Michael Mann Quotes

I think it`s easy for directors to stay fresh more than actors, especially once an actor becomes a star. It`s hard for Russell Crowe to walk down a street or take a subway. I can fly coach.

A 65-ft.-wide screen and 500 people reacting to the movie, there is nothing like that experience. (on the cinematic experience)

Could I have worked under a system where there were Draconian controls on my creativity, meaning budget, time, script choices, etc.? Definitely not. I would have fared poorly under the old studio system that guys like Howard Hawks did so well in. I cannot just make a film and walk away from it. I need that creative intimacy, and quite frankly, the control to execute my visions, on all my projects.

(On whether he operates camera in his movies): The criterion is when I want to see what`s going on through the lens. Usually, it comes down to performance more than technique...I`ve also worked with the same camera crews, even down to the assistants, on the last four films. (1999). So, we`ve developed a family in camera. A family that picks right up where they left off every few years. I see the world from the perspective of a 5`8" person, not someone who is 6`4". so naturally, I`m going to choose certain lens heights over and again...Sometimes nature makes choices for you.