 When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match. |
| Quite a few operas are still being commissioned around the world, although nothing apart from audience popularity can ensure more than a few performances. |
| There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that. |
| In opera, everyone's watching from a fixed viewpoint, and that really challenges you. Lighting, the sets, stage groupings, the music-but doesn't relate too much to film. |
| It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying. |
| I don't rehearse films as much as opera or theatre. When I began directing films I thought a long rehearsal was a good idea. Experience showed me that the best performance was often left in a rehearsal room. |
| In Australia, they set up a special fund to kick films off. It was quite an enlightened sort of move. You could go to this government bureau with scripts and and get finance for films. |
| For a director, the most challenging scenes are the dialogue scenes. |
