You don’t always have to have the ending, but you want to have a satisfactory conclusion.
BARRY LEVINSONYou don’t always have to have the ending, but you want to have a satisfactory conclusion.
BARRY LEVINSONI don’t know that you can do it as a satire. I mean, the business is crazy enough as it is. It’s like doing Wag The Dog – we took a thing that was almost completely absurd on one level, and then ultimately those things came about.
BARRY LEVINSONI think test screening works at its best when the audience knows what it’s getting.
BARRY LEVINSONYou have a movie and it proves itself and then certain things happen.
BARRY LEVINSONI got a chance to work with Mel Brooks on two of his films: Silent Movie and High Anxiety.
BARRY LEVINSONEven back in the ’90s, I shot certain things on something that wasn’t digital then, but it was on VHS with a smaller camera and we would up it to film.
BARRY LEVINSONI play around with human things, human relationships and that, and allow that kind of talk to work in that way, on that level.
BARRY LEVINSONSome actors are supposed to be very difficult, but I’ve not found that to be the situation.
BARRY LEVINSONI thought a great line in the What Just Happened movie said, “We’re just the mayonnaise.”
BARRY LEVINSONThe interesting thing about movies, it’s not always – y’know, you have to have structure etc and all those things, but an audience responds, in many ways, we walk away and certain things stay in our heads that are memorable.
BARRY LEVINSONNo one really has the power, and everybody’s trying to get through the day, and everybody’s nervous and desperate.
BARRY LEVINSONAs soon as digital editing came about, I immediately made the switch to digital.
BARRY LEVINSONI’ve had a lot of movies that didn’t get great numbers on test screening, but a lot of times the film was able to survive, or the studio still stayed and supported it.
BARRY LEVINSONI think certain movies work and that is part of the magic of it all. We can’t truly define why something succeeds.
BARRY LEVINSONAll I try to do is create an atmosphere that seems comfortable enough, that it removes tension and everyone feels free. If they feel free then behaviour happens, small moments happen and that’s what ultimately works the best for me.
BARRY LEVINSONThey’re intimidating the networks and levying these fines, so the networks are not sure of what they can or can’t do.
BARRY LEVINSON