--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With fiction, you are creating an…" description: "\"With fiction, you are creating an imaginary world. And it can be a very mechanical process. In a fictional film, you create the characters who become \"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/mano-khalil-34508_believe_with-fiction-you-are-creating-an-imagina_1515458.jpg" --- # With fiction, you are creating an imaginary world. And it… ![“With fiction, you are creating an imaginary world. And it can be a very mechanical process. In a fictional film, you create the characters who become "real people" when facing the camera. When you stop shooting, they change their costumes and become someone else. And people tend to believe in…” quote by Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/mano-khalil-34508_believe_with-fiction-you-are-creating-an-imagina_1515458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/mano-khalil-34508_believe_with-fiction-you-are-creating-an-imagina_1515458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/mano-khalil-34508_believe_with-fiction-you-are-creating-an-imagina_1515458.jpg) > “With fiction, you are creating an imaginary world. And it can be a very mechanical process. In a fictional film, you create the characters who become "real people" when facing the camera. When you stop shooting, they change their costumes and become someone else. And people tend to believe in documentary more than fiction. Even if the fiction is based on a true story, everybody will say, "Oh, they're only actors."” [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction constructs imagined worlds that feel real on camera, yet audiences often trust documentaries more, even when fiction draws from truth. **In simple terms:** Fiction feels real on screen but people trust documentaries more. Key Takeaway Recognize the power and limits of storytelling. Themes storytelling perception media reality Mood curious analytical Type educational analytical When to use this quote - film production - educational workshops - media literacy training - critical viewing sessions Key Concepts construction authenticity audience belief Questions to Reflect On - How does medium influence belief? - When should creators disclose fictionalization? A Different Perspective Fiction can mislead if not clearly labeled, blurring truth and art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Imaginary world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-world/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [True story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-story/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I would rather portray the hero if it's a really great film. All my favorite fictional film characters are heroes, such as in 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-jackson/i-would-rather-portray-the-hero-if-it-s-a-really-great-film-all-my/) [Jonathan Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-jackson/) > [All fiction is based on truth - 'Madame Bovary' is based on a true story!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/all-fiction-is-based-on-truth-madame-bovary-is-based-on-a-true-story/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [Literature is invention. Fiction is fiction. To call a story a true story is an insult to both art and truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/literature-is-invention-fiction-is-fiction-to-call-a-story-a-true-2/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Literature is invention. Fiction is fiction. To call a story a true story is an insult to both truth and art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/literature-is-invention-fiction-is-fiction-to-call-a-story-a-true/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [I tend to wait for true stories to mature into fiction. Most of my fiction grew out of a long-germinating real-life situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-tend-to-wait-for-true-stories-to-mature-into-fiction-most-of-my/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. With a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-films-you-want-them-to-feel-as/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [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/) > [Sitting in the darkness of the cinema, I got to see another world. This imaginary world was a refuge for many of us. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/sitting-in-the-darkness-of-the-cinema-i-got-to-see-another-world-this/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [“The following is a true story. However, the characters, locations, situations, and events are entirely fictional.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-fox/the-following-is-a-true-story-however-the-characters-locations/) Derek Fox > [“A life of fiction based on fact”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-of-fiction-based-on-fact/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good science fiction is always based in contemporary truths. One of the themes is the overextension of credit, the nature of being indentured to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/good-science-fiction-is-always-based-in-contemporary-truths-one-of/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's funny because when I was growing up, I was really into science fiction and fantasy as a kid. And, when I first became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-orloff/it-s-funny-because-when-i-was-growing-up-i-was-really-into-science/) John Orloff > [Good science fiction is always based in contemporary truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/good-science-fiction-is-always-based-in-contemporary-truths/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [So much of what I write in fiction is based on true stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/so-much-of-what-i-write-in-fiction-is-based-on-true-stories/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [I'm not saying 'The Godfather' trilogy was bad - because it was brilliant - but that was fiction. It was based on reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vincent/i-m-not-saying-the-godfather-trilogy-was-bad-because-it-was-brilliant/) [Frank Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vincent/) ## More by Mano Khalil > [After school, I went to Damascus to study law and history, which I didn't really like. I didn't like history, in particular. In Syria,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/after-school-i-went-to-damascus-to-study-law-and-history-which-i-didn/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [When I see that people are touched, and they feel solidarity with him, I say to myself, "I made a little change."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/when-i-see-that-people-are-touched-and-they-feel-solidarity-with-him/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [If my friends are going to the mountains with guns to fight, I will continue that fight, not with guns but with a camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/if-my-friends-are-going-to-the-mountains-with-guns-to-fight-i-will/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [Documentary has been a way for me to establish myself as a filmmaker. It's my way of proving that I have a language, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/documentary-has-been-a-way-for-me-to-establish-myself-as-a-filmmaker/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [The problem of ISIS is not recent. Ever since the Second World War, people in this region have been, and are today, living under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/the-problem-of-isis-is-not-recent-ever-since-the-second-world-war/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [Most people look at a feature film and say, "It's just a movie." For me there is no border or wall between fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/most-people-look-at-a-feature-film-and-say-it-s-just-a-movie-for-me/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [Sitting in the darkness of the cinema, I got to see another world. This imaginary world was a refuge for many of us. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/sitting-in-the-darkness-of-the-cinema-i-got-to-see-another-world-this/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [Now the world believes in Kurds, as they have become partners in that region. The West doesn't believe in the Iraqi government - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/now-the-world-believes-in-kurds-as-they-have-become-partners-in-that/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [Even if you make a movie about a criminal locked up in prison, you may not support him as a criminal, but you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/even-if-you-make-a-movie-about-a-criminal-locked-up-in-prison-you-may/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [In all my documentaries, I have great respect for the people I work with. Really, I love them. And it's very important for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/in-all-my-documentaries-i-have-great-respect-for-the-people-i-work/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [It's difficult to make movies. For me it was easier, as a refugee in Switzerland, to make documentary films, because I didn't need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/it-s-difficult-to-make-movies-for-me-it-was-easier-as-a-refugee-in/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [I dream about going back, but I know that it isn't easy. Thirty years of being in Europe has changed my life. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/i-dream-about-going-back-but-i-know-that-it-isn-t-easy-thirty-years/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [I am not saying that the Kurds are angels, but they have suffered too much. These people have a right to live in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/i-am-not-saying-that-the-kurds-are-angels-but-they-have-suffered-too/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) [Explore all 14 Mano Khalil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With fiction, you are creating an imaginary world. And it can be a very mechanical process. In a fictional film, you create the characters who become \"real people\" when facing the camera. When you stop shooting, they change their costumes and become someone else. And people tend to believe in documentary more than fiction. 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