Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed: Conversations with Paul Cronin

I wanted to make films and needed a camera, so I had some kind of natural right to this tool. It was expropriation. If you are locked in a room and need air to breathe, take a chisel and hammer and break down the wall. When you have a good story to tell, by dint of destiny or God knows what, you gain the right to do such things. I helped this camer

When it comes to organising your set, it’s important to maintain close physical contact with your crew at all times. There are often a dozen people hanging around, talking on their phones, paying no attention. I insist that all non-essential conversations take place far from the camera and actors, which means no walkie-talkies within a hundred feet

Every time you make a film you should be prepared to descend into Hell and wrestle it from the claws of the Devil himself. Prepare yourself: there is never a day without a sucker punch. At the same time, be pragmatic and learn how to develop an understanding of when to abandon an idea. Follow your dreams no matter what, but reconsider if they can’t

In Incident at Loch Ness you see my wife – who is from Siberia – and me sitting quietly. It’s a Russian custom. Before you go on a trip, after all the running around and packing, stop for a moment so you leave from a point of complete stillness. It makes for a safe and pleasant journey.

Everything inspiring about Dieter’s original, rambling manuscript was simplified in the book, which is devoid of all imagination. He never learnt to read and write English properly, so articulated himself in what is essentially phonetic English. The misspelling and creation of new words are wild; he spells “machete” as “muchetty.” I have always com

I have been the producer of much of my work, and every film of mine has been the director’s cut. As for out-takes, I have none. It’s too expensive to store such things – those endless reels – and soon after the release of a film I throw out all the unused footage, everything that didn’t make the final cut, including the negative and printed out-tak

A professional is anyone good at his job. I once spoke to the manager of a football team who said he could tell in sixty seconds if a player was gifted and could be of use to the team; he didn’t need two weeks of training. The first thing is to see how the player runs, then what the ball does with the player, then what the player does with the ball

Were you ever on the summit of Cerro Torre yourself?

What films do you screen at Rogue? Who said anything about watching films? I tell the Rogues to read, read, read, read, read. Those who read own the world; those who immerse themselves in the Internet or watch too much television lose it. If you don’t read, you will never be a filmmaker. Our civilisation is suffering profound wounds because of the

The most important thing to say about editing is that it isn’t a technical process. It comes from something much deeper, from an understanding of the vision behind the images and the story you need to tell. If you don’t have that, your work will be subject to whims and continual fumbling. The danger of digital non-linear editing is the ability to c