Werner Herzog , the revered German auteur behind “Fitzcarraldo,” “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” and “Grizzly Man” – among dozens of other titles – gave some very practical tips to aspiring directors on Thursday during a Venice Film Festival masterclass.

“You have to know how to forge a shooting permit in a country with a military dictatorship, how to pick locks,” he said. “To make films you have to be a borderline criminal. If you do not have that [in you] don’t even think about starting to become a filmmaker.”

Other pearls of wisdom provided by the 82-year-old New German Cinema giant to the room packed with young film buffs ranged from “read a lot of books” – Herzog only watches five or six films per year – to don’t get too hung up on a specific project.

“Of c

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