do. Because that’s not an editor, that’s a machine.