---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Film’s thought of as a director’s medium…"
description: "\"Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the director creates the end product that appears on the screen. It’s that stupid auteur theory again,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/billy-wilder-8818_auteur-theory_film-s-thought-of-as-a-director-s-medium_785217.jpg"
---

#  Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the…

![“Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the director creates the end product that appears on the screen. It’s that stupid auteur theory again, that the director is the author of the film. But what does the director shoot-the telephone book? Writers became much more important when sound…” quote by Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/billy-wilder-8818_auteur-theory_film-s-thought-of-as-a-director-s-medium_785217.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/billy-wilder-8818_auteur-theory_film-s-thought-of-as-a-director-s-medium_785217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/billy-wilder-8818_auteur-theory_film-s-thought-of-as-a-director-s-medium_785217.jpg)

> “Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the director creates the end product that appears on the screen. It’s that stupid auteur theory again, that the director is the author of the film. But what does the director shoot-the telephone book? Writers became much more important when sound came in, but they’ve had to put up a valiant fight to get the credit they deserve.”

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The director is not the sole author of a film; writers and other collaborators are essential, especially after sound introduced dialogue.

**In simple terms:** Film creation is collaborative, not just the director’s vision.

Key Takeaway

Recognize all contributors in filmmaking.

Themes

collaboration film authorship

Mood

critical analytical

Type

cinematic industry

When to use this quote

- movie production
- screenwriting
- directorial decisions

Key Concepts

cinema studies creative credit teamwork

Questions to Reflect On

- How can the film industry better credit writers?
- What balance should be struck between director and writer influence?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on the director can marginalize other creators.

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[Auteur theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auteur-theory/) [Auteurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auteurs/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Screenwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenwriting/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Valiant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valiant/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't really believe in the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-chan-wook/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-auteur-theory/)

[Park Chan-wook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-chan-wook/)

> [I always argued against the auteur theory; films are a collaborative art form. I've had some fantastically good people help me make the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-parker/i-always-argued-against-the-auteur-theory-films-are-a-collaborative/)

[Alan Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-parker/)

> [As a loyal believer in the Auteur Theory I first felt editing was but the logical consequence of the way in which one shoots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci-film-director-of-the-last-emperor-etc/as-a-loyal-believer-in-the-auteur-theory-i-first-felt-editing-was-but/)

Bernardo Bertolucci-Film Director of The Last Emperor etc

> [My roommate at Yale University introduced me to the auteur theory of filmmaking. I soon became a big fan of the works of John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-kaufman/my-roommate-at-yale-university-introduced-me-to-the-auteur-theory-of/)

[Lloyd Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-kaufman/)

> [Im very strongly in favor of the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/im-very-strongly-in-favor-of-the-auteur-theory/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [I believe we have two ideas about how movies are made in our heads. Idealizations. Platonic ideals. One of them is of a movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-believe-we-have-two-ideas-about-how-movies-are-made-in-our-heads/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [There is no obligation for the author of a film to believe in, or to sympathise with, the moral behaviour of his characters. Nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-is-no-obligation-for-the-author-of-a-film-to-believe-in-or-to/)

[Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/)

> [Cinema is a creative medium. The director has the right to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/cinema-is-a-creative-medium-the-director-has-the-right-to-express/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [Film is mostly a visual medium, and so the director has much more control in terms of painting pictures and painting a performance. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lindsay-abaire/film-is-mostly-a-visual-medium-and-so-the-director-has-much-more/)

[David Lindsay-Abaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lindsay-abaire/)

> [A good director creates a playground for actors, and lets them go. The trick for a good director is in casting properly, and creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/a-good-director-creates-a-playground-for-actors-and-lets-them-go-the/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [Any good director creates a playground. That's what they do. They hire the right actor, open the door and let them play because stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/any-good-director-creates-a-playground-that-s-what-they-do-they-hire/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [A good director creates an environment, which gives the actor the encouragement to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bacon/a-good-director-creates-an-environment-which-gives-the-actor-the/)

[Kevin Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bacon/)

> [You have to get it in your brain that you don't belong to yourself as an actor, but that you belong to the director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-parillaud/you-have-to-get-it-in-your-brain-that-you-don-t-belong-to-yourself-as/)

[Anne Parillaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-parillaud/)

> [There are no good and bad movies, only good and bad directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/there-are-no-good-and-bad-movies-only-good-and-bad-directors/)

[Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/)

> [“They say that a director always makes the same film. I try to make, as François Truffaut said, the next film in opposition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/they-say-that-a-director-always-makes-the-same-film-i-try-to-make-as/)

[Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/)

## More by Billy Wilder

> [If there's anything I hate more than not being taken seriously, it's being taken too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/if-there-s-anything-i-hate-more-than-not-being-taken-seriously-it-s/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I just always think, 'Do I like it?' And if I like it, maybe other people will come and like it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-always-think-do-i-like-it-and-if-i-like-it-maybe-other-people/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [Helen: You've got talent and ambition. Don: Talent? Ambition? That's dead long ago. That's drowned. That's drifting around with a bloated belly on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/helen-you-ve-got-talent-and-ambition-don-talent-ambition-that-s-dead/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [An actor entering through the door, you've got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you've got a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/an-actor-entering-through-the-door-you-ve-got-nothing-but-if-he/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I hate that word. It's return--a return to the millions of people who've never forgiven me for deserting the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-hate-that-word-it-s-return-a-return-to-the-millions-of-people-who/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/the-more-subtle-and-elegant-you-are-in-hiding-your-plot-points-the/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [When Chaplin found a voice to say what was on his mind, he was like a child of eight writing lyrics for Beethoven's Ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/when-chaplin-found-a-voice-to-say-what-was-on-his-mind-he-was-like-a/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I, you know, am all over the place — every category of pictures I have made, good, bad or indifferent. I could not make,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-you-know-am-all-over-the-place-every-category-of-pictures-i-have/)

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> [Love is the hardest thing in the world to write about. So simple. You've got to catch it through details, like the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/love-is-the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-to-write-about-so-simple-you/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [If you don't like what you're doing, it's unlikely anyone else will either, so be sure you are happy with your own work first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/if-you-don-t-like-what-you-re-doing-it-s-unlikely-anyone-else-will/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I have ten commandments. The first nine are, thou shalt not bore. The tenth is, thou shalt have right of final cut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-have-ten-commandments-the-first-nine-are-thou-shalt-not-bore-the/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I just made pictures I would've liked to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-made-pictures-i-would-ve-liked-to-see/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [Money makes even bastards legitimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/money-makes-even-bastards-legitimate/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [After so many drive-in waitresses becoming movie stars, there has been this real drought, when along come class; somebody who actually went to school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/after-so-many-drive-in-waitresses-becoming-movie-stars-there-has-been/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [I'm delighted with it, because it used to be that films were the lowest form of art. Now we've got something to look down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-m-delighted-with-it-because-it-used-to-be-that-films-were-the/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

[Explore all 77 Billy Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

## More Auteur theory quotes

> [I don't really believe in the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-chan-wook/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-auteur-theory/)

[Park Chan-wook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-chan-wook/)

> [As a loyal believer in the Auteur Theory I first felt editing was but the logical consequence of the way in which one shoots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci-film-director-of-the-last-emperor-etc/as-a-loyal-believer-in-the-auteur-theory-i-first-felt-editing-was-but/)

Bernardo Bertolucci-Film Director of The Last Emperor etc

> [“They say that a director always makes the same film. I try to make, as François Truffaut said, the next film in opposition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/they-say-that-a-director-always-makes-the-same-film-i-try-to-make-as/)

[Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/)

> [There are no good and bad movies, only good and bad directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/there-are-no-good-and-bad-movies-only-good-and-bad-directors/)

[Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/)

> [I believe we have two ideas about how movies are made in our heads. Idealizations. Platonic ideals. One of them is of a movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-believe-we-have-two-ideas-about-how-movies-are-made-in-our-heads/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [Im very strongly in favor of the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/im-very-strongly-in-favor-of-the-auteur-theory/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [My roommate at Yale University introduced me to the auteur theory of filmmaking. I soon became a big fan of the works of John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-kaufman/my-roommate-at-yale-university-introduced-me-to-the-auteur-theory-of/)

[Lloyd Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-kaufman/)

> [I always argued against the auteur theory; films are a collaborative art form. I've had some fantastically good people help me make the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-parker/i-always-argued-against-the-auteur-theory-films-are-a-collaborative/)

[Alan Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-parker/)

> [I'm very strongly in favor of the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-m-very-strongly-in-favor-of-the-auteur-theory/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

[Browse all 10 Auteur theory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auteur-theory/)

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