Norman Jewison believed, "Films are the novels of our time...(Films must) be rooted in a basic truth, and have something to say...People are beginning to realize that good films are an individualistic statement of life, that they do have some point of view..." Ross Hunter insisted, "I always go against the tide to give the public something it isn't getting...The story and subject matter, and how they are treated, is what counts." Robert Aldrich reasoned, "There is no way a producer can anticipate what the tastes or attitudes of the audience will be between the time he begins work on a picture and when it is released...To be successful, you have to be lucky. Any honest producer will tell you that there is a large degree of luck in subject matter, timing and competition...Certainly you can't plan many pictures 2 years in advance because of changing attitudes...If the picture succeeds or fails it will be on its own merits."
Cornel Wilde explained, "You can't get away from violence in drama. When you have 2 people in conflict, it is bound to result in violence, either in words or action. If you do not have conflict, you do not have drama. There is nothing new about violence in the theater. 'Oedipus Rex' is certainly a violent play, and it has withstood the test of centuries. Shakespeare is replete with violence. Look at 'Hamlet.'"
Arthur Hornblow made known, "A producer is to a movie what an editor is to a magazine. He puts it together...All races, religions and political points of view are as evenly divided among producers as in any representative segment of the American community." Of movies, Anne Douglas expressed, "If you fail, the blame is laid to the star. If you succeed, the star shares success with the director and the producer. On the whole, I think I'd rather be the producer." Ross added, "The producer finds the story or buys it. He raises the money to finance the picture. He hires the writers and actors. And it’s the producer who selects the director." Paddy Chayefsky pointed out, "If a line of dialog or a piece of business needs to be changed on the set (of 'The Bachelor Party' 1957), I’m here to do it. On most pictures, this is done by the producer or the director and the result is something that is not the author's creation."
The behind-the-scenes credits of a movie included the producer, director, associate producer (the producer's aide), assistant director, writer, cinematographer (cameraman), art director (responsible for the look of the picture), set decorator, film editor, composer, sound ('mixer' - making sure dialog was understandable and 'boom man' - operating the microphone over actors' heads), makeup artist and costume designer.
