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Portrait of James Wan

James Wan

(1977) Film Editor

94 quotes in 419 categories

James Wan explains how he uses camera tricks to put viewers right in the middle of the action, especially in his horror films. He describes directing the first movie of a horror franchise as like piloting a new aircraft, learning a lot along the way. He also mentions growing up loving comics like X‑Men and Batman, which fuel his interest in dark, revenge‑driven stories.

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James Wan is a film editor, best known for Paranorman.

Quick Facts About James Wan

Born: February 27, 1977
Profession: Film Editor
Notable works: Paranorman

About James Wan

James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises and the creator of The Conjuring Universe, the highest-grossing horror franchise at over $2.9 billion. Wan is also the founder of film and television production company Atomic Monster.

Quotes by James Wan

I love 'MacGyver.'

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I love 'MacGyver.' I do!

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I'm always excited when I can discover new filmmakers.

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I grew up loving X-Men, Spider-Man and Batman.

Batman

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No one knows how much we went through to finish 'Furious 7.'

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It's pretty scary to know how quickly time flies.

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The stuff I'm designing, I want my action scenes to be intense.

Action

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There's really no reason to rehash something that you've already seen.

Intelligence

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I come from a very straight and adjusted suburban background.

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I definitely love to be scared. It draws the primal side out of you.

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For me, the sound design and the musical score is a big part of what makes scary movies work.

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You know music and sound design can be very powerful with how you use it but also the absence of sound can…

Absence

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I think I'm a very sentimental person. Conscious or not, that's what draws me to the kind of films I want to…

Cinema

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I'm a big fan of suspense and tension filmmaking, and that was my goal with 'The Conjuring.'

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If you care about the characters, then whatever scary thing happens to them, you feel it even more.

Care

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I think storytelling is storytelling. It doesn't matter what format it's shot on.

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I try to keep the number of projects I'm involved in down to one per year.

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I think, when you're a director, you get sucked into your project whether you like it or not, right?

Cinema

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We think craft is important, and the irony has always been that horror may be disregarded by critics, but often they are…

Craft

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For me and my films, I want my audience to experience cinema in its full glory. It's not just visual, it's audio…

Audience

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The thing that ultimately pushed me more towards 'Aquaman' is I love the possibility of creating a whole new world. I've always…

Amazing

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I realized that my camera work could help me in a lot of ways to put the audience in the driver's seat,…

Action

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'Death Sentence' really is a throwback to the '70s style revenge drama with moments of action. It's like a contemporary 'Death Wish'…

Action

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What makes horror movies work is the idea that "oh my God, what would I do if I were in that situation?…

Alive

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I think before 'Saw' came along, there really wasn't a movie franchise that actually went out there and said, 'We're going to…

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I always felt that what is scary is actually hearing someone tell you what they think they see. That sense of invisibility…

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When you work with an actor and then you discover new things that are better, I think you gotta be free to…

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I think it's good for the fans, as well, because they get to connect with you directly. You know, in the old…

Fan mail

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I don't feel so strongly against remakes, but if I don't like it, I guess I just don't do it. It is…

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'Fast and Furious' is the only franchise that I've directed that I did not create from scratch. So it definitely was an…

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When you make movies, I find that I never have time to go to the movies and enjoy movies like I used…

Dark

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I always try to better myself with every movie I make. I don't take anything sitting back, and so I try to…

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I always try to better myself with every movie I make. I don't take anything sitting back and so I try to…

Better yourself

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If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love the…

Character

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I have a tendency to overcut my movies.

Movie

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You can never have too much good blessing.

Blessing

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We live in a world that relies on technology.

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Marketing has taken such a complete shift, thanks to the internet.

Internet

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I always believe your instinct is the most correct instinct.

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I don't like talking about sequels or spinoffs or franchise until they actually happen, until they actually work with the audience.

Audience

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James Wan by topic

Film (29) Cinema (21) Thinking (15) Movie (15) Horror (13) Love (12)