--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In film, I believe things should either…" description: "\"In film, I believe things should either be documentary or drama.\" — Kevin Macdonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kevin-macdonald-5800_believe_in-film-i-believe-things-should-either-b_1772200.jpg" --- # In film, I believe things should either be documentary or… ![“In film, I believe things should either be documentary or drama.” quote by Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kevin-macdonald-5800_believe_in-film-i-believe-things-should-either-b_1772200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kevin-macdonald-5800_believe_in-film-i-believe-things-should-either-b_1772200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kevin-macdonald-5800_believe_in-film-i-believe-things-should-either-b_1772200.jpg) > “In film, I believe things should either be documentary or drama.” [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that movies belong to two categories: factual documentary or crafted drama, rejecting hybrids. **In simple terms:** Films should be either factual or fictional. Key Takeaway Choose a clear genre for each project. Themes cinema genre artistic integrity Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - film festivals - production planning - audience expectations - funding proposals Key Concepts realism narrative truth creative choice Questions to Reflect On - Should a film prioritize truth or emotional impact? - How do hybrid works affect viewer trust? A Different Perspective Hybrid formats can blur truth and storytelling, confusing audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-drama-1789918/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-believe-833129/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Things Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-documentary-1789919/) ## Related quotes > [The picture is not a documentary, ... It's a drama that has to be crafted. Reality is not art. You have to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rydell/the-picture-is-not-a-documentary-it-s-a-drama-that-has-to-be-crafted/) [Mark Rydell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rydell/) > [But one of the amazing things about documentary is that you can remake it every time you make one. There is no rule about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/but-one-of-the-amazing-things-about-documentary-is-that-you-can/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The part of television I like are things that have a documentary feel to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/the-part-of-television-i-like-are-things-that-have-a-documentary-feel/) [John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/) > [I have my ideas of what a good documentary is, but drama is a different animal because you're arranging everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/i-have-my-ideas-of-what-a-good-documentary-is-but-drama-is-a/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [And shooting things in a documentary style was a good way to create tension and energy without money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-jann/and-shooting-things-in-a-documentary-style-was-a-good-way-to-create/) [Michael Patrick Jann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-jann/) > [I have been a little lucky to get work. 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You interview people and then use the bits you want to use as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/in-some-ways-making-documentaries-is-like-being-a-journalist-you/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [I started as a documentary maker, and they're my first love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-started-as-a-documentary-maker-and-they-re-my-first-love/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [Documentary makers use other people's lives as their raw material, and that is morally indefensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/documentary-makers-use-other-people-s-lives-as-their-raw-material-and/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [The existing documentary makers still believe that it is impossible to produce drama material in this State, otherwise they would be doing it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-macbeth/the-existing-documentary-makers-still-believe-that-it-is-impossible/) [Ann Macbeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-macbeth/) ## More by Kevin Macdonald > [It's so nice to be totally artistically free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/it-s-so-nice-to-be-totally-artistically-free/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [Young people read their news online; they expect to get their news for free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/young-people-read-their-news-online-they-expect-to-get-their-news-for/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [I've fallen out very badly with some of the subjects I've interviewed, because they see their lives a certain way; to step into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-ve-fallen-out-very-badly-with-some-of-the-subjects-i-ve-interviewed/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [I was a teenager in the '80s, and I was always a bit dismissive of Houston, as I think a lot of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-was-a-teenager-in-the-80s-and-i-was-always-a-bit-dismissive-of/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [With fiction, I've grown to really love the challenge of lying, the challenge of telling a good tale that isn't truthful, and working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/with-fiction-i-ve-grown-to-really-love-the-challenge-of-lying-the/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [When you're an outsider and going into a culture like America, it's easier to stay away from any cliches because you're not really aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/when-you-re-an-outsider-and-going-into-a-culture-like-america-it-s/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [Although 'The Anderson Platoon' was what we would now call an 'embedded film' - with all the ambiguities that term implies - somehow Schoendoerffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/although-the-anderson-platoon-was-what-we-would-now-call-an-embedded/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [The relationship between director and subject can become very intense. 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American actors take it all very seriously; British actors don't enter into all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/coming-from-documentaries-my-biggest-challenge-was-to-understand/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [You can go to places in Africa and Asia and find Marley graffiti. In the slums of Nairobi, you see his lyrics painted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/you-can-go-to-places-in-africa-and-asia-and-find-marley-graffiti-in/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [The interesting thing to me is that somehow the future of movies will become a more social thing... I think that people will see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/the-interesting-thing-to-me-is-that-somehow-the-future-of-movies-will/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [A publisher friend of mine suggested that I write a book about my grandfather, who had just died. 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And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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