--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First, you have to be intelligent. I have…" description: "\"First, you have to be intelligent. I have never met a successful director who isn't intelligent. A director who is not intelligent might have one hit p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3e/roger-corman-16514_cinema_first-you-have-to-be-intelligent-i-have_2399529.png" --- # First, you have to be intelligent. I have never met a… ![“First, you have to be intelligent. I have never met a successful director who isn't intelligent. A director who is not intelligent might have one hit picture, but he won't be able to follow it up. So I look for intelligence.” quote by Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3e/roger-corman-16514_cinema_first-you-have-to-be-intelligent-i-have_2399529.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3e/roger-corman-16514_cinema_first-you-have-to-be-intelligent-i-have_2399529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3e/roger-corman-16514_cinema_first-you-have-to-be-intelligent-i-have_2399529.png) > “First, you have to be intelligent. I have never met a successful director who isn't intelligent. A director who is not intelligent might have one hit picture, but he won't be able to follow it up. So I look for intelligence.” [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence is seen as essential for sustained success in directing; talent alone isn’t enough for repeat achievements. **In simple terms:** Directors need intelligence to keep succeeding. Key Takeaway Prioritize intelligence when evaluating talent. Themes leadership creativity career Mood analytical pragmatic Type professional advisory When to use this quote - hiring directors - film production - career planning Key Concepts cognitive ability strategic thinking industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess intelligence in creative fields? - Can talent compensate for lack of intelligence? A Different Perspective Intelligence alone may not guarantee artistic vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [I liked 'Robocop' because of the director, and it was an intelligent, big-action studio movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/i-liked-robocop-because-of-the-director-and-it-was-an-intelligent-big/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [If a film is being made by an intelligent director, they're going to cast the right guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sturridge/if-a-film-is-being-made-by-an-intelligent-director-they-re-going-to/) [Tom Sturridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sturridge/) > [Above all, remember that the computer simply isn't as intelligent as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-caponigro/above-all-remember-that-the-computer-simply-isn-t-as-intelligent-as/) [John Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-caponigro/) > [Mel is a great director because he's not just a director, he's an actor, so he knows how to direct actors. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-bellucci/mel-is-a-great-director-because-he-s-not-just-a-director-he-s-an/) [Monica Bellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-bellucci/) > [An actor really suffers when the director isn't prepared because you start running out of time for the shoot and then have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-kane/an-actor-really-suffers-when-the-director-isn-t-prepared-because-you/) [Carol Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-kane/) > [In order to make a movie it isn't enough to have a script, it isn't enough to have a director, it isn't enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-persky/in-order-to-make-a-movie-it-isn-t-enough-to-have-a-script-it-isn-t/) [Lester Persky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-persky/) > [A successful director is someone who has the combination of skills that you can learn, but there's also an intuitive sensibility that they bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-heinrichs/a-successful-director-is-someone-who-has-the-combination-of-skills/) [Rick Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-heinrichs/) > [If I had not been successful as a director, then I'm sure I would still be telling stories. I would have continued on 16mm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/if-i-had-not-been-successful-as-a-director-then-i-m-sure-i-would/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [I'm considered to some degree a successful director working in Hollywood, making films my way but using studio financing. But with almost every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-m-considered-to-some-degree-a-successful-director-working-in/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [If I had not been successful as a director, then I'm sure I would still be telling stories. I would have continued on 16mm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/if-i-had-not-been-successful-as-a-director-then-i-m-sure-i-would-2/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [I prefer rappers who have something intelligent to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-prefer-rappers-who-have-something-intelligent-to-say/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) ## More by Roger Corman > [When I started I had no knowledge of films whatsoever. I was an engineering major at Stanford. And I found out as a senior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/when-i-started-i-had-no-knowledge-of-films-whatsoever-i-was-an/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [I'm not going to shoot seven days a week. I think it's counterproductive. I think you're going to have people stumbling around after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/i-m-not-going-to-shoot-seven-days-a-week-i-think-it-s/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [I was young, so I was part of youth culture. The years went by, I became older and no longer part of youth culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/i-was-young-so-i-was-part-of-youth-culture-the-years-went-by-i-became/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [I think anybody who's working in a creative medium is working partially with their conscious mind, partially with their unconscious mind. So, my unconscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/i-think-anybody-who-s-working-in-a-creative-medium-is-working/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [There was a fairly big difference between Detroit and Beverly Hills. I remember this. Detroit actually was a prosperous bustling city when we moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/there-was-a-fairly-big-difference-between-detroit-and-beverly-hills-i/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [I do believe motion pictures are the significant art form of our time. And I think the main reason is, they're an art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/i-do-believe-motion-pictures-are-the-significant-art-form-of-our-time/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [Jim Cameron is proof that if you are good, you'll get promoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/jim-cameron-is-proof-that-if-you-are-good-you-ll-get-promoted/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [You can make a movie about anything, as long as it has a hook to hang the advertising on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/you-can-make-a-movie-about-anything-as-long-as-it-has-a-hook-to-hang/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [As a producer, I probably am a little stronger than most, since I was a director originally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/as-a-producer-i-probably-am-a-little-stronger-than-most-since-i-was-a/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [Other writers, producers, and directors of low-budget films would often put down the film they were making, saying it was just something to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/other-writers-producers-and-directors-of-low-budget-films-would-often/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [I remember the first film I reviewed for the Daily was a John Ford Western. I think it was My Darling Clementine, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/i-remember-the-first-film-i-reviewed-for-the-daily-was-a-john-ford/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [There's always something that draws you away from the original script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/there-s-always-something-that-draws-you-away-from-the-original-script/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [Somebody who moved up very fast was Jim Cameron, who was a young guy out of - I think he came from Arizona, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/somebody-who-moved-up-very-fast-was-jim-cameron-who-was-a-young-guy/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [People gravitate occasionally to the brilliantly made art low budget films, which is maybe one out of every five hundred low budget films made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/people-gravitate-occasionally-to-the-brilliantly-made-art-low-budget/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) > [When I started in the late 1950s, every film I made - no matter how low the budget - got a theatrical release. Today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-corman/when-i-started-in-the-late-1950s-every-film-i-made-no-matter-how-low/) [Roger Corman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) [Explore all 39 Roger Corman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-corman/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "First, you have to be intelligent. 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