--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We, as film-makers, are privileged. We…" description: "\"We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibilit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg" --- # We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry… ![“We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility.” quote by Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg) > “We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility.” [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Filmmakers hold the power to evoke strong emotions and thoughts, which is both a privilege and a heavy responsibility. **In simple terms:** Filmmakers can make people feel and think. Key Takeaway Use your influence responsibly. Themes responsibility artistic power emotion Mood thoughtful inspired Type professional ethical When to use this quote - film production - advertising - public speaking - political campaigns Key Concepts ethics media influence Questions to Reflect On - How will you balance impact with ethics? - What limits should be set on emotional manipulation? A Different Perspective Audience reaction can be unpredictable and misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Makers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-makers-400697/) [Great responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-responsibility/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Makers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makers/) [Makers Privileged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makers-privileged-1177630/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Privilege Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-great-1177629/) [Privileged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privileged/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I get offers all the time from film makers, but they are unknown quantities. I don't go there and do experiments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-aykroyd/i-get-offers-all-the-time-from-film-makers-but-they-are-unknown/) [Dan Aykroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-aykroyd/) > [I absolutely refuse to accept the fact that any country in the world goes into a kind of film-making crisis. What happens is they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-puttnam/i-absolutely-refuse-to-accept-the-fact-that-any-country-in-the-world/) [David Puttnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-puttnam/) > [The greatest drawback in making pictures is the fact that film makers have to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-milland/the-greatest-drawback-in-making-pictures-is-the-fact-that-film-makers/) [Ray Milland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-milland/) > [Film-makers must decide what story to tell and how to tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/film-makers-must-decide-what-story-to-tell-and-how-to-tell-it/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [African film makers are scraping by on a mere pittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/african-film-makers-are-scraping-by-on-a-mere-pittance/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Since I have spent so much time with film-makers, and I understand the process, I would love to direct a film some day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/since-i-have-spent-so-much-time-with-film-makers-and-i-understand-the/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [A movie is made for an audience and a film is made for both the audience and the film-makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/a-movie-is-made-for-an-audience-and-a-film-is-made-for-both-the/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [You usually get one or the other, you get someone who knows how to tell a story but they don't necessarily know about light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/you-usually-get-one-or-the-other-you-get-someone-who-knows-how-to/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [Film-makers in Belgium are seen as arts and crafts makers. It is a small country. There is not really a film industry there at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-dardenne/film-makers-in-belgium-are-seen-as-arts-and-crafts-makers-it-is-a/) [Luc Dardenne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-dardenne/) > [To give people that first start in life is a tremendous privilege. It's one of the great joys of being part of a growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-william-middleton/to-give-people-that-first-start-in-life-is-a-tremendous-privilege-it/) [James William Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-william-middleton/) > [Privilege, you see, is one of the great adversaries of the imagination; it spreads a thick layer of adipose tissue over our sensitivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/privilege-you-see-is-one-of-the-great-adversaries-of-the-imagination/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [It's a privilege to be in such a great category of people and... I don't believe in God, so I'd like to thank dogs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/it-s-a-privilege-to-be-in-such-a-great-category-of-people-and-i-don-t/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“There is no privilege as great as that enjoyed by those 'To Whom Things Come Easily'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/there-is-no-privilege-as-great-as-that-enjoyed-by-those-to-whom/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [Let film-makers take a call about what films they want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-dhawan/let-film-makers-take-a-call-about-what-films-they-want-to-do/) [Varun Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-dhawan/) > [I've spent a great deal of my life doing independent film, and that is partly because the subject matter interests me and partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-ve-spent-a-great-deal-of-my-life-doing-independent-film-and-that-is/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) ## More by Haskell Wexler > [From my image of digging around in the mud like a grunt, I preferred fighting the war from ships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/from-my-image-of-digging-around-in-the-mud-like-a-grunt-i-preferred/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [I used it in a shot where Richard Burton goes down the hall to get a gun in a closet. And I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/i-used-it-in-a-shot-where-richard-burton-goes-down-the-hall-to-get-a/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [I was shooting all this time. And there was only one guy who helped to pull him. And I had to think whether I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/i-was-shooting-all-this-time-and-there-was-only-one-guy-who-helped-to/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Lighting was very primitive. And still it was really the way to learn because sometimes some of the modern technology is so extreme and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/lighting-was-very-primitive-and-still-it-was-really-the-way-to-learn/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [I rationalize out, well, how much help could you really be, you know? And maybe if people saw this, they'd realize the brutality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/i-rationalize-out-well-how-much-help-could-you-really-be-you-know-and/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [When I search myself carefully I do think it's from my mother. I even feel strange saying that. Most people, I believe, when they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/when-i-search-myself-carefully-i-do-think-it-s-from-my-mother-i-even/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [The helicopter was a U.S. Navy helicopter. There were no civilian helicopters available to film companies, so they just made some stuff out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/the-helicopter-was-a-u-s-navy-helicopter-there-were-no-civilian/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [There was no actually stock footage in "Medium Cool." I wrote the script. I wrote the riots. And I integrated the actors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/there-was-no-actually-stock-footage-in-medium-cool-i-wrote-the-script/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Well, of course the general idea was dreamed up by the advertising agency and so my job was to realize that. And we down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/well-of-course-the-general-idea-was-dreamed-up-by-the-advertising/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Now, I have to - in my defense, I have the say that general knowledge of the deadly nature of cigarettes was not primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/now-i-have-to-in-my-defense-i-have-the-say-that-general-knowledge-of/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [There is a very particular feeling I get when I have the camera in my hand, looking at an actor talk, knowing that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/there-is-a-very-particular-feeling-i-get-when-i-have-the-camera-in-my/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Well, there is a contradiction in a sense. If you're making commercials which sell products which are unhealthy or which are unnecessary, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/well-there-is-a-contradiction-in-a-sense-if-you-re-making-commercials/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [My mother let me know that we're all connected. If some of us become more affluent it's not because we're better or even smarter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/my-mother-let-me-know-that-we-re-all-connected-if-some-of-us-become/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [When I was in Vietnam with Jane Fonda, I was shooting a farmer in a field - just a pastoral scene. And while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/when-i-was-in-vietnam-with-jane-fonda-i-was-shooting-a-farmer-in-a/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [I felt that that experience, because of the responsible nature that I found I acted all during that traumatic time, that I felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/i-felt-that-that-experience-because-of-the-responsible-nature-that-i/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) [Explore all 33 Haskell Wexler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haskell Wexler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can-make-people-cry-or-laugh-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can-make-people-cry-or-laugh-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/haskell-wexler-18987_cinema_we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can_2513191.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We, as film-makers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is…” — Haskell Wexler", "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": "Haskell Wexler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We, as film-makers, are privileged. We...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can-make-people-cry-or-laugh-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/we-as-film-makers-are-privileged-we-can-make-people-cry-or-laugh-we/#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 } } ] } ```