--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good filmmaker is someone who can look…" description: "\"A good filmmaker is someone who can look at a piece and go, \"This camera's really going to be a character. I want people to feel like they're being pun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/bill-paxton-18699_cameras_a-good-filmmaker-is-someone-who-can-look_924173.png" --- # A good filmmaker is someone who can look at a piece and… ![“A good filmmaker is someone who can look at a piece and go, "This camera's really going to be a character. I want people to feel like they're being punched."” quote by Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/bill-paxton-18699_cameras_a-good-filmmaker-is-someone-who-can-look_924173.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/bill-paxton-18699_cameras_a-good-filmmaker-is-someone-who-can-look_924173.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/bill-paxton-18699_cameras_a-good-filmmaker-is-someone-who-can-look_924173.png) > “A good filmmaker is someone who can look at a piece and go, "This camera's really going to be a character. I want people to feel like they're being punched."” [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A filmmaker should treat the camera as a character that actively shapes audience emotion. **In simple terms:** Camera can be a powerful emotional tool. Key Takeaway Use visual storytelling to evoke strong feelings. Themes cinematography emotion storytelling Mood creative energetic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - film production - advertising - documentary filming - music videos Key Concepts visual narrative character-driven camera work Questions to Reflect On - When does visual flair overpower narrative? - How to balance character and camera? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on technique may distract from story. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-really-1074521/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Filmmaker Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker-look-724795/) [Good Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-filmmaker-1453301/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Piece Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-camera-1453302/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [The nature of the video camera really makes you focus on the present. Since I have always been a diarist filmmaker, not one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/the-nature-of-the-video-camera-really-makes-you-focus-on-the-present/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [I want to do some bigger films, so long as there's some sort of exciting creative element or a good filmmaker behind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-want-to-do-some-bigger-films-so-long-as-there-s-some-sort-of/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [It's always better to work with a good filmmaker. It makes a lot of difference with the presentation of the film, which matters a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pulkit-samrat/it-s-always-better-to-work-with-a-good-filmmaker-it-makes-a-lot-of/) [Pulkit Samrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pulkit-samrat/) > [It's really interesting for me as a filmmaker to go back and look at the films I've made and see where I was at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-webber/it-s-really-interesting-for-me-as-a-filmmaker-to-go-back-and-look-at/) [Mark Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-webber/) > [As a filmmaker, you look for a story, and the story has to have conflict and a match of opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-tcheng/as-a-filmmaker-you-look-for-a-story-and-the-story-has-to-have/) [Frederic Tcheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-tcheng/) > [I don't consider myself a very good talker or writer but a pretty good filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-very-good-talker-or-writer-but-a-pretty/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [ As people, \[my parents were\] very colorful, very talkative, passionate, they really loved each other. But that also meant heated, it meant there was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-russell/as-people-my-parents-were-very-colorful-very-talkative-passionate/) [David O. Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-russell/) > [Justin Lin, the writer and director of the teenage-wasteland drama 'Better Luck Tomorrow,' a shrewdly tense piece of storytelling, recognizes that sometimes it's good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/justin-lin-the-writer-and-director-of-the-teenage-wasteland-drama/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [In a weird way, I never wanted - I don't consider myself a very good writer. I consider myself okay; I don't consider myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-esmail/in-a-weird-way-i-never-wanted-i-don-t-consider-myself-a-very-good/) [Sam Esmail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-esmail/) > [The digital revolution has had a democratizing effect. Now anyone can be a filmmaker, but to be a good filmmaker is as hard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-yates/the-digital-revolution-has-had-a-democratizing-effect-now-anyone-can/) [Pamela Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-yates/) > [You need to be a good filmmaker to make a compelling two-minute film as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/you-need-to-be-a-good-filmmaker-to-make-a-compelling-two-minute-film/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) > [I have always admired him (Bergman), and I wish I could be an equally good filmmaker as he is, but it will never happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-have-always-admired-him-bergman-and-i-wish-i-could-be-an-equally/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [You can tell how good a filmmaker is if you can turn the sound down but you can still feel