--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to approach the film medium as a…" description: "\"I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the novel medium as a filmmaker on some level. It's that question: Do we think in pictures, or do w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/noah-hawley-3673_balance_i-try-to-approach-the-film-medium-as-a-n_2413385.jpg" --- # I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the… ![“I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the novel medium as a filmmaker on some level. It's that question: Do we think in pictures, or do we think in language? And the novelist believes one thing, and the filmmaker believes another thing - and I'm fascinated by that balance.” quote by Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/noah-hawley-3673_balance_i-try-to-approach-the-film-medium-as-a-n_2413385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/noah-hawley-3673_balance_i-try-to-approach-the-film-medium-as-a-n_2413385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/noah-hawley-3673_balance_i-try-to-approach-the-film-medium-as-a-n_2413385.jpg) > “I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the novel medium as a filmmaker on some level. It's that question: Do we think in pictures, or do we think in language? And the novelist believes one thing, and the filmmaker believes another thing - and I'm fascinated by that balance.” [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creator explores whether visual or verbal thinking dominates, highlighting the synergy between film and literature. **In simple terms:** Balancing visual and verbal thinking enriches art. Key Takeaway Blend visual and verbal approaches. Themes creativity medium thinking Mood inquisitive inspirational Type creative philosophical When to use this quote - writing a script - directing a film - novel writing Key Concepts narrative theory cross‑disciplinary art perception Questions to Reflect On - Which medium feels more natural to you? - How does each medium influence your ideas? A Different Perspective One medium may dominate personal style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [Film as a medium, like a novel as a medium, possesses a unique ability to communicate. Film is capable of communicating in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/film-as-a-medium-like-a-novel-as-a-medium-possesses-a-unique-ability/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [“The novel is a medium of profoundly serious investigation into the human case.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/the-novel-is-a-medium-of-profoundly-serious-investigation-into-the/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [It seems to me that the novel as a medium has a very low signal-to-noise ratio. By which I mean: there are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-seems-to-me-that-the-novel-as-a-medium-has-a-very-low-signal-to/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [Play is a medium of word and film is a medium of picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/play-is-a-medium-of-word-and-film-is-a-medium-of-picture/) [Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/) > [I believe that movies are fast becoming antique and dinosauric as a medium. Film is a medium for the over-40s and television has gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mclaren/i-believe-that-movies-are-fast-becoming-antique-and-dinosauric-as-a/) [Malcolm Mclaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mclaren/) > [Our personal past is only available to us now through black-and-white film, it's a medium for communication with the dead, including our dead selves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lentricchia/our-personal-past-is-only-available-to-us-now-through-black-and-white/) [Frank Lentricchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lentricchia/) > [Film is a medium of clear lines and broad strikes - which can be fantastic - but compared to the subtleties and nuances of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/film-is-a-medium-of-clear-lines-and-broad-strikes-which-can-be/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [If some independent artists are using film as a medium to reach out to an audience, it should be promoted. Cinema is a popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankar-mahadevan/if-some-independent-artists-are-using-film-as-a-medium-to-reach-out/) [Shankar Mahadevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shankar-mahadevan/) > [A funny thing about film is that it's the only medium where people say there are really rules that you have to stick to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/a-funny-thing-about-film-is-that-it-s-the-only-medium-where-people/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [“Cinema is a mixed form. L'Avventura has characters, it has social context, and these things are not trivial. Its plot is the disappearance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lentricchia/cinema-is-a-mixed-form-l-avventura-has-characters-it-has-social/) [Frank Lentricchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lentricchia/) > [What we do in theatre is unlike film or any other medium. We can never really truly see the work that we made because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okieriete-onaodowan/what-we-do-in-theatre-is-unlike-film-or-any-other-medium-we-can-never/) [Okieriete Onaodowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okieriete-onaodowan/) > [Film as a medium has a power that sports like wrestling lack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geeta-phogat/film-as-a-medium-has-a-power-that-sports-like-wrestling-lack/) [Geeta Phogat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geeta-phogat/) > [In film as a medium, you're often given a baddie and a goodie and told what to think about them; it's usually a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/in-film-as-a-medium-you-re-often-given-a-baddie-and-a-goodie-and-told/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [I have always been so interested in film as a medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-have-always-been-so-interested-in-film-as-a-medium/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [The reason I've gotten into script-writing, which was accidental to begin with, was that I found it was a far more effective medium for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/the-reason-i-ve-gotten-into-script-writing-which-was-accidental-to/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) ## More by Noah Hawley > [It's always very important to me to try to create a story that feels unpredictable. You can't jump ahead and see what's coming, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/it-s-always-very-important-to-me-to-try-to-create-a-story-that-feels/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [A two-hour movie tends to be a plot-delivery device; you tend to have to introduce all the characters, say what the goal is, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/a-two-hour-movie-tends-to-be-a-plot-delivery-device-you-tend-to-have/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [For some reason, I tend to take on the stuff that people are really passionate about. If you make a list of people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/for-some-reason-i-tend-to-take-on-the-stuff-that-people-are-really/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [One of the things that I've always appreciated about the 'X-Men' style of storytelling versus other Marvel stories is how fluid the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-that-i-ve-always-appreciated-about-the-x-men-style/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [One of the things I've always loved about genre, comic books, science fiction and fantasy is that there's a certain level of playfulness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-loved-about-genre-comic-books-science/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [What's great is that each medium has a unique set of things that it does and does well. Film is a visual medium, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/what-s-great-is-that-each-medium-has-a-unique-set-of-things-that-it/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think that we're pattern-seeking animals, and what we like best is a story where everything fits together, where there's no puzzle pieces left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-that-we-re-pattern-seeking-animals-and-what-we-like-best-is-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Obviously, when you do something with drama and comedy in it - and by that, I mean a scene that has drama and comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/obviously-when-you-do-something-with-drama-and-comedy-in-it-and-by/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [The last thing you want is to be desperate in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/the-last-thing-you-want-is-to-be-desperate-in-hollywood/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I'm not that guy who thinks I have all the answers. Writing is a means of communicating, and if enough people say, 'I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-m-not-that-guy-who-thinks-i-have-all-the-answers-writing-is-a-means/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think a writer's first job is to entertain, even in novels: to tell a compelling story that pulls the reader along toward an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-a-writer-s-first-job-is-to-entertain-even-in-novels-to-tell-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think for really good-hearted people, that idea of putting yourself in the shoes of a monster to figure out why they acted that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-for-really-good-hearted-people-that-idea-of-putting-yourself/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > ['Downton Abbey' didn't have the impact it had just because it was a good story about people. It was something about that period and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/downton-abbey-didn-t-have-the-impact-it-had-just-because-it-was-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Making a new season for 'Legion' is not something you just switch into. It's not something you do between dropping the kids off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/making-a-new-season-for-legion-is-not-something-you-just-switch-into/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [It's amazing how flexible the human mind is in terms of jumping into a backstory or an aside. Vonnegut is a great example -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/it-s-amazing-how-flexible-the-human-mind-is-in-terms-of-jumping-into/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) [Explore all 124 Noah Hawley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the novel medium as a filmmaker on some level. It's that question: Do we think in pictures, or do we think in language? 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