We're too complacent. We let things happen to us. And you don't have to let things happen to you. You can affect change.

No, I'm not doing 'Star Wars.'

When you work as a cinematographer, the actors look to you for reassurance. When you're lighting them, they can never think you're making an adjustment because of the way they look. If they are nervous, it impacts their performance, which impacts the story.

It can be insulting to an actor when the director comes out, and they have no notes on the performance, and all they care about is that the camera has to do this one technical thing.

A lot of male cinematographers stick a pillow to their stomachs so they have somewhere to rest their elbows while shooting.

Most of the people I know in the film business here in New York, the moms and the dads, just take different turns working. So everybody's a working parent, and nobody bats an eyelash at it.

I know how a cinematographer wants to be treated by their director, and so I already have a leg up in that department, and I know what would be insulting to say to a DP because I've been one for so long.

The first director who ever allowed me to shoot a film for him was a male. He was a gay male. My first feature also came from him. I worked for a lot of dudes at NYU.

I don't want to step on the DP's toes. That's the first lesson I learned when I started directing with other cinematographers.

A lot of people who are in charge in Hollywood are women, so they have the power. Now, I've met a lot of these amazing women who are offering opportunities to other women, and they're awesome. But for the women who maybe haven't done that yet, it's like, why?

The interesting thing about 'The Handmaid's Tale' is that everything that happens in it has happened or is happening somewhere in the world.

I was in film school as an undergrad with a focus on directing. Once I started working on shoots, I realized, 'Oh, I really like this cinematography thing.'

A lot of cinematography is intuition. It's an art, not a formula.

I just always hear music in my head. I thought that was normal. My wife said, 'Ramin, that's not normal.'

The music I wrote as a kid already was always instrumental. It was never based on lyrics.

One of the most fun parts about my job is that when the music gets recorded live at the end of the project and real musicians play it, I still get goosebumps every single time.

Many times, the way I write my themes or melodies is that I hear it, and then I sing into my phone or something, or I'll scribble down on a piece of paper.

I think it's great to see that there is such a connection to film music and the way people react or connect to a character or scene.

When I work on multiple projects, I'm really good at dividing my days, so I start in the morning with a clean slate.

I literally work every day and weekends.

I collect many ethnic instruments, and as a guitarist, I'm usually able to play any sort of instrument - as long as it has strings. That's why I like to experiment with different sounds.

First, I started to play the organ. I did that until I was 11. From the age of 11 to 13, I gave up music entirely. And then at 13, I picked up the guitar, and after one and a half years, I started practicing intensively. I began playing in rock bands, and it was there that I discovered that the music I liked to write was always instrumental.

I began making music at the age of four. According to my mother, once I just sat down at the piano and played back a tune by ear. My parents were watching and said to each other, 'Maybe we should give him music lessons.'

I always like to think of music as if you were to turn the picture off, actually. Just by listening to the piece of music, there's a story there and a connection to the characters and the plots and all of that.