the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/q-tip/you-can-tell-how-good-a-filmmaker-is-if-you-can-turn-the-sound-down/) [Q-Tip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/q-tip/) > [I think what's exciting about doing it as found footage - if we all are being honest, found footage gets a little bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-israelite/i-think-what-s-exciting-about-doing-it-as-found-footage-if-we-all-are/) [Dean Israelite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-israelite/) > [Most modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/most-modern-reproducers-of-life-even-including-the-camera-really/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) ## More by Bill Paxton > [I came out to Hollywood when I was just 18, and my dad, he was really into Hollywood and theater and art, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/i-came-out-to-hollywood-when-i-was-just-18-and-my-dad-he-was-really/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [There's something about being at the tournaments that you don't really get on TV, although golf is a great sport to watch on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/there-s-something-about-being-at-the-tournaments-that-you-don-t/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [I hate tests. It's a really lousy way to judge a person's ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/i-hate-tests-it-s-a-really-lousy-way-to-judge-a-person-s-ability/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [Stop your grinnin and drop your linen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/stop-your-grinnin-and-drop-your-linen/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [In our game, it's your vanity that keeps you in shape. I've got a little gym set up, and I ride a single-speed bike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/in-our-game-it-s-your-vanity-that-keeps-you-in-shape-i-ve-got-a/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [I've always loved movies about con men. I think con men are as American as apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/i-ve-always-loved-movies-about-con-men-i-think-con-men-are-as/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [You don't really get to pick and chose what you would like to be doing. But I've been very fortunate, and I think water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/you-don-t-really-get-to-pick-and-chose-what-you-would-like-to-be/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [Growing up in Texas and Oklahoma, Ben Johnson was more famous than John Wayne to some of us. I knew him. I worked with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/growing-up-in-texas-and-oklahoma-ben-johnson-was-more-famous-than/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [It was so weird that I would end up directing 'The Greatest Game Ever Played,' because, y'know, I'm not a big golfer myself. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/it-was-so-weird-that-i-would-end-up-directing-the-greatest-game-ever/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [When you start out as a filmmaker, you do parodies, because you can't really compete on a studio level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/when-you-start-out-as-a-filmmaker-you-do-parodies-because-you-can-t/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [We mystify the art of moviemaking, but it's not amystical science. You take a good screenplay, put a group togetherand you hammer it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/we-mystify-the-art-of-moviemaking-but-it-s-not-amystical-science-you/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [My father always read obituaries to me out loud, not because he was maudlin or morbid, but because they were mini biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/my-father-always-read-obituaries-to-me-out-loud-not-because-he-was/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [I didn't have a normal background - I was completely demented from a very early age!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/i-didn-t-have-a-normal-background-i-was-completely-demented-from-a/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [It's always good to have no expectations when you see a film. Then you can be pleasantly disappointed or surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/it-s-always-good-to-have-no-expectations-when-you-see-a-film-then-you/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [In the old days the studios guided your career. Now it's all up to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/in-the-old-days-the-studios-guided-your-career-now-it-s-all-up-to-you/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) [Explore all 34 Bill Paxton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) ## More Cameras quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) [Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/) > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [There's nothing like the energy in a small comedy club room or a small theater when it's going really well. I can see everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/there-s-nothing-like-the-energy-in-a-small-comedy-club-room-or-a/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [When they took me to do the camera test for the vampire make up, after they put the prosthetic on, I went though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/when-they-took-me-to-do-the-camera-test-for-the-vampire-make-up-after/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eccleston/many-times-i-ve-sat-with-a-camera-and-another-actor-and-seen-all/) [Christopher Eccleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eccleston/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) [Browse all 2,666 Cameras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good filmmaker is someone who can look at a piece and go, \"This camera's really going to be a character. 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