--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a funny thing with documentary films…" description: "\"It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. With a fictional film you want i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jonathan-demme-10403_cinema_it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-film_1788613.jpg" --- # It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them… ![“It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. With a fictional film you want it to feel as realistic as a documentary film.” quote by Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jonathan-demme-10403_cinema_it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-film_1788613.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jonathan-demme-10403_cinema_it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-film_1788613.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jonathan-demme-10403_cinema_it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-film_1788613.jpg) > “It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. With a fictional film you want it to feel as realistic as a documentary film.” [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Documentary and fictional films should each aim for the other's strengths—engagement and realism. **In simple terms:** Films should blend entertainment with authenticity. Key Takeaway Seek balance between gripping storytelling and factual truth. Themes cinema authenticity storytelling Mood reflective inquisitive Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - film festivals - educational videos - marketing pitches Key Concepts genre blending audience expectation Questions to Reflect On - How can you make facts compelling? - What techniques bring realism to fiction? A Different Perspective Budget constraints may limit realism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-films/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Funny things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-things/) ## Related quotes > [With documentary-film projects, you hope you highlight an area of concern people haven't thought about before. A lot of times, I'm asking myself -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/with-documentary-film-projects-you-hope-you-highlight-an-area-of/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [The power of the documentary film, when done well, I think is usually more impacting than a narrative, at least for me. Documentaries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ray-perez/the-power-of-the-documentary-film-when-done-well-i-think-is-usually/) Richard Ray Perez > [Like theatre, crafting a documentary film takes tremendous commitment, patience and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dori-berinstein/like-theatre-crafting-a-documentary-film-takes-tremendous-commitment/) [Dori Berinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dori-berinstein/) > [It's rare in a documentary film that you have a repetitive act. So when you do, you can shoot it in different ways so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-wiseman/it-s-rare-in-a-documentary-film-that-you-have-a-repetitive-act-so/) [Frederick Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-wiseman/) > [People outside the documentary world don't realize how time-consuming making a documentary film is there is a lot of responsibility, and in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hammond/people-outside-the-documentary-world-don-t-realize-how-time-consuming/) Alex Hammond > [There's a documentary film-maker called Werner Herzog, who's a German film-maker. I really dig his stuff, I'd love to chat with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-jones/there-s-a-documentary-film-maker-called-werner-herzog-who-s-a-german/) [Finn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-jones/) > [Documentary film without nuanced journalistic sourcing risks being sensational, tendentious or broad-brushed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/documentary-film-without-nuanced-journalistic-sourcing-risks-being/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Making an independent documentary film is so hard that usually, the usual model is that your film becomes a model for advocacy, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hetherington/making-an-independent-documentary-film-is-so-hard-that-usually-the/) [Tim Hetherington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hetherington/) > [Michael Moore announced that his next documentary film will attack the health care industry in America. He's not out to get the pharmaceutical companies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/michael-moore-announced-that-his-next-documentary-film-will-attack/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [When you make a documentary film, after many years the only thing you remember is what you put into the film, not what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-yates/when-you-make-a-documentary-film-after-many-years-the-only-thing-you/) [Pamela Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-yates/) > [I am particularly pleased to see that there are so many women working in documentary film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hegedus/i-am-particularly-pleased-to-see-that-there-are-so-many-women-working/) [Chris Hegedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hegedus/) > [Documentary film is the one place that our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the documentaries that I've been working on have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-obomsawin/documentary-film-is-the-one-place-that-our-people-can-speak-for/) [Alanis Obomsawin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-obomsawin/) > [I don't think the subject of a documentary film should be producers on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/i-don-t-think-the-subject-of-a-documentary-film-should-be-producers/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [In every film, whether it's a fictional character or not, you create an idea of the character and for me I always do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/in-every-film-whether-it-s-a-fictional-character-or-not-you-create-an/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [I love when you get the feeling of some social reality with a fictional film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/i-love-when-you-get-the-feeling-of-some-social-reality-with-a/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) ## More by Jonathan Demme > [The occupied territories and the movement of settlements - moving people today off of their property and claiming it - is illegal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/the-occupied-territories-and-the-movement-of-settlements-moving/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I only work with actors who take full responsibility for their characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-only-work-with-actors-who-take-full-responsibility-for-their/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I love the idea of documentaries. I love seeing documentaries, and I love making them. Documentaries are incredibly easy to shoot. The ease with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-love-the-idea-of-documentaries-i-love-seeing-documentaries-and-i/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I get creeped out by Francis Bacon's paintings, and I can't say exactly why. They're all really disturbing, and there is an almost nimbus-like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-get-creeped-out-by-francis-bacon-s-paintings-and-i-can-t-say/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I had had no aspirations to be a filmmaker or a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-had-had-no-aspirations-to-be-a-filmmaker-or-a-writer/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [Extraordinary people are the Green Berets and the Navy Seals and the Olympic athletes - these are the ones who can face these extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/extraordinary-people-are-the-green-berets-and-the-navy-seals-and-the/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [In early 1983, Gary Goetzman and I went to see my favorite band, the Talking Heads, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/in-early-1983-gary-goetzman-and-i-went-to-see-my-favorite-band-the/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I was a Talking Heads fan from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-was-a-talking-heads-fan-from-the-very-beginning/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [When Silence of the Lambs did well commercially it was more than anything. My partner Ed Saxon and I were just so relieved that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/when-silence-of-the-lambs-did-well-commercially-it-was-more-than/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I adore film, and I adore music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-adore-film-and-i-adore-music/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [Nothing beats a live performance. Nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/nothing-beats-a-live-performance-nothing/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [Everything I've made - it doesn't mean they've all been good - but everything I've made so far, big or little, fiction or documentary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/everything-i-ve-made-it-doesn-t-mean-they-ve-all-been-good-but/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [There is so much going on in our country and in the world today... We're getting the headlines for a second, shaped by corporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/there-is-so-much-going-on-in-our-country-and-in-the-world-today-we-re/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I'm of Neil Young's generation. Neil Young's songs have spoken to what it's like to be at least a white male of his generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-m-of-neil-young-s-generation-neil-young-s-songs-have-spoken-to-what/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [I think music is just a wonderful ingredient that helps us understand a scene better. And certainly you can overuse music, and you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/i-think-music-is-just-a-wonderful-ingredient-that-helps-us-understand/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) [Explore all 66 Jonathan Demme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) ## 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 > [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": "It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. 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