Steve started working with Hal on "Amateur" three months before shooting. "We started by looking at art books and discussing aesthetics. We were influenced by Bosch, Whistler, Rembrandt and Hopper's planes of color in particular. Mike Spiller isn't afraid to shoot a solid wall, but there needs to be a carefully thought out color for that wall. What the camera sees is different from what the eye sees."
Although "Amateur" was shot in New York, the city is not featured in a conventional way. "It's a very close-up film," says Steve. "There are never any big wide shots of New York City but where we can sneak it in we do. We take things a little out of context because we're giving it our stamp. We're saying this is New York City, but it's our vision of it."