Gabriel Campisi Quotes

Today, with computer-generated visual effects, everything is possible. So we've seen everything. If it can be imagined, it can be put on screen.

Screenwriting and making movies is really playing make-believe like most of us did as children.

Today the challenge is not visuals, but to be able to tell a riveting emotional story, something that can reach deep down inside the audience's heart and twist it like a toy to make them laugh, cry or jump out of their seats to root for the hero.

For as long as I can remember, I've always had a wild imagination and always enjoyed reading and writing.

Most of the people I've been fortunate enough to work with all share the same passion for creativity, for ingenuity, for playing make-believe and really just having fun. It doesn't matter if we're blowing up cars, or shooting an emotional scene in a police station, deep inside we all know our imaginations are at work, and our imaginations are manifesting into reality - at least momentarily for the cameras to capture.

There is truly no other business in the world like making movies. It's unique, it's extremely demanding and difficult, but it's also the most rewarding.

Dreams do come true. But it will involve a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, a lot of studying.

Get back up, shake the dust off and keep going. Keep going, because Hollywood is set up to make you fail.

Several years ago, as I was transitioning from film finance to film production and writing again, someone asked me how long I would try to get back into filmmaking before I gave up? My response was "giving up" was not an option.

My tombstone would someday read I died keeled over at my computer writing a screenplay or a business plan.

I've already made several friends-for-life from the latest movies I've worked on, and I know I'll make several more in the years to come.

Every film is a new adventure, and I always meet new cast and crew members that blow my mind.

The original Star Wars ("A New Hope") has had the greatest impact on me of all the films I've ever watched. It's really what sparked something in me to want to make movies.

Growing up in the 80's, I think a lot of us saw things that were "new," an experience we don't get too much of these days. We saw things that were never done before. When Star Wars first came out, no movie before that had ever looked that way.

I spent several years in the film finance business, but I returned to what I loved most about the industry - actual filmmaking, producing, writing and directing.

I found my father's Super8mm film camera when I was around eight years old and started shooting with it. I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but that's really where my filmmaking began.

I wrote several screenplays over the years to really polish my craft and learn from my mistakes.

In college I wrote for the university newspaper, and I had several short stories published in small press. I think it's just been a natural progression of where to go with the imagination and not have to grow up.

You have to be willing to give it your all and sacrifice to make your dreams come true.