To me there is a name for each person. I think itโs marvelous to have a name. A woman is not a woman. Itโs either Gena or my mother or some other person.
John CassavetesArt films aren't necessarily photography. It's feeling. If we can capture a feeling of a people, of a way of life, then we made a good picture.
John CassavetesDuring the actual filming, Iโm not really listening to dialogue. Iโm watching to see if the actors are communicating something and expressing something. Iโm just watching a conversation. Youโre not aware of exactly what people are saying. You are aware of what they are INTENDING and what kind of feeling is going on in that scene.
John CassavetesThere's a difference between ad-libbing and improvising. And there's a difference between not knowing what to do and just saying something. Or making choices as an actor. As a writer also, as a person who's making a film, as a cameraman, everything is a choice. And it seems to me I don't really have to direct anyone or write down that somebody's getting drunk; all I have to do is say that there's a bottle there and put a bottle there and then they're going to get drunk.
John Cassavetes