--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people see the conventions, they…" description: "\"When people see the conventions, they think they're going to get the straightforward genre - I don't give them that and they get mad. People see that a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/mary-harron-15320_conventions_when-people-see-the-conventions-they-thi_3157441.jpg" --- # When people see the conventions, they think they're going… ![“When people see the conventions, they think they're going to get the straightforward genre - I don't give them that and they get mad. People see that and they think I don't understand the conventions because I'm not a good filmmaker.” quote by Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/mary-harron-15320_conventions_when-people-see-the-conventions-they-thi_3157441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/mary-harron-15320_conventions_when-people-see-the-conventions-they-thi_3157441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/mary-harron-15320_conventions_when-people-see-the-conventions-they-thi_3157441.jpg) > “When people see the conventions, they think they're going to get the straightforward genre - I don't give them that and they get mad. People see that and they think I don't understand the conventions because I'm not a good filmmaker.” [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She challenges audience expectations by subverting genre norms, risking backlash but asserting artistic autonomy. **In simple terms:** Defy genre expectations to stay true to vision. Key Takeaway Embrace unconventional storytelling. Themes creativity genre audience expectations Mood defiant analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - indie film projects - script development - marketing strategies Key Concepts artistic integrity risk taking Questions to Reflect On - Why do you think audiences resist genre subversion? - How can you balance innovation with accessibility? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating viewers and limiting commercial success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventions/) [Conventions Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventions-good-631385/) [Conventions Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventions-think-3557404/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Conventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-conventions-5694141/) [Straightforward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straightforward/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understand Conventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-conventions-5694140/) ## Related quotes > [There are so many rules about how you make a film and so many conventions that you can and can't do. I think people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-are-so-many-rules-about-how-you-make-a-film-and-so-many/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [I play in a jazz sextet. So I don't have time to do a lot of conventions. The good thing is, when I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weller/i-play-in-a-jazz-sextet-so-i-don-t-have-time-to-do-a-lot-of/) [Peter Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weller/) > [I wish I were better at straightforward description. I feel like I'm usually overdoing it or underdoing it, and it takes a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-wish-i-were-better-at-straightforward-description-i-feel-like-i-m/) [Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/) > [Let your Christianity be so unmistakable, your eye so single, your heart so whole, your walk so straightforward, that all who see you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/let-your-christianity-be-so-unmistakable-your-eye-so-single-your/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [My process is surprisingly straightforward. I find myself with little to do over a stretch of time and I say, "I should write children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/my-process-is-surprisingly-straightforward-i-find-myself-with-little/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [I think that when something happens when you're growing up, like a death or divorce, it does open the world slightly because things aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-think-that-when-something-happens-when-you-re-growing-up-like-a/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [So how can we test the idea that the transition from nonlife to life is simple enough to happen repeatedly? The most obvious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/so-how-can-we-test-the-idea-that-the-transition-from-nonlife-to-life/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [By far the most difficult skill I learned as a C.E.O. was the ability to manage my own psychology. Organizational design, process design, metrics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/by-far-the-most-difficult-skill-i-learned-as-a-c-e-o-was-the-ability/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [When I talk to other young people, I try to be as straightforward as possible. I'm a kid. I love getting outdoors. You should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-gould/when-i-talk-to-other-young-people-i-try-to-be-as-straightforward-as/) [Nolan Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-gould/) > [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [ It's this kind of wild unpredictability, megalomania, thin-skinned craziness that really has me worried, more than \[Donald Trump\] statements. Now, on the climate change… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-this-kind-of-wild-unpredictability-megalomania-thin-skinned/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Sourav's greatest asset is his ability to communicate. He is a naturally very confident person. He encourages his team, is a great motivator and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/sourav-s-greatest-asset-is-his-ability-to-communicate-he-is-a/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > [Being frank or straightforward doesn't only tells the truth, it also states the fact that you just lost your temper of holding back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/being-frank-or-straightforward-doesn-t-only-tells-the-truth-it-also/) [Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/) > [When it comes to dating, Im straightforward and traditional with a twist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-pasqualino/when-it-comes-to-dating-im-straightforward-and-traditional-with-a/) [Luke Pasqualino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-pasqualino/) ## More by Mary Harron > [My films have elements of genre in them, which prevents them from being purely art films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/my-films-have-elements-of-genre-in-them-which-prevents-them-from/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Some actors can draw from their own darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/some-actors-can-draw-from-their-own-darkness/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I make unpopular versions of popular things. I make a horror film and it's not a horror film. None of my genre movies function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-make-unpopular-versions-of-popular-things-i-make-a-horror-film-and/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I see that women still have self-doubt, and at the same