What he learned working on his film Changeland

Oh my gosh I learned so much. Hard to put into words because it's so many things about so many things. With making Robot Chicken for several years, I've gotten lots of experience not just working with actors, but also helping a large crew all work together for a shared goal. I really appreciate every individual's personal contribution to the whole, and know that people need encouragement. I've learned to be direct without making someone feel punished, and I really focus on surrounding myself with superior talent wherever possible. I really work to take nothing personally, and give space for everyone to do their best work. I think I'll direct another movie, but I need it to be something I lov...

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Question: From watching your show and seeing some interviews, I've noticed that you're self-taught and hands-on in many facets of production (cameras, self-editing, etc.). In general, it seems you like to learn. What are you currently learning, or what else would you like to master in the future? Answer: Jesus, what a good question. Oh my god. Someone needs to give you a dollar for that. Okay. I do love to learn. It's all I feel like I'm ever doing. It's really the best you can do in life, is learn. You can't really do anything right. You can just learn. Right now, I am learning to be a dad. I am learning how to take better care of myself and my kids. I"m learning how to communicate with ...

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I hated everything in school. I think it kills people for books. My kid was having trouble with this book, and oh my God, it was a great book. So I said, "Why don't you try to read it once just for pleasure because you're reading it knowing that you'll be asked questions. You can't enjoy anything then." It's like if you went to a movie and they said, "Oh, there's going to be a giant quiz the next day," it'd be very hard to enjoy that movie because you'll be trying to figure out what questions they'll be asking. Of course the books weren't written for that purpose. They weren't written to be taught in school or analyzed in a literary way or anything like that. School killed me for books. I re...

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At several points, there can be dozens of people who need you to have an answer. Your job as director is to tell everyone if what they're doing is within your vision. You always have to be able to convey that vision to everyone making the movie with you. The question could be about an actor's character, and if their improv or idea works in context with the overall story, or your beliefs about their character. It could be making the decision to move to a cover set because the forecast is rain. I make sure to surround myself with smart and highly competent professionals, and then take everyone's advice. I like the idea that's best for the movie, even if it's not mine.
As I move through time, things change. I change, the world changes, the way the world sees me changes. I age, I fail, I succeed, I am lost. I have a moment of calm. The remnants of who I have been, however, hover, embarrass me, depress me, make me wistful. The inkling of who I will be depresses me, makes me hopeful, scares me, and embarrasses me. And here I stand at this crossroads, always embarrassed, wistful, depressed, angry, longing, looking back, looking forward. I may make a decision and move from that crossroads, at which point I find myself instantly at another crossroads. Therefore there is only movement. A screenplay is movement. It is written in time and expresses a passage of ti...
He goes, "Yeah, I approve, 99.9 percent." And I'm like, "Wow, and what's the 0.1 percent?" And you think he's going to say, "You know, I never said that," or whatever, and he goes — director to director — he goes, "Yeah, James, I think you should look at lighting in the beginning of [the] movie." And I'm like, "Oh man, I'll tell my cinematographer to watch The Room for pointers." But then we realize only later that he had been wearing his shades through the whole movie, so it's like, "Yeah, of course the lighting is off." ... I realized in that screening ... when [the audience was] cheering for him, they were cheering his story. They were cheering him on and the will it took to get his mov...
Well, the first time we shot spherical was on the Master...it seemed like a good fit, evoking the old 50s films like Vertigo and North By Northwest...large format films but in a boxy frame....it was a nice change from the earlier films....I wanna shoot scope again though...maybe next time...
One of the best times I've ever had making a movie. Kind of hard not to have fun with that crew. Anything Craig Robinson says makes me laugh. I think Channing Tatum is most like his character.
Sorry no actual update. I've heard for years there's a movie being developed, but never from anyone actually connected with it. Personally I love the movies, that character, and all the people involved. It's some of the most fun I've had, and most the most widely received movie I've been a part of. Not sure Mike is really looking to make a new one, but I'm sure if he did, everyone would show up for it.
Someone asked "will there be a Garfield 3?" I don't think so. I had a hilarious experience with Garfield. I only read a few pages of it, and I kind of wanted to do a cartoon movie, because I had looked at the screenplay and it said "Joel Cohen" on it. And I wasn't thinking clearly, but it was spelled Cohen, not Coen. I love the Coen brothers movies. I think that Joel Coen is a wonderful comedic mind. So I didn't really bother to finish the script, I thought "he's great, I'll do it." So then it was months before i got around to actually doing it, and I remember i had to go to a screening room in somewhere, and watch the movie and start working. And because they had had trouble contacting ...