Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.

In opera, everyone's watching from a fixed viewpoint, and that really challenges you. Lighting, the sets, stage groupings, the music-but doesn't relate too much to film.

At HBO, they seem to be well-informed. They make what I think are really quite mature films.

Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.

For a director, the most challenging scenes are the dialogue scenes.

Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.

It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying.