--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But at a certain point you've gotta be…" description: "\"But at a certain point you've gotta be ruthless with the movie because you can have these great scenes, but they aren't specifically building the story..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-burger-32509_building_but-at-a-certain-point-you-ve-gotta-be-r_1946410.jpg" --- # But at a certain point you've gotta be ruthless with the… ![“But at a certain point you've gotta be ruthless with the movie because you can have these great scenes, but they aren't specifically building the story that needs to be built at that moment.” quote by Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-burger-32509_building_but-at-a-certain-point-you-ve-gotta-be-r_1946410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-burger-32509_building_but-at-a-certain-point-you-ve-gotta-be-r_1946410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-burger-32509_building_but-at-a-certain-point-you-ve-gotta-be-r_1946410.jpg) > “But at a certain point you've gotta be ruthless with the movie because you can have these great scenes, but they aren't specifically building the story that needs to be built at that moment.” [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directors must cut scenes that don’t serve the narrative, even if they’re visually strong. **In simple terms:** Cut nonessential scenes for story focus. Key Takeaway Prioritize story over spectacle. Themes editing storytelling film narrative visuals Mood reflective analytical Type critical instructional When to use this quote - film editing - script development - production meetings Key Concepts cinema directorial decision audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which compelling scenes to cut? - What trade‑offs exist between visual flair and narrative clarity? A Different Perspective Removing great scenes can alienate fans expecting those moments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Gotta Ruthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotta-ruthless-3133131/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Ruthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruthless/) [Ruthless Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruthless-movie-3133130/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Scenes Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenes-aren-704387/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [That moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Some of my favorite scenes aren't in the movie. Because you, at some point, realize that your responsibility as director is purely to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/some-of-my-favorite-scenes-aren-t-in-the-movie-because-you-at-some/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Nude scenes aren't fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/nude-scenes-aren-t-fun/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) > [I often can't remember which scenes are and aren't in the final product, because I saw so many different versions of the Lemony Snicket…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-often-can-t-remember-which-scenes-are-and-aren-t-in-the-final/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [That's just globalization. It's got good sides as well. But scenes aren't allowed to develop on their own anymore. Everyone knows about everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphex-twin/that-s-just-globalization-it-s-got-good-sides-as-well-but-scenes-aren/) [Aphex Twin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aphex-twin/) > [Mr Edison gave America just what was needed at that moment in history. They say that when people think of me, they think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/mr-edison-gave-america-just-what-was-needed-at-that-moment-in-history/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [If you took every nuclear weapon ever built at the height of the Cold War, lumped them together and blew them up at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/if-you-took-every-nuclear-weapon-ever-built-at-the-height-of-the-cold/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [Look at these ISIS people. These people are ruthless. They don't operate by any sort of normal civilized code. That's the world. There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-newbern/look-at-these-isis-people-these-people-are-ruthless-they-don-t/) [George Newbern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-newbern/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [Ruthless Villain' was supposed to be E's song. But it was too fast for him, so when I rapped it, they was like, 'Man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-ren/ruthless-villain-was-supposed-to-be-e-s-song-but-it-was-too-fast-for/) [MC Ren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-ren/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Be ruthless about protecting writing days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/be-ruthless-about-protecting-writing-days/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Chicago, to me, is the best wrestling crowd on the planet. They are the best. They are loud, they are ruthless, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldust/chicago-to-me-is-the-best-wrestling-crowd-on-the-planet-they-are-the/) [Goldust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldust/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [My old man was ruthless. He terrorised us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/my-old-man-was-ruthless-he-terrorised-us/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) ## More by Neil Burger > [Sometimes I feel like just to get all my own work done would be great. You always feel like you're behind, and they're six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/sometimes-i-feel-like-just-to-get-all-my-own-work-done-would-be-great/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [At a certain point, I got interested in set design for the theater. I was interested in architecture, but I was taking photographs at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/at-a-certain-point-i-got-interested-in-set-design-for-the-theater-i/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [If a character is going to end up one way, you start them a certain way. If they're gonna end up the polar opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/if-a-character-is-going-to-end-up-one-way-you-start-them-a-certain/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [I always think about what's the difference between being tenacious and having an inability to learn from failures. 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One, a lot of people writing about the movie used that as shorthand and it could either be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/i-think-it-worked-two-ways-one-a-lot-of-people-writing-about-the/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [To me, the movie is about power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/to-me-the-movie-is-about-power/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [I'm working on a number of different things. I'm working on a couple of TV things and I'm working on a couple of film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/i-m-working-on-a-number-of-different-things-i-m-working-on-a-couple/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [On one hand it's very flattering to be compared to a big success, and then sometimes it's very frustrating because you want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/on-one-hand-it-s-very-flattering-to-be-compared-to-a-big-success-and/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [It's like you might have some great scene that you love but for some reason - and you can't necessarily put your finger on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/it-s-like-you-might-have-some-great-scene-that-you-love-but-for-some/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [I think we all want something to knock us on the head and change our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/i-think-we-all-want-something-to-knock-us-on-the-head-and-change-our/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [When I was younger, I wanted to own a circus and create this bizarre revue that went from town to town. I suppose, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/when-i-was-younger-i-wanted-to-own-a-circus-and-create-this-bizarre-2/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) > [I really love New York, and I've lived here for a long time. I know not just the different neighborhoods but the different kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-burger/i-really-love-new-york-and-i-ve-lived-here-for-a-long-time-i-know-not/) [Neil Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) [Explore all 15 Neil Burger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-burger/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. 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We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. 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