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They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.

Barry Sonnenfeld

By definition a sequel can’t be original. So you’ve got to figure out what worked the first time around.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Definitions Figure Firsts Skating
I was seeing a lot of really good things about Get Shorty when it came out, and my wife pointed out that if you validate the good reviews, you also have to validate the bad reviews.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Good Reviews Things Wife
Michael worked one day. Everybody was a little freaked out and nervous because he’s a really big star. We were already working with really big stars, but Michael is Michael.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Day Little One Stars
I had to explain to him that it was a comedy.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Comedy Explain Learn Taught
And my feeling was if I was going to succeed as a director, I had to just be a director and give up the safety net of being a cameraman.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Cameramen Director Feeling Succeed
Anything I think isn’t working or might not work, I don’t even put it in the director’s cut. And usually it’s the studio suggesting I put stuff back in, as opposed to studios saying, “You got to lose 40 minutes,” they are always saying, “You’ve got to gain five minutes.”
BARRY SONNENFELD

might Oppose Studious Stuff Suggest Work
I’m not the one or two take guy, but I’m not the 20, 30, 50, 70 take guy either. If I do a bunch of takes, like more than five or six, it’s usually for some technical reasons.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Bunch Guy More Six Take Two Usually
There is something about being a director where, for me personally, I get to . . . it’s the closest I’ll ever come to being able to be a stand up.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Director Laughing People Personality
I don’t believe in leaving a scene in because it was really hard to shoot, or because it’s the reason you took the movie, or because you always wanted to work with an actor . . . If it’s not making the movie work, get rid of it.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Actors Believe Leave Leaving Scene
Growing up, my fascination was all things dinosaur, and as an adult, I’ve had some success making films about aliens, so this is a dream come true.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Dream Fascination Growing Up
It always happens at the end that you’re always under the gun because of various schedules and all that.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Ends Gun Happen Schedules
When I move from being a cameraman to being a director I looked at a lot of other cameramen who tried to make the move. And in each case they moved up their camera operator to be the DP, which really meant they didn’t want to give up being the DP, and really wanted to do both.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Cameramen Director Giving Make Move Moving Safety
It felt scary because there was no auditioning, no rehearsing.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Rehearsing Scar Scary
When you’re done shooting, the movie that you’re going to release when you’re done shooting is as bad as it will ever be.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Done Editing Finishing Release Shoot
The first cut I do is usually between five and 10 minutes shorter then the cut that we release.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Cutting Directors Thinking
The weird thing is that I hate to fly, and the quote that I give people is that every time I get off a plane, I view it as a failed suicide attempt.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Attempt Hate Suicide Views
I’m an unusual director in that my cut is usually shorter then the final released film. I like short films.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Cutting Directors Finals
And to use my particular sense of humor, and hear people laughing, without me having to stand up in front of an audience and tell jokes.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Always Gun Joke Particular Sense The Audience
They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Figure Laughing Skating Want
Michael Jackson wanted to be in Men in Black II. He told me he had seen the first Men in Black in Paris and had stayed behind and sat there and wept.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Black Celebrity Country Men Musician Popular Singer Told
And then through editing, and finishing the effects and adding music, you get to make the movie better again. So I’m really hard on myself and on the movie.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Add Finish Movie Music Myself
We should all relax about life because you don’t have a clue as to what’s really going on.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Clue Going Life Relax
These movies are like my kids. I just love them to death. Some of them go to Harvard and some of them can barely graduate high school.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Barely Graduate Kid Movie School Some
I haven’t read a review of one of my films for the best part of 10 years.
BARRY SONNENFELD

Film Reviews Years

They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.

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They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.

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