--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's unfortunate that a lot of the time…" description: "\"It's unfortunate that a lot of the time in documentaries, the camera person isn't a personality. That's such a wasted opportunity.\" — John Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-the-time_3172907.png" --- # It's unfortunate that a lot of the time in documentaries… ![“It's unfortunate that a lot of the time in documentaries, the camera person isn't a personality. That's such a wasted opportunity.” quote by John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-the-time_3172907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-the-time_3172907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-the-time_3172907.png) > “It's unfortunate that a lot of the time in documentaries, the camera person isn't a personality. That's such a wasted opportunity.” [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights missed storytelling potential when the cameraman stays invisible. **In simple terms:** Camera presence can add personality to documentaries. Key Takeaway Use the camera as a narrative voice. Themes storytelling media creativity Mood analytical critical Type observational advice When to use this quote - documentary production - interview techniques - visual journalism Key Concepts visual narrative authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can a camera enhance rather than dominate? - What balance works for your project? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on the camera may distract from content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There's this weird kind of thing that happens once the camera's out. And it's a person-by-person thing how the camera will affect their behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/there-s-this-weird-kind-of-thing-that-happens-once-the-camera-s-out/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [The fact of the matter is that if we were going to do anything about Gaddafi, it should have been at the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-if-we-were-going-to-do-anything-about/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [Hell is when we look back during that fraction of a second and know that we wasted an opportunity to dignify the miracle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/hell-is-when-we-look-back-during-that-fraction-of-a-second-and-know/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Sometimes we dont realize just how we neglected the opportunity when it knocked the door.. Were caught up in our own world and neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/sometimes-we-dont-realize-just-how-we-neglected-the-opportunity-when/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“...a wasted opportunity wasn't just a missed chance, but was a wound to your future. Miss too many opportunities, thus sustaining too many wounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-wasted-opportunity-wasn-t-just-a-missed-chance-but-was-a-wound-to/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Anytime you look at someone in detail, you're putting the camera on that person. What I typically look for is one or two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/anytime-you-look-at-someone-in-detail-you-re-putting-the-camera-on/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Going into an audition or putting yourself on tape, it's not the easiest thing to do especially because an audition is usually a camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-marie/going-into-an-audition-or-putting-yourself-on-tape-it-s-not-the/) [Eva Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-marie/) > [I'm so into making music and being behind the scenes. I'm such a visionary person that I don't see myself being the person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-will-made-it/i-m-so-into-making-music-and-being-behind-the-scenes-i-m-such-a/) [Mike Will Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-will-made-it/) > [When I started, we had just the camera and the person, mostly. And if you wanted to do a dolly shot, particularly working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/when-i-started-we-had-just-the-camera-and-the-person-mostly-and-if/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Anamorphic is very difficult because the distance from the lens to the person to focus is very long so you need a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaume-collet-serra/anamorphic-is-very-difficult-because-the-distance-from-the-lens-to/) [Jaume Collet-Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaume-collet-serra/) > [You can assume all photo and video is constructed as a fiction controlled by the person holding the camera and the person who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-degenevieve/you-can-assume-all-photo-and-video-is-constructed-as-a-fiction/) [Barbara Degenevieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-degenevieve/) > [I like to work, and I worked for years as a camera person before I directed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/i-like-to-work-and-i-worked-for-years-as-a-camera-person-before-i/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) > [You know, a lot of my favorite moments in old, you know, fiction films or documentaries are the parts that capture things that change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-know-a-lot-of-my-favorite-moments-in-old-you-know-fiction-films/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by John Wilson > [I organize all my footage by the date it was shot, and then arrange everything in a timeline once I begin a project. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-organize-all-my-footage-by-the-date-it-was-shot-and-then-arrange/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I usually display all of my personal issues in little memoir films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-usually-display-all-of-my-personal-issues-in-little-memoir-films/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You've got to make your own entertainment sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-ve-got-to-make-your-own-entertainment-sometimes/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Sometimes people are very kind of uptight and they're not really sure how to behave, but after time they open up sometimes. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/sometimes-people-are-very-kind-of-uptight-and-they-re-not-really-sure/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I think that obsessively documenting everything sometimes gives me a reason to go out and experience things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-think-that-obsessively-documenting-everything-sometimes-gives-me-a/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You can tell immediately if someone wants to be recorded or not. And in that moment, when they give you an inch and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-can-tell-immediately-if-someone-wants-to-be-recorded-or-not-and/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [The guy that taught me how to cook risotto lives right down the street and I see him all the time. I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/the-guy-that-taught-me-how-to-cook-risotto-lives-right-down-the/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I got sick and tired of my lady wearing ugly underwear to bed, so I turned to the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-got-sick-and-tired-of-my-lady-wearing-ugly-underwear-to-bed-so-i/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I always have a little camera on me whenever I leave the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-always-have-a-little-camera-on-me-whenever-i-leave-the-house/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I feel like the most interesting imagery out there does not have me in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-feel-like-the-most-interesting-imagery-out-there-does-not-have-me/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You know, I've struggled with a certain amount of social anxiety throughout my life, and the best tool that I feel like one could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-know-i-ve-struggled-with-a-certain-amount-of-social-anxiety/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I have no interest in living forever. It sounds like a nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-have-no-interest-in-living-forever-it-sounds-like-a-nightmare/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I don't know what kind of lobotomy they get in advertising school, but they find bits of pop culture or art that has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-don-t-know-what-kind-of-lobotomy-they-get-in-advertising-school-but/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [There's a psychotic amount of footage that I get. I watch 100 percent of it from every single camera department, including my own stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/there-s-a-psychotic-amount-of-footage-that-i-get-i-watch-100-percent/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Ron Howard is just a funny legacy director. As a film nerd, he's kind of a funny person to valorize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/ron-howard-is-just-a-funny-legacy-director-as-a-film-nerd-he-s-kind/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) [Explore all 110 John Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## 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! 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