10 Writing and Directing Tips from Stanley Kubrick

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Stanley Kubrick was an American film director and screenwriter. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history. His films, almost all of which are adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music.
His filmography includes such classics as A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and his last film, Eyes Wide Shut.
1. The most challenging part about directing a film is getting out of the car.
2. Let the film speak for itself.
3. Your film should touch areas that people don’t want touched sometimes.
4. When choosing what story to tell, there’s a lot of factors to consider but in the end, similarly to falling in love, your decision comes down to an abstract feeling you can’t explain.
5. Genius is 90% hard work.
6. In-depth problem solving is similar to problem solving of anything. Create a generalized approach to solving tough problems when writing and directing.
7. Try and understand the potential of what movies could be and believe that cinema has no boundaries.
8. Make a film with the resources available to you, then learn from your own mistakes and correct them in your next one.
9. Direct the eye and the heart.
10. Ask yourself all the tough questions about your film before writing and making it.
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[@Leprutz]

The Thing that stuck most with me, was Spielbergs last sentence: the greatest gift from a person to another person is friendship and time.

[@mk-ultramags1107]

Yup. Im still not sure why some Kubrick fans seem to loathe the fact that he was not only a friend but a fan of Spielberg. They have completely different sensibilities, no doubt, but Kubrick always appreciated Spielberg's technical expertise. People can argue for days but the fact remains, Spielberg is probably the greatest director(Again, in the technical sense) that's ever lived. Edit: And just to be clear, IMO Kubrick is the greatest FILMMAKER to ever live.

[@Leprutz]

@@mk-ultramags1107 Well, steven being the best technical director for now is very debatable. But what you say the Stan appreciated Steve a lot in many ways apart from friendship is true. Because this is the very definition of friendship for me, at least. Not only being friends but appreciating the qualities and defaults of your friends and admiring them for who they are. Yes!

[@johnsmith1474]

@@Leprutz "Qualities and defaults?" Lol!

[@Leprutz]

@@johnsmith1474 yes.

[@manishgarg8531]

The God of cinema. My inspiration. Sir Stanley Kubrick

[@thedaywatcher7577]

The grand cyclops wizard of film lords, yes!

[@gsdrums47]

Hard to believe that for the 40+ years he worked as a filmmaker, there's only 13 features he directed. That right there proves he was a man of quality, not quantity.

[@karenmink865]

He is SOOO Incredibly Inspirational. When you are kid and used to watch a movie and then the first thing you wanted to do is go outside and re-enact what you just watched??? That's the feeling he gives🤩

[@oniriscope]

I always love learning a little more about that man and his intriguing mind.

[@YinzerSteel]

Kubrick is one of the top 1 greatest directors of all time.

[@potatotalitarian4231]

Thats an oxymoron

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

Kubrick IS the number 1 director, and I doubt that it will change soon. All of his films are masterpieces. The greatest director who ever lived. Too bad that he made too few films.

[@YinzerSteel]

@@ozymandiasnullifidian5590 I agree completely. With his unfortunately limited filmography, he demonstrated the virtue of quality over quantity better than any other director could or ever will.

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

@@YinzerSteel Yes, unfortunately, he died relatively young, I am not sure, there are 10 or so films, I have seen them all multiple times, too bad that he didn't make that film about Napoleon, and who knows what we lost with his genius... There are few promising directors, but... I don't know. Kubrick made in 1968 a sci-fi film that is scientifically totally correct, without computers, just a genial way of filmmaking... Where I live, that film was something we watched as kids every New Year for a long time, and that started my passion for science and the sci-fi genre. And something interesting that Kubrick once said, that he never made 2 films of the same genre. One might argue that 2001 and Clockwork Orange are both sci-fi, but those are totally different types of sci-fi.

[@jekw23]

Of all the top 1 directors he’s the most toppest of them all!

[@theexpresidents]

_Barry Lyndon_ is his best film that no one's seen.

[@MowgliX]

I have seen it at least four times.

[@johnsmith1474]

Best nobody has stayed awake through.

[@MowgliX]

@@johnsmith1474 “Nobody” had no attention span.

[@covert0overt_810]

good films... the slower --- the less spoken --- the better...

[@MowgliX]

@@covert0overt_810 This is sometimes true.

