Spielberg offers tips for aspiring directors

Editor's note: Raymond Zhou joined director Steven Spielberg onstage for an exclusive interview before an audience at a promotional event in Beijing for the film The BFG.

Steven Spielberg, arguably Hollywood's best-known director, had many golden nuggets of advice for budding filmmakers during an appearance at Tsinghua University, encouraging them to take advantage of new technologies and make movies that truly speak to them.

"Tell the stories you've been too afraid to tell, but tell them," he said at the university on Monday. "Make the movies you always admired other people for making. If you love a superhero movie, make one with your iPhone. You've all got a little video recorder in your devices. And those can tell stories and show who you are," he said.