time I feel like I see all these fantastic young women, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-see-that-women-still-have-self-doubt-and-at-the-same-time-i-feel/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I remember being really interested in the sad parts of Los Angeles, of which there are many, and knowing we weren't up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-remember-being-really-interested-in-the-sad-parts-of-los-angeles-of/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I realized you can always make money; you just do a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-realized-you-can-always-make-money-you-just-do-a-lot-of-things/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I grew up interested in the underside of Hollywood, which I think David Lynch does really well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-grew-up-interested-in-the-underside-of-hollywood-which-i-think/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I'm not trying to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-m-not-trying-to-make-the-world-a-better-place/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [The really important people in TV are not the directors; they're the writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/the-really-important-people-in-tv-are-not-the-directors-they-re-the/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [They say that depression is anger you turn on yourself, and I think women do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/they-say-that-depression-is-anger-you-turn-on-yourself-and-i-think/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [At any age you can start over. You have to drop the idea of where you should be in your career. And you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/at-any-age-you-can-start-over-you-have-to-drop-the-idea-of-where-you/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Movies are a commitment. They take years of your life and they have big consequences. That's one of the bad things about movies -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/movies-are-a-commitment-they-take-years-of-your-life-and-they-have/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [There's no need to be tragic or destroy yourself or jump off a cliff. That's no longer the paradigm I wish to follow, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/there-s-no-need-to-be-tragic-or-destroy-yourself-or-jump-off-a-cliff/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [In my early thirties I was working in television as a researcher. I was really stuck for a period of five years. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/in-my-early-thirties-i-was-working-in-television-as-a-researcher-i/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Bettie Page was the first person to do bondage as fashion, because for her it really was all about dressing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/bettie-page-was-the-first-person-to-do-bondage-as-fashion-because-for/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) [Explore all 43 Mary Harron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) ## More Conventions quotes > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [ \[James\] Madison pointed out in the discussion of the constitutional debates - the constitutional convention - that democracy would be a danger. He used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/james-madison-pointed-out-in-the-discussion-of-the-constitutional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ \[The Massachusetts constitution\] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/the-massachusetts-constitution-resembles-the-federal-constitution-of/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [Nobody can live in society without conventions. The reason why sensible people are as conventional as they can bear to be is that conventionality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nobody-can-live-in-society-without-conventions-the-reason-why/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I joked at our National Convention that our party was nominating a candidate for president who was charismatic, larger than life, memorable, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/i-joked-at-our-national-convention-that-our-party-was-nominating-a/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The President? Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? Could it be, perhaps, the sitting two-term incumbent of the same party holding its convention?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/the-president-hmmm-i-wonder-who-that-might-be-could-it-be-perhaps-the/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [As so often, a political event involving Donald Trump looks like swinging wildly between melodrama and farce. The Republican National Convention in Cleveland has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-colvin/as-so-often-a-political-event-involving-donald-trump-looks-like/) [Mark Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-colvin/) > [Once we realized that there were these 25 invariable types - the class politician, the frigid popular girl, the kid who tags along behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/once-we-realized-that-there-were-these-25-invariable-types-the-class/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [On the surface the avant garde as a whole seems united primarily in terms of what they are against: the rejection of social institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-innes/on-the-surface-the-avant-garde-as-a-whole-seems-united-primarily-in/) [C. D. Innes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-innes/) > [My characters are all kind of geek archetypes of people I've encountered at gaming and comic book conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/my-characters-are-all-kind-of-geek-archetypes-of-people-i-ve/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [Based on the considerations of history, ancient history, and international axioms, the logic of following up a citizen with his shadow for the purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/based-on-the-considerations-of-history-ancient-history-and/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [The psychotherapist ... tries to help the individual to be himself and to go it alone without giving unnecessary offense to his community, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-psychotherapist-tries-to-help-the-individual-to-be-himself-and-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [ Everything \[Ted\] Cruz was doing was legal, it was aboveboard, but it was portrayed as Cruz is the villain, and here's \[Donald\] Trump and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/everything-ted-cruz-was-doing-was-legal-it-was-aboveboard-but-it-was/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [2004 was a great year for Boston! The Patriots won the Super Bowl! Boston hosted its first national political convention! And - the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-menino/2004-was-a-great-year-for-boston-the-patriots-won-the-super-bowl/) [Thomas Menino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-menino/) [Browse all 853 Conventions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people see the conventions, they think they're going to get the straightforward genre - I don't give them that and they get mad. 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