--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference between film and TV is the…" description: "\"The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't have the leisure of time in television.\" — Alan Ball" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg" --- # The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't… ![“The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't have the leisure of time in television.” quote by Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg) > “The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't have the leisure of time in television.” [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film and TV differ in pacing; TV lacks the leisurely time of film. **In simple terms:** Film is faster paced than TV. Key Takeaway Adapt storytelling to medium constraints. Themes storytelling pacing media production tempo Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - screenwriting - television production - film direction - editing - audience expectations Key Concepts narrative structure time management Questions to Reflect On - How does pacing affect audience engagement? - Can TV achieve depth despite faster pace? A Different Perspective TV may sacrifice depth for speed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Leisure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leisure/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The difference between film and TV, for me, is just that huge thing of knowing that there's a script that is not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-gabel/the-difference-between-film-and-tv-for-me-is-just-that-huge-thing-of/) [Seth Gabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-gabel/) > [With TV, the pace is so fast, the scripts are coming at you, the directors are firing things at you, it's breathtaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraji-p-henson/with-tv-the-pace-is-so-fast-the-scripts-are-coming-at-you-the/) [Taraji P. Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraji-p-henson/) > [In features, we're languid: we shoot one or two scenes over, like, three days. In TV, the pace is so different. You're shooting ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/in-features-we-re-languid-we-shoot-one-or-two-scenes-over-like-three/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [I would never cast aspersions about another broadcaster, and I do agree that prime time television is ageist, of course it is. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/i-would-never-cast-aspersions-about-another-broadcaster-and-i-do/) [Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/) > [Tween programming is so retro that the shows even have theme songs, something the quest for more commercial time drove out of prime-time television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/tween-programming-is-so-retro-that-the-shows-even-have-theme-songs/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I would never see a good movie for the first time on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-would-never-see-a-good-movie-for-the-first-time-on-television/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Stax was rejoicing in the difference in who we are, and that's what you see in the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lange/stax-was-rejoicing-in-the-difference-in-who-we-are-and-that-s-what/) [Ted Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lange/) > [The difference between film and theater is that in film, an actor is sort of under a magnifying glass and everything that they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-thirlby/the-difference-between-film-and-theater-is-that-in-film-an-actor-is/) [Olivia Thirlby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-thirlby/) > [There's not much of a difference shooting something for TV and shooting something for film; the difference is film is in a cinema and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rhys-meyers/there-s-not-much-of-a-difference-shooting-something-for-tv-and/) [Jonathan Rhys Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rhys-meyers/) > [My biggest difference with our film and those kinds of science fiction films is that they are going from one special effect set piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/my-biggest-difference-with-our-film-and-those-kinds-of-science/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [I don't know that a political climate - as long as it's still a free country - makes much difference in the film world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-don-t-know-that-a-political-climate-as-long-as-it-s-still-a-free/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [The difference between a film that ends up three hours and a film that is envisioned as three hours is that it's written that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/the-difference-between-a-film-that-ends-up-three-hours-and-a-film/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [The other main difference between film and television is that you have the opportunity to flush out a character, over a longer period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-wood/the-other-main-difference-between-film-and-television-is-that-you/) [Elijah Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-wood/) > [I can't frankly see much difference in the film industry at all. The only difference might be that they don't take as much time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ford/i-can-t-frankly-see-much-difference-in-the-film-industry-at-all-the/) [Glenn Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ford/) > [There's a real difference now in what you can get out of film and the rise of digital platforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-devlin/there-s-a-real-difference-now-in-what-you-can-get-out-of-film-and-the/) [Dean Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-devlin/) ## More by Alan Ball > [The important thing is that he shook hands with us over the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-important-thing-is-that-he-shook-hands-with-us-over-the-phone/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [“Well did you call the hypothetical hardware store and buy a theoretical chainsaw?-- Pam to Jessica, True Blood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/well-did-you-call-the-hypothetical-hardware-store-and-buy-a/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [“Pam: I don't know what it is about me that makes people think I want to hear their problems. Maybe I smile too much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/pam-i-don-t-know-what-it-is-about-me-that-makes-people-think-i-want/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [Television viewing has become for me a completely different experience, because I don't watch shows on a weekly basis. I wait until the DVD…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/television-viewing-has-become-for-me-a-completely-different/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [I don't really know what it is about vampires that makes them such a powerful symbol, metaphor, whatever in people's consciousness. But I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-don-t-really-know-what-it-is-about-vampires-that-makes-them-such-a/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [I am a little suspicious of industry paradigms. I feel like so many movies and TV shows feel so familiar because of over-reliance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-am-a-little-suspicious-of-industry-paradigms-i-feel-like-so-many/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [“I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-had-always-heard-your-entire-life-flashes-in-front-of-your-eyes-the/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [I'm 53. I don't care about high school students. I find them irritating and uninformed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-m-53-i-don-t-care-about-high-school-students-i-find-them-irritating/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [Beauty is in the strangest places. A piece of garbage floating in the wind. And that beauty exists in America. It exists everywhere. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/beauty-is-in-the-strangest-places-a-piece-of-garbage-floating-in-the/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > ['Six Feet Under' was about repressing our deepest, most primal impulses, and 'True Blood' is about giving full sway to them all the time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/six-feet-under-was-about-repressing-our-deepest-most-primal-impulses/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [I'd seen 'Interview with A Vampire' and saw Dracula movies growing up, but I never thought, 'I love vampires; I have to do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-d-seen-interview-with-a-vampire-and-saw-dracula-movies-growing-up/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [“The idea of celibate vampires is ridiculous. To me, vampires are sex. I don't get a vampire story about abstinence. I don't care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-idea-of-celibate-vampires-is-ridiculous-to-me-vampires-are-sex-i/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [As a writer, it's fun to create. And once you get into a long-running show with very established characters and a very established tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/as-a-writer-it-s-fun-to-create-and-once-you-get-into-a-long-running/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [I'm from the South, so while I personally find it impossible to live there, I still have a fondness for it as a geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/i-m-from-the-south-so-while-i-personally-find-it-impossible-to-live/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [And as I stumbled onto Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, it was the first time I had ever read any sort of philosophy that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/and-as-i-stumbled-onto-eastern-philosophy-and-buddhism-it-was-the/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) [Explore all 91 Alan Ball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't have the leisure of time in television.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Ball" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-the-pace-you-don-t-have-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-the-pace-you-don-t-have-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alan-ball-7404_cinema_the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-th_419679.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The difference between film and TV is the pace. You don't have the leisure of time in television.” — Alan Ball", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Ball", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The difference between film and TV...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-the-pace-you-don-t-have-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-difference-between-film-and-tv-is-the-pace-you-don-t-have-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```