--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In terms of talking with my collaborators…" description: "\"In terms of talking with my collaborators as they came onboard - Jeannine Oppewall, our production designer, Dante Spinotti, our cinematographer, and s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/curtis-hanson-9380_cinematographer_in-terms-of-talking-with-my-collaborator_3183725.jpg" --- # In terms of talking with my collaborators as they came… ![“In terms of talking with my collaborators as they came onboard - Jeannine Oppewall, our production designer, Dante Spinotti, our cinematographer, and so forth - I said to them, "Let's pretend that this is a place like Honolulu. Let's ignore the fact that all these other movies have been made here…” quote by Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/curtis-hanson-9380_cinematographer_in-terms-of-talking-with-my-collaborator_3183725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/curtis-hanson-9380_cinematographer_in-terms-of-talking-with-my-collaborator_3183725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/curtis-hanson-9380_cinematographer_in-terms-of-talking-with-my-collaborator_3183725.jpg) > “In terms of talking with my collaborators as they came onboard - Jeannine Oppewall, our production designer, Dante Spinotti, our cinematographer, and so forth - I said to them, "Let's pretend that this is a place like Honolulu. Let's ignore the fact that all these other movies have been made here for decades and try to come at it with a fresh eye, as if it were an exotic city that people aren't that familiar with. And let's present our own view of it, create a world that's unique to this movie \[L.A Confidential\].” [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Approach familiar settings with fresh perspective, treating them as new to create unique cinematic worlds. **In simple terms:** See known places as new to craft original visuals. Key Takeaway Reimagine familiar environments creatively. Themes creativity visual storytelling film making perspective collaboration Mood inventive thoughtful collaborative Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - film production - set design - location scouting - creative workshops Key Concepts reframing design thinking visual innovation team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance originality with realism? - What techniques help fresh eyes on familiar sites? A Different Perspective Risk of losing authenticity when over‑reimagining. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinematographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinematographer/) [Cinematographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinematographers/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Collaborators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaborators/) [Confidential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidential/) [Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Exotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exotic/) [Exotic City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exotic-city-4467921/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Honolulu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honolulu/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Like Honolulu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-honolulu-5844564/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Oppewall Production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppewall-production-5844566/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Production design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/production-design/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking Collaborators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-collaborators-5844565/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [L.A. has been really inspiring towards me for the last one and a half years. There is a lot going on here now. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-hassle/l-a-has-been-really-inspiring-towards-me-for-the-last-one-and-a-half/) [Erik Hassle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-hassle/) > [My parents used to park us kids at the public library in downtown Honolulu every Saturday. They'd leave us there at 8 A.M. and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/my-parents-used-to-park-us-kids-at-the-public-library-in-downtown/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [Hawai‘i Pacific University's new use of the iconic Aloha Tower Marketplace will continue its historic role of welcoming visitors, and now students, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-caldwell/hawai-i-pacific-university-s-new-use-of-the-iconic-aloha-tower/) [Kirk Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-caldwell/) > [I grew up in Honolulu. It's not the ballet cultural mecca by any stretch of the imagination. People are much more familiar with hula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-grew-up-in-honolulu-it-s-not-the-ballet-cultural-mecca-by-any/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [Honolulu, it's got everything. Sand for the children, sun for the wife, sharks for the wife's mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-dodd/honolulu-it-s-got-everything-sand-for-the-children-sun-for-the-wife/) [Ken Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-dodd/) > [Dr. Margaret Oda, a true trailblazer in education, served as Honolulu school district superintendent and was the driving force behind the middle-school concept and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hanabusa/dr-margaret-oda-a-true-trailblazer-in-education-served-as-honolulu/) [Colleen Hanabusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hanabusa/) > [“Summer in Honolulu brings the sweet smell of mangoes, guava, and passionfruit, ripe for picking; it arbors the streets with the fiery red