--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do think the challenge, in a way for…" description: "\"I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel like it's a collage. You tell the narr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/shane-black-7829_challenges_i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me_1239618.jpg" --- # I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a… ![“I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel like it's a collage. You tell the narrative, you tell the story, but you feel like you've created this tapestry. But it also has a shape, a story. So I think there's a middle ground…” quote by Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/shane-black-7829_challenges_i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me_1239618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/shane-black-7829_challenges_i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me_1239618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/shane-black-7829_challenges_i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me_1239618.jpg) > “I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel like it's a collage. You tell the narrative, you tell the story, but you feel like you've created this tapestry. But it also has a shape, a story. So I think there's a middle ground that I try to strike... away from where everyone else seems ready to go, which is, setup, payoff. You know, He's afraid of water, oh, and at the end he's swimming in water - oh, my God. I hate that stuff.” [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He aims to blend story and visual collage, avoiding predictable setups and payoffs, creating a layered, textured narrative. **In simple terms:** He wants films that feel like a tapestry, not a simple plot. Key Takeaway Seek balance between narrative clarity and artistic collage. Themes storytelling film creativity structure originality Mood thoughtful innovative Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - screenwriting - directing - film analysis - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative collage visual metaphor subversion of tropes Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain audience engagement while breaking narrative norms? - What visual elements best convey a collage feel? A Different Perspective Risk of confusing audiences who expect conventional arcs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Middle ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ground/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Tapestry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tapestry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me-is-to-write-a-narrative-film-2/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Do you want to understand how to swim, or do you want to jump in and start swimming? Only people who are afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/do-you-want-to-understand-how-to-swim-or-do-you-want-to-jump-in-and/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“For I approach deep problems like cold baths: quickly into them and quickly out again. That one does not get to the depths that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-i-approach-deep-problems-like-cold-baths-quickly-into-them-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I had to pretend to drown. I was underwater, which is scary, and I'm not afraid of water, but people do die underwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-thayer/i-had-to-pretend-to-drown-i-was-underwater-which-is-scary-and-i-m-not/) [Maria Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-thayer/) > [I used to be afraid of the water so I took lessons, and now I really love the ocean. It's so warm and peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-the-water-so-i-took-lessons-and-now-i-really/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [It's impossible for one or two people to go out and shoot a narrative film; you need to have a cast, the person shooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-coon/it-s-impossible-for-one-or-two-people-to-go-out-and-shoot-a-narrative/) Jeremy Coon > [I think what happens normally in a narrative film is that the camera constructs the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-seder/i-think-what-happens-normally-in-a-narrative-film-is-that-the-camera/) [Sam Seder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-seder/) > [If you're able to appeal to a broader market, you can make an entertaining narrative film. Whereas a documentary is something that only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-searcy/if-you-re-able-to-appeal-to-a-broader-market-you-can-make-an/) [Nick Searcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-searcy/) > [In documentary you sometimes see the tyranny of the linear, but what I've noticed in the last ten years in narrative film is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lindstrom/in-documentary-you-sometimes-see-the-tyranny-of-the-linear-but-what-i/) [Brian Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lindstrom/) > ['Lucky Life' is my second narrative film. I worked on the idea for 'Lucky Life' while in Rwanda for my first film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/lucky-life-is-my-second-narrative-film-i-worked-on-the-idea-for-lucky/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [I grew up not reading fiction; I watched movies and read comic books, and one of the ways I taught myself to think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-wilson/i-grew-up-not-reading-fiction-i-watched-movies-and-read-comic-books/) [Kevin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-wilson/) > [As part of the audience, not as director, for me it's very important to go into a place, with people I don't know and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-rohrwacher/as-part-of-the-audience-not-as-director-for-me-it-s-very-important-to/) [Alice Rohrwacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-rohrwacher/) > [I have always believed that an artiste needs to respond to a story first. One has to feel it in order to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-have-always-believed-that-an-artiste-needs-to-respond-to-a-story/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [It's been very jarring for me to stand in public and read about myself and my daughter and her father. I feel like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-talbot/it-s-been-very-jarring-for-me-to-stand-in-public-and-read-about/) [Jill Talbot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-talbot/) > [So if there was a way that I knew something about my character's desires or the things that they were resisting because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-if-there-was-a-way-that-i-knew-something-about-my-character-s/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) ## More by Shane Black > [Going to UCLA, as far as I'm concerned, afforded me two things. One was the advantage of meeting friends and getting to know a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/going-to-ucla-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-afforded-me-two-things-one-was/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [The only way you can stay on top is to remember to touch bottom and get back to basics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/the-only-way-you-can-stay-on-top-is-to-remember-to-touch-bottom-and/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Here's what I didn't know when I was starting out that I now know…I thought when you were starting out it was really hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/here-s-what-i-didn-t-know-when-i-was-starting-out-that-i-now-know-i/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [I always have humour in my action movies. I think characters that make jokes under fire are more real. It somehow helps put you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-always-have-humour-in-my-action-movies-i-think-characters-that-make/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [You have to keep surprising your audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/you-have-to-keep-surprising-your-audience/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [For years I was doing the excruciating weightlifting of writing scripts - but then I stayed thin and someone else got all the muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/for-years-i-was-doing-the-excruciating-weightlifting-of-writing/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [I wanted at one point to act, which is a weird thing for men to want to do. It's a very vain profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-wanted-at-one-point-to-act-which-is-a-weird-thing-for-men-to-want/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [The worst of the action films are the ones where everything is one shout from beginning to finish. And there's no differentiation between beats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/the-worst-of-the-action-films-are-the-ones-where-everything-is-one/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [I'm the kid in school who always, you know, got the straight A's. I got to be that, you know, alpha aggressive work-ethic guy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-m-the-kid-in-school-who-always-you-know-got-the-straight-a-s-i-got/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [I felt that in a way, I hated the writing process so much. It's excruciating, as I'm sure you know, and so lonely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-felt-that-in-a-way-i-hated-the-writing-process-so-much-it-s/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [An action movie should, like any other, follow the narrative traditions of literature. That means there should be subtlety, a slow build and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/an-action-movie-should-like-any-other-follow-the-narrative-traditions/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Once I started selling scripts for a great deal of money - action scripts, no less, which people tend to pooh-pooh anyway - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/once-i-started-selling-scripts-for-a-great-deal-of-money-action/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [When you are making a lot of money people forget you are trying to be creative and they picture you laughing all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/when-you-are-making-a-lot-of-money-people-forget-you-are-trying-to-be/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [I've read a thousand private-eye novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-ve-read-a-thousand-private-eye-novels/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [An action film can have too much action; picture an equaliser on a stereo, with all the knobs pegged at 10. It becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/an-action-film-can-have-too-much-action-picture-an-equaliser-on-a/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) [Explore all 87 Shane Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel like it's a collage. You tell the narrative, you tell the story, but you feel like you've created this tapestry. But it also has a shape, a story. So I think there's a middle ground that I try to strike... away from where everyone else seems ready to go, which is, setup, payoff. You know, He's afraid of water, oh, and at the end he's swimming in water - oh, my God. 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