[@cobymarcum1442]

Thank you Outstanding Screenplays for providing such valuable content. ❤️

[@OutstandingScreenplays]

Thank you Coby! 💯🙌

[@LycanVisuals]

I've only seen one film of his, need to finish his entire filmography.

[@HurricaneLaughter]

And which one did you see?

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

I have seen all, and there is not a single one that is not a masterpiece of cinematography. Probably I watched every single film at least 3 times, some, dozen times.

[@EastCobbTodd]

When Danny stands up in the hallway and walks to Room 234 in The Shining was evidence of his genius and gives greatly to the level of integrity he has for the people of the world... it's truly an eye opening scene

[@JohnDoe-tm9wz]

Very inspirational, thank you for this video 🙌🏻

[@Thisiscinemalist]

Incredible & inspiring!! Thanks a lot!

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

The best director of all times. No one can reach him, there are few that are promising, but Kubrick is Alexander of Macedon the Great of the cinematography, no lost battle, all his films are multilayered masterpieces, a holiday for senses and for the brain.

[@mk-ultramags1107]

His ability to layer narratives is unmatched. He was so unique with his ability to take a scene and have it address every single narrative/theme he put into the film. A quick example of this is in 'The Shining' when Jack is standing over the model hedge maze and Kubrick does that long, methodical zoom in on Danny and Wendy by using a matte painting superimposed over the model itself, then putting the middle of the actual hedge maze between an apartment building and COMBINING all of that to get the shot to look so insanely stunning... It's just remarkable stuff. Only Kubrick could pull that off. It fooled critics! But, it also conveyed all the emotional weight of the scene as well. Jack in The Overlook, shown as if he's "Overlooking" them, with his mind going... Forever... And ever... And ever

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

@@mk-ultramags1107 You are totally right. People still talk about that film because it is ambiguous in a very different, deeper way than other films... He simply did not made a bad film, ALL his films are very good and deep in a good way.

[@johnsmith1474]

Ostentatiously obtuse username, likewise the comment.

[@ozymandiasnullifidian5590]

@@johnsmith1474 Well, not everyone is so mediocre as you, to use a lifeless, uninteresting, tedious username like you, "john smith", some of us have read some poetry, want to express something about them, their personal philosophema (oh, sorry, too big word for you? you can always check the meaning) with their name. Most importantly, no one provoked you, but you as many one the internet, using your relative safety, are allowing yourself to show your real psychopathic, malignant face, your horns, and your puny wish to insult, to spit some poison and puss as the lowest creature without any culture, empathy or understanding. That is food your black soul, for your distorted psyche, to go around and write stupid, insulting comments.

[@Psyfi85]

Von Trier is one example currently, otherwise, he’s completely unique.

[@99davinci]

Love his movies especially 2001

[@CluelessIndianGamer]

I, a hundred percent agree with the 4th point!

[@shellywills364]

Great video guys! Keep on going! Kubrick is such a great director there is no other director like him. In my opinion his best film is 2001 a space odyssey. The cinematography in that film is a piece of art! Thank you for this video I really loved it!😊

[@vedanshgure9022]

thanx for the video

[@mjgfromdallas]

Wooooo, thank you for this.

[@robintalkies29]

Thank you

[@stevenmorley1639]

Great video, loved Kubrick films and hearing from the man talking technique was stimulating to view. Steven Spielbergs end sentence was poiant as well ....

[@johnmendiola2054]

Never liked listening to other directors talk about Kubrick. They sound like they could be talking about any other director. Their answers are very generac and all encompasing to any filmmaker.

[@bibhuranjandutta470]

Great content 👍👍

[@makefilmhavefun]

Oh my God, thank you, he's really my God.

[@AlexDeLarge77]

Kubrick is the greatest of American Directors. Hitchcock is Englands. Yimou is Chinas. Kurosawa is Japans. Fellini is Italy’s. To say who’s best is the dialogue of the playground. They all all Artists and geniuses. If you have a genuine passion for film and want to learn about the craft, then these directors are who you should study.

[@jonathanengdahl9045]

David Lane is Englands best

[@chickenflavor9880]

This is a very important video.

