Do movie directors watch movies?

Of course to be a director one has to be fascinated by movies, but do you think a director would watch movies, because he already knows inside out how they are made. My acting coach when I use to act a long time ago told me that he could not watch movies anymore, because he was into directing movies for awhile. He said after becoming a director he could never look at movies the same way. Do you think this is true? Hopefully the movie experts on BTS/ATS can give me some good answers!

[edit on 6-3-2010 by Maddogkull]

reply to post by Maddogkull


I'm probably to green to have a valid opinion [2yrs] but I have been working on Indy films and a few BigBudget shows as an actor, producer, director, grip, PA, background extra etc. and I watch 2 or 3 movies at the theater and 2 or 3 DVDs a week; but I'm still learning the craft/art of film making. Some partners and myself just started our own Production Company.

I worked on this one, still in production.....www.youtube.com...

and this one...www.youtube.com...

and www.imdb.com...

New Mexico is being called Tamalewood.

Are you a film actor?



[edit on 7-3-2010 by whaaa]

It's up to the individual, I guess. I know that one of my favourite directors Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, etc) gathers much of his inspiration from Spaghetti Westerns.

Like I said, I believe it's up to the person whether they do or not. I personally think it'd be valuable to have seen/see a wide range of films in many genres even if you're an established director. Although, I can see where the problem may lie if a director views things with a more technical lens and find things they can critique, but the trick is to be able to shift those lenses accordingly. Entertainment, cultural, historical, technical, visual, etc. It's the person's choice which one they choose to see it with and whether or not they use more than one.

I imagine some directors or producers can't watch them, since you know the workings behind the scenes, it takes some of the magic out of it for you.

Much like trying to be a magician watching another magician when you know how they do all the tricks.

reply to post by Maddogkull


How else do you think they get ideas for new movies?

You serious..books or perhaps there own imagination

One of the problems in watching movies is that it can influence you, so instead of writing about a character trait that is based on your real life experiences, your characters become increasingly like those in other films.

I do not have cable. For news purposes, we have access to the one station which can reach us here. (CTV as it happens)

To me, that's like saying an artist doesn't like going to a museum, because he knows how the art is done.

Regardless, the finished product is still certainly an experience independent from the means of its creation.

In fact, if anything, it should deepen the appreciation for the craft.

Speaking of Tarantino has openly talked about his love of film.

He lists his favorite 20 films since he first started making films

Battle Royale- awesome film
Anything Else
Audition- f#%^ed up film.... good though
Blade
Boogie Nights
Dazed & Confused
Dogville
Fight Club
Fridays
The Host
The Insider
Joint Security Area
Lost In Translation
The Matrix
Memories of Murder
Police Story 3
Shaun of the Dead
Speed
Team America
Unbreakable

He has a lot of Asian films. JSA is awesome, Police Story 3 is a must see, Audition changes the way you feel about young pretty women, and Battle Royale makes you look at kids in a different light. The Host and Memories of Murder are also Korean.

There you have it, directors watch film. If they didn't some great films like "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" would never have come out as Leone's films were based off of earlier Akira Kurosawa works.
Alfred Hitchcock was inspired for Psycho by French film Les diaboliques
The close knit relationship between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solyris is evident of inspiration along with the recent "Moon" that has many striking resemblances to 2001.
The scene in The Untouchables where the baby carriage is going down stairs pulls inspiration from Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. Brian De Palma has had numerous scenes in his vast array of films that give homage to an earlier, pivotal work.
Francois Truffaut used an homage to Stanley Kubrick's work Path's of Glory. Spielberg even used Truffaut as an actor in his Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Which incidentally has an homage to 2001 as well).

I can go on, but yes.... film directors watch films, love films, hence the desire to make films.