But a large part of that goes from... The responsible part is being more proactive and, let's say, even aggressive, pushing things, than you might think at first glance, about what is the relationship between an editor and a director. And, you know, it can go too far, and you can veer off the tracks. My own rule of thumb for this is: if I have an idea, and I propose the idea, and the director does not like it, I will retreat. Okay, but then, at the right moment, maybe a week later, I will say, 'You know, because of what we have done in the last week, maybe we could look at that idea?' And if the director says 'no', okay. And then, at an extreme case, I will pitch it one more time – again, it has to be at the right moment – and if the director still says 'no', then I drop it forever. I won't... I can't make a pest of myself about this idea. If I've been turned down three times, I will abandon the idea.
Anthony Minghella had a phrase for that, which says: if three Russians tell you you're drunk, lie down, because they're the experts. Not two, but three. You need the number three to certify that you, in fact, are really drunk. But... So, three is a, kind of, a magic number in these circumstances.
