Articles Quote by Jason Reitman
“Directing is a reactionary job more than a creation job. The job is to react whether it's moment one, the first time you read the script or see an article or read a book or notice something happen on the street and have an idea for a movie, and it just continues from there on in. You're just reacting to dialogue, a performance, an audition, a headache, a piece of furniture, a piece of clothing.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Discussing Directing, 2015
Directing is portrayed as a responsive craft, constantly reacting to existing material and spontaneous ideas rather than solely creating from scratch.
In simple terms: Directing is about reacting to what already exists.
Key Takeaway
Embrace responsiveness and observation in creative work.
Themes
film
creativity
process
reactivity
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
reflective
practical
When to use this quote
- script analysis
- on‑set improvisation
- daily life observation
- creative brainstorming
Key Concepts
improvisation
interpretation
story development
Questions to Reflect On
- How does reaction shape artistic originality?
- When does reaction become mere imitation?
A Different Perspective
May undervalue original invention in directing.
![“Well, there's a lot to react against![in response to the accusation that she was a reactionary]” quote by Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4df/margaret-thatcher-463_accusation_well-there-s-a-lot-to-react-against-in-r_1492105.jpg)
![“[With comedy and wanting to make people laugh,] when you're a child, all you want is ANY kind of laugh. You get them to laugh, and great! - you've succeeded. And then it's "How FAST can I get them to laugh?" "How LONG can I get them to laugh?", "How HARD can I get them to laugh?". And then it…” quote by Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c06/jason-reitman-6741_children_with-comedy-and-wanting-to-make-people-l_192225.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
