--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've had frustrated storytelling juices…" description: "\"I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me telling a story that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/eric-bana-4079_documentaries_i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices_51841.jpg" --- # I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been… ![“I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me telling a story that I felt most qualified to tell. And I loved it, and I'd love to do something else someday, probably more narrative-based. But I'm in no rush.” quote by Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/eric-bana-4079_documentaries_i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices_51841.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/eric-bana-4079_documentaries_i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices_51841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/eric-bana-4079_documentaries_i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices_51841.jpg) > “I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me telling a story that I felt most qualified to tell. And I loved it, and I'd love to do something else someday, probably more narrative-based. But I'm in no rush.” [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes using documentary filmmaking to unlock long‑suppressed creative energy, seeing it as a personal, qualified storytelling outlet while remaining open to future narrative projects without urgency. **In simple terms:** Creative release through documentary; future narrative work optional. Key Takeaway Documentary as a catalyst for dormant storytelling. Themes creativity self‑expression medium exploration patience artistic identity Mood reflective hopeful determined Type personal anecdote creative insight When to use this quote - overcoming creative block - transitioning between formats - low‑pressure project planning Key Concepts storytelling medium choice personal fulfillment Practical Applications - using documentary to test ideas - later shifting to narrative film Questions to Reflect On - What does the documentary medium enable that other formats don’t? - How does pacing affect creative satisfaction? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-way-734650/) [Dormant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dormant/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Juice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juice/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Probably Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-narrative-734652/) [Qualified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualified/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-felt-284509/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Storytelling Juices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling-juices-734651/) [Telling A Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-a-story/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I tried to avoid making plays or films that weren't telling a story that I felt was important. 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It's my way of proving that I have a language, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/documentary-has-been-a-way-for-me-to-establish-myself-as-a-filmmaker/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [I've always wanted to write a book. And it turned out that it was more about finding a story that I felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-a-book-and-it-turned-out-that-it-was-more/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [It may have taken nine years, and a whole lot of wrong turns along the way, but their story felt complete at last. Because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/it-may-have-taken-nine-years-and-a-whole-lot-of-wrong-turns-along-the/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [Have you ever heard someone tell a story but felt they are just mouthing the words without being emotionally connected? When you do this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goulston/have-you-ever-heard-someone-tell-a-story-but-felt-they-are-just/) [Mark Goulston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goulston/) > [I was in the hospital and I was paralyzed and I went through all of these things. I've had all of these crazy experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-was-in-the-hospital-and-i-was-paralyzed-and-i-went-through-all-of/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [“Still, when I read the story, I felt like I'd written half of it myself, and the author guy was responsible for the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lodato/still-when-i-read-the-story-i-felt-like-i-d-written-half-of-it-myself/) [Victor Lodato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lodato/) > [I wanted to tell the story of these women and the war in the Congo and I couldn't find anything about them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-wanted-to-tell-the-story-of-these-women-and-the-war-in-the-congo/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [“More than anything else I wanted to get inside my readers’ defenses, wanted to rip them and ravish them and change them forever with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/more-than-anything-else-i-wanted-to-get-inside-my-readers-defenses/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I'd say I'm the opposite of someone that has the urge to stand in front of strangers and make them laugh, but the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-d-say-i-m-the-opposite-of-someone-that-has-the-urge-to-stand-in/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [At the beggining of my career, for me the comedy circuit was a combination of desperation and the fact that it was something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/at-the-beggining-of-my-career-for-me-the-comedy-circuit-was-a/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [I had left home (like all Jewish girls) in order to eat pork and take birth control pills. When I first shared an intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/i-had-left-home-like-all-jewish-girls-in-order-to-eat-pork-and-take/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) ## More by Eric Bana > [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I love being at home, being with friends and family. I'm of European stock, brought up in Australia. I'm a passionate guy. