Damien Chazelle

If you want to make a movie, there may be many forces trying to pull you down, but really, a lot of it is will power. You can will it into being if you just believe that you are going to make a movie. ”

Whiplash' scared me. I feel you should only do projects that scare you to some degree. I get motivated by those sorts of feelings. ”

It was only through getting interested in more out-there and avant-garde forms that the musical suddenly seemed like such a wonderful genre to me. ”

I think there is something to be said for not coddling people and not accepting good as good enough. ”

I don't like the idea the viewer can kind of sit there and go, 'Make me like this person.' People aren't inherently sympathetic. ”

I remember being inspired myself when smaller films, whether it's 'Beasts' or 'Winter's Bone,' wound up in the Oscars lineup. ”

It's a weird thing where, especially in jazz, you have to totally mention cutting sessions and people one-upping each other and people being super, super tough on each other. And out of it emerge these genius musicians. ”

My version of a stress dream is, really, showing up on a concert stage with a drum set and not knowing the chart. ”

I don't think of 'Macbeth' as the villain. I don't think of 'King Lear' as the villain. I don't think of 'Hamlet' as the villain. I don't think of 'Travis Bickle' as the villain. ”

I love being in the editing room and playing with tempo and with the rhythm of shots. ”