37 Quotes by David Mackenzie

I sort of feel like my job is to be a conduit to opportunities, to maximize the creativity of the day itself - because that's when the cameras are running. That's the important thing to me. Some of these shots you need to think about in advance; you need to have some ideas for them.

As I get more confident as a filmmaker, I don't need to prepare so much in advance. I can trust that I and my team can come up with a solution.

I like the energy of doing things fast. We shot 'Starred Up' in just four weeks, and we edited it in four weeks.

I very rarely read a script that I don't feel I want to change a lot.

Signature film-making seems rather dull to me; it's about finding something you can do something with and running with the ball.

A lot of cinema is about the game of authenticity - do you feel it's real?

As a director, when you embrace a project, you try to understand as much as you can about its world, and you do that by embracing and engaging with people who are in that world. Then it's down to your best instincts, which is what most directing is about anyway.

Being open to what's happening in front of you is the most important thing about being a director. To allow the magic to exist and to be light enough on your feet to harness it as it's happening. That's what makes cinema interesting.

I always feel like a script is a recipe, and then you bring the elements into the recipe, and you cook with it.