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-love-being-at-home-being-with-friends-and-family-i-m-of-european/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [Technically speaking, you can build anything out of sand; it doesn't mean you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/technically-speaking-you-can-build-anything-out-of-sand-it-doesn-t/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [The Israeli accent wasn't one that I was overly familiar with so had to learn from scratch but I was very fortunate I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/the-israeli-accent-wasn-t-one-that-i-was-overly-familiar-with-so-had/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I would never say never to returning to comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-would-never-say-never-to-returning-to-comedy/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I think there are times when you walk onto a set you can potentially be either intimidated or distracted by what's going on around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-think-there-are-times-when-you-walk-onto-a-set-you-can-potentially/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [The reason my kids come to the set is so I can actually see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/the-reason-my-kids-come-to-the-set-is-so-i-can-actually-see-them/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I like the unknown. I like mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-like-the-unknown-i-like-mystery/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I get inhabited by a character and then you mourn it. There's a period of mourning for me, definitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-get-inhabited-by-a-character-and-then-you-mourn-it-there-s-a-period/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [Abs are for people with no friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/abs-are-for-people-with-no-friends/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [At the beggining of my career, for me the comedy circuit was a combination of desperation and the fact that it was something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/at-the-beggining-of-my-career-for-me-the-comedy-circuit-was-a/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I was a fan of the television show as a kid but I wouldn't say that I've followed all the movies or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-was-a-fan-of-the-television-show-as-a-kid-but-i-wouldn-t-say-that-i/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [The more I love the character, the harder it is to get it wrong. I have to get to a point that I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/the-more-i-love-the-character-the-harder-it-is-to-get-it-wrong-i-have/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [It only seems jarring when you look back on the work I've done. I think if you had to map that out at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/it-only-seems-jarring-when-you-look-back-on-the-work-i-ve-done-i/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [The darker the film, the more vital everyone's sense of humor is on set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/the-darker-the-film-the-more-vital-everyone-s-sense-of-humor-is-on-set/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) [Explore all 116 Eric Bana quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) ## More Documentaries quotes > [I like the cinema of people like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. I am not keen on trying to reproduce reality - for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-jeunet/i-like-the-cinema-of-people-like-terry-gilliam-and-tim-burton-i-am/) [Jean-Pierre Jeunet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-jeunet/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [The documentary style is an incredibly flexible and useful one. It's a wonderful tool for establishing the credibility of the version of things that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gohlke/the-documentary-style-is-an-incredibly-flexible-and-useful-one-it-s-a/) [Frank Gohlke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gohlke/) > [Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/most-of-the-photographs-people-take-with-their-cameraphones-are-of/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [...it is a very risky thing for anyone to go about proclaiming the truth simply because he finds himself in possession of concrete documentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-amado/it-is-a-very-risky-thing-for-anyone-to-go-about-proclaiming-the-truth/) [Jorge Amado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-amado/) > [Most of my life, I thought that I would end up a novelist. But then, in New York City, after college, I started a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-spaihts/most-of-my-life-i-thought-that-i-would-end-up-a-novelist-but-then-in/) [Jon Spaihts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-spaihts/) > [By calling it a memoir, I meant is as a collection of memories. I thought it was (a more) artful (title) than documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/by-calling-it-a-memoir-i-meant-is-as-a-collection-of-memories-i/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I'm a documentary photographer. That's what I've always wanted to be; that's where my heart and soul is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-a-documentary-photographer-that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [I'm in school every day. It depends on what it is that you do with all that free time when I'm not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-lyte/i-m-in-school-every-day-it-depends-on-what-it-is-that-you-do-with-all/) [MC Lyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-lyte/) > [If you merely focus on what we already know, then it's not revelatory. You may as well just go and watch a documentary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/if-you-merely-focus-on-what-we-already-know-then-it-s-not-revelatory/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [So I do tend to do documentaries where I can move in and out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/so-i-do-tend-to-do-documentaries-where-i-can-move-in-and-out-of-them/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Helen Weaver’s book was a revelation to me! Although I was a young woman in the fifties, I was there, but I wasn’t there!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-cassady/helen-weaver-s-book-was-a-revelation-to-me-although-i-was-a-young/) [Carolyn Cassady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-cassady/) > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I studied directing prior to acting and I've done music videos and documentaries and things that were sort of well-received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-gray-gubler/i-studied-directing-prior-to-acting-and-i-ve-done-music-videos-and/) [Matthew Gray Gubler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-gray-gubler/) [Browse all 718 Documentaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me telling a story that I felt most qualified to tell. 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