[@JITENDRASINGH-ym5gu]

It's a beautiful channel ❤️

[@OutstandingScreenplays]

💟💯🙏

[@potatotalitarian4231]

Something about his voice is so mesmerizing as of he was the inventor of speech or is it just me?

[@LonzosSprayPainting]

idk why but I always expect to hear him speak with a British accent...

[@mikevargas0495]

G.O.A.T

[@bigbasil1908]

Stanley was and is a goodun.

[@muhannadalnabulsi4266]

Impressive

[@pandittroublejr]

💕💕💕

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

The Coen Brothers should be next.

[@OutstandingScreenplays]

✅💯

[@homelander2211]

Can you do one for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy?

[@jellestarremans5990]

Maybe next Edgar Wright?

[@nicholeleekolovanigruber2678]

NEW is UMMMMMM I can use my EYES and Kolovani make you KNOW you don't really think about it xoxo 💙 💋 Kolovani

[@herranton0433]

Finally

[@debrachambers1304]

You put too much in the teaser, entire sections of your video are repeated

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Poggers.

[@jsmiths]

The third one? I'm not sure if you're aware, but that's not Stanley Kubrick

[@happystickman7255]

?

[@MowgliX]

Spielberg of course.

[@theexpresidents]

A lot of these people aren't him, and that's because he rarely gave interviews.

[@TheStockwell]

@@theexpresidents No offense intended, but the Italian Kubrick authority, Filippo Ulivieri, compiled a list of three hundred sixty-one interviews and media contacts Kubrick gave throughout his career. It's high time we retire the myth that he rarely gave interviews.

[@TheStockwell]

It most certainly is. He filmed the interview as his acceptance speech to the Directors Guild of America. March 8th, 1997. Fact.

[@nicholasjoseph8297]

Kubrick: "I don't like to read what the film is about". Most of his films are based on books that people can read before seeing it.

[@dylanthompson8511]

He's saying he doesn't want to be told the meaning of a story before reading it, wanting to arrive on it on his own.

[@nicholeleekolovanigruber2678]

I don't like to see any in 2022 POPA Oooooooooo MOUGH MOUGH POPA Oooooooooo MOUGH MOUGH POPA Oooooooooo MOUGH MOUGH POPA Oooooooooo MOUGH MOUGH POPA Oooooooooo MOUGH MOUGH xoxo 💋💋💋💋 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 Kolovani

[@lingcod91]

HEY, YOUNG DIRECTORS ARE YOU WATCHING THIS ? I really hope so . . . but so far it doesn't seem like they are. As in science many youngsters are denying it's worth and importance. Movie making takes subjective wisdom and objective tools. The focus MUST be devoted to the story . . . not the Box Office $$$$ or fame. I wonder what % of today's directors considers and enrolls in movie making study.

[@seferino]

Kubrick compulsive tendencies. 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@chrishickory7907]

For a British guy, he doesn't sound very British.

[@timesculptures6075]

that's because he was an American ;)

[@theexpresidents]

He's from New York, buried in England.

[@plasticweapon]

@@theexpresidentsfrom new york, (manhattan) lived in england for the second half of his life.

[@johnsmith1474]

The Shining was awful, yet here it is presented as though it's some intellectual monument. 2001 was fantastic visually and endlessly interesting, but if you weren't left with "What the hell was that?" as to the plot, you're deluding yourself. The point being that a movie including Kubrick's work can rarely hold the mind of a viewer from start to finish, it always includes passages where your wandering mind thinks about something other than the movie, because at that moment it's just not compelling. Why would that matter? Because a sculpture or painting can, on the other hand, be a completely compelling experience. More moving parts make movies by nature less effective art. Before the Great Unwashed attacks, I'll add no art form has the public trained to sit up and beg like movies have the public trained to sit up and beg. This perhaps because they are business endeavors first and foremost, and all business endeavors are the offspring of the sales department.

[@covert0overt_810]

art can be entertaining... ITS OK.... but 90% of the time it goes totally overboard or it sucks... more so in the last 15 years (of film)

[@robertwilson4737]

@@covert0overt_810 art can be entertaining, but for that to be it's sole purpose to most is quite sad.

[@TheStockwell]

🙄

[@willpeony5534]

Very good point, sit up and beg. So much money behind it.

[@myloandjaydo3995]

Stanley is not a genius..?