umbrellas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-brennert/summer-in-honolulu-brings-the-sweet-smell-of-mangoes-guava-and/) [Alan Brennert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-brennert/) > [“We had a lazy voyage, stopping at Fiji and other islands, and finally arrived at Honolulu. It was far more sophisticated than we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/we-had-a-lazy-voyage-stopping-at-fiji-and-other-islands-and-finally/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [You're really spread out now, you've got stuff all over the WORLD! You've got stuff at home, stuff in storage, stuff in Honolulu, stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-re-really-spread-out-now-you-ve-got-stuff-all-over-the-world-you/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I grew up in Honolulu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/i-grew-up-in-honolulu/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [But there are people who take salt with their coffee. They say it gives a tang, a savour, which is peculiar and fascinating. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/but-there-are-people-who-take-salt-with-their-coffee-they-say-it/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [My dark comic edge is the end result of trying to use humor to maintain my sanity growing up in a dysfunctional family in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-wright/my-dark-comic-edge-is-the-end-result-of-trying-to-use-humor-to/) [Kirby Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-wright/) > [Obama wouldn't have been voted president if he weren't black. Somebody asked me over the weekend why does somebody earn a lot of money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/obama-wouldn-t-have-been-voted-president-if-he-weren-t-black-somebody/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-case/i-was-born-and-raised-in-honolulu-hawaii/) [Steve Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-case/) > [The idea of building a Near Eastern house in Honolulu must seem fantastic to many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-duke/the-idea-of-building-a-near-eastern-house-in-honolulu-must-seem/) [Doris Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-duke/) ## More by Curtis Hanson > [I very much had wanted to do a picture with more humor than what I had been allowed to do earlier, which is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-very-much-had-wanted-to-do-a-picture-with-more-humor-than-what-i/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [That's what I love about Michael Douglas' performance in Wonder Boys, because I feel like he surprises audiences that know him from very different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/that-s-what-i-love-about-michael-douglas-performance-in-wonder-boys/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [I love suspense movies, because in a sense they're the most dreamlike of any genre, and I'm sure I'll make another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-love-suspense-movies-because-in-a-sense-they-re-the-most-dreamlike/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [I had a checkered early career, for sure, with a lot of very unhappy experiences where pictures got taken away, re-cut, re-titled... all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-had-a-checkered-early-career-for-sure-with-a-lot-of-very-unhappy/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [My very first professional writing credit was on a movie called The Dunwich Horror, and Roger Corman was the executive producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/my-very-first-professional-writing-credit-was-on-a-movie-called-the/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [There was a long period of time when Sam Fuller had a lot of projects fall through and had a lot of difficulties getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/there-was-a-long-period-of-time-when-sam-fuller-had-a-lot-of-projects/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [What I try to do is give each actor an environment in which they can do their best work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/what-i-try-to-do-is-give-each-actor-an-environment-in-which-they-can/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [Hollywood, of course, is the city of illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/hollywood-of-course-is-the-city-of-illusion/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [ I can't speak to how Michael \[Douglas\] approached it in terms of his process. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-can-t-speak-to-how-michael-douglas-approached-it-in-terms-of-his/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [Put simply, there are many people who want to make movies and very few opportunities for them to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/put-simply-there-are-many-people-who-want-to-make-movies-and-very-few/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [ I had the great fortune to actually become friends with Sam \[Fuller\] and ultimately collaborate with him on White Dog, which we wrote together. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-had-the-great-fortune-to-actually-become-friends-with-sam-fuller/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [You can dress it up, but it comes down to the fact that a movie is only as good as its script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/you-can-dress-it-up-but-it-comes-down-to-the-fact-that-a-movie-is/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [A day doesn't go by when I don't get a compliment on L.A. Confidential, for example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/a-day-doesn-t-go-by-when-i-don-t-get-a-compliment-on-l-a-confidential/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [I make that distinction only because I came to it strictly as someone who was just a lover of storytellers and cinematic storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-make-that-distinction-only-because-i-came-to-it-strictly-as-someone/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [ Roger \[Corman\] didn't actually hire me, though. I was hired by AIP \[American International Pictures\], the studio that made the picture, which was Sam… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/roger-corman-didn-t-actually-hire-me-though-i-was-hired-by-aip/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) [Explore all 73 Curtis Hanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) ## More Cinematographer quotes > [Really, anyone in the business who transitions into directing as a writer or editor or an actor or a cinematographer, at some point you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-savage/really-anyone-in-the-business-who-transitions-into-directing-as-a/) [Fred Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-savage/) > [ I've kept the people who've been in my career who I feel are my family. Kathy \[Kennedy\] had been with me since 1978. Janusz… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-kept-the-people-who-ve-been-in-my-career-who-i-feel-are-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I have developed my eye as a cinematographer through the craft of operating. When I am not operating, I am often anxious, uncertain, restless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-richardson/i-have-developed-my-eye-as-a-cinematographer-through-the-craft-of/) [Robert Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-richardson/) > [Being a cinematographer taught me a lot. I got to expedite the visions of many directors and learned how to navigate many styles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/being-a-cinematographer-taught-me-a-lot-i-got-to-expedite-the-visions/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [I don't know one lens from another. That's not my job. It's the cinematographer's job. But I can talk to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-marshall/i-don-t-know-one-lens-from-another-that-s-not-my-job-it-s-the/) [Penny Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-marshall/) > [For many years I thought, "Well, I need to know a lot more to direct." But I looked around and watched all the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-foner-gyllenhaal/for-many-years-i-thought-well-i-need-to-know-a-lot-more-to-direct-but/) [Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-foner-gyllenhaal/) > [I was interested in photography from my college days and wanted to become a cinematographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rao-ramesh/i-was-interested-in-photography-from-my-college-days-and-wanted-to/) [Rao Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rao-ramesh/) > [In comics, the writer is also the director in a certain way. So if this were a film, you wouldn't tell the cinematographer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-bemis/in-comics-the-writer-is-also-the-director-in-a-certain-way-so-if-this/) [Max Bemis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-bemis/) > [As a cinematographer or director, I'm always looking for projects that are able to say a lot with the actor's expressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/as-a-cinematographer-or-director-i-m-always-looking-for-projects-that/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [I'm usually known for films that look beautiful and attractive, probably because I am a cinematographer too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-menon/i-m-usually-known-for-films-that-look-beautiful-and-attractive/) [Rajiv Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-menon/) > [In a period piece, particularly a fantasy, the lighting is your own choice, the lenses are your own choice. It's really a great thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilmos-zsigmond/in-a-period-piece-particularly-a-fantasy-the-lighting-is-your-own/) [Vilmos Zsigmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilmos-zsigmond/) > [I grew up as a cameraman, so it's much easier for me to shoot it myself. I work with an operator and a crew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-douglas/i-grew-up-as-a-cameraman-so-it-s-much-easier-for-me-to-shoot-it/) [David Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-douglas/) > [When you work as a cinematographer, the actors look to you for reassurance. When you're lighting them, they can never think you're making an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/when-you-work-as-a-cinematographer-the-actors-look-to-you-for/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [Laszlo Kovacs was marvelous. He was very much in the same school as Bill Frake, who was, of course, a great cinematographer as well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sondra-locke/laszlo-kovacs-was-marvelous-he-was-very-much-in-the-same-school-as/) [Sondra Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sondra-locke/) > ['La Notte' is my favorite of the Antonioni pictures and my favorite work of the master cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo, who also shot '8…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-paltrow/la-notte-is-my-favorite-of-the-antonioni-pictures-and-my-favorite/) [Jake Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-paltrow/) [Browse all 81 Cinematographer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinematographer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In terms of talking with my collaborators as they came onboard - Jeannine Oppewall, our production designer, Dante Spinotti, our cinematographer, and so forth - I said to them, \"Let's pretend that this is a place like Honolulu. Let's ignore the fact that all these other movies have been made here for decades and try to come at it with a fresh eye, as if it were an exotic city that people aren't that familiar with. 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