By definition a sequel can’t be original. So you’ve got to figure out what worked the first time around.
BARRY SONNENFELDAnything 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.”
More Barry Sonnenfeld Quotes
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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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
It felt scary because there was no auditioning, no rehearsing.
BARRY SONNENFELD -
They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.
BARRY SONNENFELD -
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 -
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 -
The first cut I do is usually between five and 10 minutes shorter then the cut that we release.
BARRY SONNENFELD -
It always happens at the end that you’re always under the gun because of various schedules and all that.
BARRY SONNENFELD -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
I’m an unusual director in that my cut is usually shorter then the final released film. I like short films.
BARRY SONNENFELD