--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the reasons to do documentaries is…" description: "\"One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's more sense of creating something, more sense of my own soul in the documentaries than in movies..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg" --- # One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's… ![“One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's more sense of creating something, more sense of my own soul in the documentaries than in movies, because I don't write the movies I do.” quote by Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg) > “One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's more sense of creating something, more sense of my own soul in the documentaries than in movies, because I don't write the movies I do.” [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Documentaries feel more personal and soul‑fulfilling because the creator directs the content, unlike scripted movies where the writer shapes the story. **In simple terms:** Documentaries let the filmmaker express their own voice. Key Takeaway Embrace projects where you control the narrative. Themes creativity authenticity personal expression Mood reflective inspired Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - independent film projects - personal storytelling - educational series - advocacy campaigns Key Concepts authorial voice artistic fulfillment medium distinction Questions to Reflect On - How does control over content affect your creative satisfaction? - What trade‑offs do you accept for authenticity? A Different Perspective Limited resources can restrict production quality and reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [People watch more documentaries too now. These movies that would normally be shown in these little art houses, and unless you walked by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosario-dawson/people-watch-more-documentaries-too-now-these-movies-that-would/) [Rosario Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosario-dawson/) > [Documentary films have always been my passion, I have done documentaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/documentary-films-have-always-been-my-passion-i-have-done/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [Everybody should have a documentary made about themselves. It's amazing what you see and what you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/everybody-should-have-a-documentary-made-about-themselves-it-s/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My lady, Deborah McNaughton is doing a documentary on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-redding/my-lady-deborah-mcnaughton-is-doing-a-documentary-on-me/) [Noel Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-redding/) > [There's a lot of documentaries out in the world; it sometimes seems as if there's no topic left!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-c-pelosi/there-s-a-lot-of-documentaries-out-in-the-world-it-sometimes-seems-as/) [Alexandra C. Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-c-pelosi/) > [I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices-that-have-been-lying-dormant/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Helen Weaver’s book was a revelation to me! Although I was a young woman in the fifties, I was there, but I wasn’t there!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-cassady/helen-weaver-s-book-was-a-revelation-to-me-although-i-was-a-young/) Carolyn Cassady > [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/) > [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 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Michael Apted > [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/) > [I'd love to direct commercials on Caribbean beacheswith luscious women rubbing on suntan lotion, but all I get arethese documentary-type things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/i-d-love-to-direct-commercials-on-caribbean-beacheswith-luscious/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [I had wanted to make a film about World War II for some time, but I didn't really want to do something that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/i-had-wanted-to-make-a-film-about-world-war-ii-for-some-time-but-i/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Your great country is wonderful at stealing pieces of history and using it for its own purposes, so there didn't seem to be anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/your-great-country-is-wonderful-at-stealing-pieces-of-history-and/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [I've never much been interested in doing films that no one gets to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/i-ve-never-much-been-interested-in-doing-films-that-no-one-gets-to-see/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [I'd always wanted to do something about the Second World War, but I didn't want to do another combat film, whether it was air,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/i-d-always-wanted-to-do-something-about-the-second-world-war-but-i/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [He wasn't, but producers are by definition annoying because they have a different agenda from you. They're trying to stop you spending money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/he-wasn-t-but-producers-are-by-definition-annoying-because-they-have/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [It was one of those great miracles of history that they managed to smuggle an Enigma machines out to Britain just before they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/it-was-one-of-those-great-miracles-of-history-that-they-managed-to/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [When I joined Granada - which, you don't want to start crying about these things, but Granada was a very, very hot place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/when-i-joined-granada-which-you-don-t-want-to-start-crying-about/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Anyway, that was the germ of the idea and of course... you know this was early days of sociology and whatever, especially on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/anyway-that-was-the-germ-of-the-idea-and-of-course-you-know-this-was/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Music video directors, who conceive, write and direct these works, enjoy no creative rights, receive no ongoing financial benefit from the sale of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/music-video-directors-who-conceive-write-and-direct-these-works-enjoy/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [It takes great skill to tell a compelling story in under 60 seconds. These five directors have mastered the format, using their talent, craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/it-takes-great-skill-to-tell-a-compelling-story-in-under-60-seconds/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Now that I can edit the whole thing on AVID and edit the whole thing on tape, maybe I will do the next digitally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/now-that-i-can-edit-the-whole-thing-on-avid-and-edit-the-whole-thing/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [It's still the same job, the same anxieties, but it did feel a lot different, that kind of budget, that schedule, and frankly, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/it-s-still-the-same-job-the-same-anxieties-but-it-did-feel-a-lot/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [For behaviorist films, that's been much more useful - the change of technology - but for my kind of films, doing them on film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/for-behaviorist-films-that-s-been-much-more-useful-the-change-of/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) [Explore all 16 Michael Apted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's more sense of creating something, more sense of my own soul in the documentaries than in movies, because I don't write the movies I do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Apted" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-is-that-there-s-more-sense-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Because" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-is-that-there-s-more-sense-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/michael-apted-31831_because_one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-i_1075051.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the reasons to do documentaries is that. There's more sense of creating something, more sense of my…” — Michael Apted", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Apted", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the reasons to do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-is-that-there-s-more-sense-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/one-of-the-reasons-to-do-documentaries-is-that-there-s-more-sense-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```