Director

As a director, you have to go in with a really, really, really clear picture of what you want.

It's funny: I rarely reference anything, and I'm one of those people that doesn't really spend much time in other people's worlds. I just try and create my own and make it as distinctive as I can.

There's so much burying of heads in sand going on in the U.S., people are finally beginning to recognize that the environment is dying, but it's far too late, and I am conflicted.

My agent and manager would sternly tell me exactly the number of projects that we've turned down at this point. But, I think it's really important to do the right thing next.

Film becomes a living organism. After awhile, it begins to tell you what it needs, and you're usually best listening.

Suspense is a real tough beast in terms of the filmmaking.

Make the film that you love. When you find a film that you love, every molecule of your being will be moving in the direction of making the best film you can possibly make. This should be your default mode of operation.

I don't like doing the same thing over and over again, because I learn from being challenged.

It's good to know where you've come from.

Films are pushing envelopes in terms of what is horrific, but also on other areas: in video games, in comic books and outside life.

Francis Lawrence is an astonishing filmmaker, an incredibly gifted visual filmmaker. I have great respect for his work.

I thought, 'Who is the first vampire ever? It's Peter Murphy!'

I look for challenges. I really do.

When I got the script for 'Eclipse,' I thought it was a damn good story.

I think filmmaking is largely about preparation and taste and luck. If you have all of those three things, I think you will find you can work somehow.

'Twilight' was a cult film, and the books were huge, but after 'New Moon,' it really blew up.

When you are doing music videos through the '90s, which I did, and the 2000s, you were put in the position, really, as an independent filmmaker. You were being financed by a major record company or a minor record company or whatever.

I believe that filmmaking is a brilliant thing to do - be doing - for a living.

The vampires of '30 Days of Night' never really came into discussions early on. They did later when we were trying to figure out the pathology of the 'Twilight' vampires. '30 Days' is a completely different film. If you are a kid, please ask mum and dad before you watch that one!

I think if you have too much fear, you're never going to break ground or develop.