In moviemaking, you learn to pay attention to detail, because so much is in the detail. And when you're shooting, you try to be very alert to what's going on, even if you're tired.

Everything about a movie is manipulation.

A lot of the issues of rhythm in film are found in the editing because it's very rare that any sequence is the sequence that is shot.

My goal is to make as many films as possible about different aspects of American life.

Making movies is an effort is an attempt to leave a trace of your existence.

Documentary filmmaking ruins you for real life, because you learn to be extremely attentive.

I think I've learned a lot about how to make movies, and particularly about how to edit movies by thinking about how similar problems are resolved in other forms. The issues in all forms are the same in an abstract sense, aren't they? Characterization, abstraction, metaphor, passage of time... Whether it's a movie, a novel, a play, or a poem, those issues exist. And each person resolves them differently.