I was looking for people who didn't have any preconceptions about films, what I call the "post-rules" generation.
Paul SchraderLet's just shoot in black and white. Don't explain why. Have no reason for it. Just do it because it's interesting.
Paul SchraderI would not have made any of my films or written scripts such as Taxi Driver had it not been for Ingmar Bergman, What he has left is a legacy greater than any other director.... I think the extraordinary thing that Bergman will be remembered for, other than his body of work, was that he probably did more than anyone to make cinema a medium of personal and introspective value.
Paul Schrader'Taxi Driver' wasn't autobiographical in terms of the actual events, but I did draw on my own mental state.
Paul SchraderThere's something wrong - the performance, the weather, the set design, the lighting. Something is not working. And so you say, "Give me 10 minutes." When you're first directing, you're terrified. But when you've been in that situation enough times, you know that under pressure, it will come to you.
Paul Schrader