84 Quotes by Atom Egoyan

When you’re working with a smaller budget I suppose one of the things that has to be in your mind when you are writing is that you have to keep the characters down to a minimum.

I think if you look at the themes that are presented in the film, some are inherently social, and I think that any film which deals with the family is dealing with the smallest social unit in our society – and in a sense it is a question of scope.

That’s a very odd notion because it involves seeing money up there on the screen – if something cost $5 million to make, they want to see that $5 million up there.

I think ultimately if you have a very high expectation of your audience and you know exactly what it is you’re trying to express through the medium of film, there will always be an audience for you.

We’re lucky to be making films. My crew and I have been working together for a long time. I think that that’s what emanates.

I believe my signal of maturity as a filmmaker iswhen I’ll actually acknowledge the fact that the first take is usuallythe best.

Though I am still very vulnerable to audiences – and it happens all the time – where for some reason the energy doesn’t connect and, since the film is very personal, obviously I am made to feel very vulnerable by that.

Every actor has a different temperament. Part of my job is to know what those boundaries are. The actor has to know you’ll be there at the other end, that you’re trying to represent them in the best light, who they are as they’re harnessing these roles. The methods vary from actor to actor.

It was very important that it be done in such a way that it be executed with complete conviction. If I had done it both ways, if I was trying to cover myself in case it didn’t work, then it would have been to no purpose.