Brett Ratner can be called many things. He’s known as a director, producer, documentarian and philanthropist, but one thing he’s not known for is being shy about his opinions. When Ratner visited SCA on April 11, 2012, he participated in a Q and A filled with stories, lessons and cautionary tales about his work as a filmmaker. He talked about his career, his time at NYU as a film student and why every student should take advantage of their time at SCA.

“Film school was the best experience of my life,” said Ratner. “When I was [at NYU], all I wanted to do was direct. I was the guy that said, ‘Do I have to edit? Do I have to do sound? Do I have to produce?’ My advice is to not miss the opportunities to learn every role on a film. It’s all storytelling.”

Ratner graduated from NYU and began his career directing music videos. From there, he direction action comedies such as Rush Hour, dramas such as The Family Man and thrillers like Red Dragon. Through his career, he’s made sure to stay humble and grounded.

The Q and A was moderated by Professor Jeremy Kagan.

“I come from a family of storytellers,” Ratner continued. “They aren’t in the business but they are Jewish. I watched movies. I read books. I immersed myself. I knew I was going to fail plenty of times but I also knew I was going to get back up. You have to be humble.”

Ratner recently produced Mirror Mirror, in theatres. For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711840/.