All language subtitles for 12 Make It True to the Ideas

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When you make a decision, you
think it's a correct decision.

And sometimes, it's slow
motion realizing that it isn't.

Sometimes, it's fast.

But you think it's
the correct thing.

All along the way, every single
day, every single moment,

we're making decisions.

And you just do
the best you can.

If things turn out to be a
failure like what happened

to me on '"Dune," I say
that's a blessing in a way.

There's nowhere to
go down further.

You can only go up.

So there's a sense of freedom
that comes out of a failure.

If you have a
success, there's kind

of like a extended drum roll.

This best-- next thing
better be as good as that.

It better be good.

Or you're going
to take the fall.

So you could start
second guessing yourself.

And so there's
danger in a success.

I just keep going back
to "Dune" as being

a major failure for my self.

And making "Blue Velvet"
came out of that.

So it was euphoria--

nowhere to go but up and a
sense of freedom and euphoria

making "Blue Velvet."

You don't have to suffer
to show suffering.

You don't have to be
filled with turmoil

to show turmoil,
have it in the story.

I don't know what goes on
in artists heads, you know.

But I think all the great
artists loved, you know,

working.

And a lot of people say,
well, you know, suffering

is good for art.

Look at van Gogh, they say.

And I say, let's take
a look at van Gogh.

Van Gogh didn't go out painting
because he hated it or he was--

the only time he
was happy probably

was when he was painting.

He painted because
he loved to paint.

And the rest of his life
was pretty miserable.

He didn't sell anything.

He was broke.

A lot of times, he
probably really hungry.

But it's just common sense.

Suffering reduces
and it's the enemy.

Negativity is the
enemy of creativity.

It's common sense.

If someone is
depressed, they say

they don't even feel
like getting out

of bed, let alone working.

If you're sad or if you're
filled with bitter anger,

that occupies the mind.

Maybe you do angry paintings.

So what?

You could do angry paintings
but be happy in the doing.

This romantic idea-- it's
a French idea, I say--

this guy is starving
in the garret.

It's so romantic.

He's cold.

He's starving.

And it's romantic.

It's romantic really
for everyone but him.

If he was honest,
he'd say, I don't want

to be cold and freezing here.

I don't want to live this
charade that, you know,

this is cool.

I don't want to be starving.

I want to feel good and paint.

If they're really honest,
it would be a lot better

to do the work and not
suffer and especially

if they knew that more ideas
would flow and the work could,

you know, blossom, you
know, who knows where.

The feature film is the thing
that's in trouble right now.

Except for the so-called
summer blockbusters,

people don't go to the theater.

They watch cable television
is the new art house

and where you're
going to see something

that is not in the summer
blockbuster category.

And there will be directors
that will come out

of that, filmmakers that
will come out of that.

It will shine.

And it's just going to happen
in that world for a while.

Those things, 2000 people in
a big giant beautiful Palace

Theater with a giant
screen and great sound

all watching the same film,
that thing, I don't see.

The old way, filling up
theaters night after night,

I think is gone.

We're losing quite a lot.

Because the thing
I've found out is

when you have a theater
filled with people,

the film runs slower.

And in a feature film,
there's no commercial breaks.

There's no breaks at all.

And you have to pull the
audience for 2 plus or three

hours and hold them.

And with that many
people, it seems

to be a kind of an intelligence
that rises up in the group.

They can think ahead of you.

And they can drop out.

And they can-- you have
to be able to hold them.

And that's a tricky business.

With cable television, it's
just one or two or three or four

people in the room,
it's a different thing.

They're more forgiving,
one or two people.

One person is
incredibly forgiving.

They'll-- they won't be
like 2000 people in a room.

And it's-- they'll
forgive many things.

And it's just the way it is.

In television, I say it gives
an opportunity for a continuing

story.

And this to me is beautiful--

a story that goes, and
it gets a world going

and characters going.

And it can go and go and go.

And it can, you
know, branch out.

And you can go here and there.

And great things can happen
as you go deeper into it.

If you build a film
for the audience,

because it takes a year
or more to make a film,

the audience is going
to be a year different

when the thing is done.

And you could, you know,
have missed that time.

If you stay true to
the idea and make

it as good as you
can, and you love it,

maybe others will love it too.

But you don't know.

If you think about the
audience and build it for them,

it might-- you've got
just as good a chance,

they might hate it, you know.

But you didn't build
it for yourself.

And it's like, to me,
the wrong way to go.

Build it and make it
true to the ideas.

And you are the final
say and have control.

And then when you release
it, you've lost your control.

You just take what you get.

It can be a great,
big, beautiful world.

We're all, like I said,
different on the surface.

So find your own way.

Find your own voice.

And, you know, compromise
is not an option.

Well, thank you all very much
for listening and watching.

I hope this MasterClass
has been beneficial to you.

And I want to wish all of you
all the very best of luck.

Take care.

[MUSIC PLAYING]