--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s always been this hocus-pocus or…" description: "\"There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical thing associated with the making of film that sort of psyches people out and makes them think..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg" --- # There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical… ![“There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical thing associated with the making of film that sort of psyches people out and makes them think that this cannot be done; that this is a craft that cannot be learned.” quote by Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg) > “There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical thing associated with the making of film that sort of psyches people out and makes them think that this cannot be done; that this is a craft that cannot be learned.” [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film making is often mystified as an unattainable craft, discouraging newcomers despite its learnable techniques. **In simple terms:** Film seems magical but is teachable. Key Takeaway Demystify filmmaking to encourage learning. Themes film craft myth learning Mood inspirational challenging Type educational motivational When to use this quote - workshops - indie projects - education programs Key Concepts skill acquisition creative process accessibility Questions to Reflect On - What barriers keep you from creating film? - How can we make filmmaking more inclusive? A Different Perspective Some may still view film as inherently elite. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Hocus pocus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hocus-pocus/) [Magical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magical/) [Magical Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magical-mystical-2701072/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Mystical Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical-thing-783173/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psych](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psych/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [...and rout the magical mystical moonlight with fierce proof of its own greater power to light, to heat, to make everything known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/and-rout-the-magical-mystical-moonlight-with-fierce-proof-of-its-own/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [I've always understood money; it's not a big mystical thing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-always-understood-money-it-s-not-a-big-mystical-thing-to-me/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“So she tried all the magical passwords she could think of. “Abracadabra. Open sesame. Sim salabim. Alakazam. Hocus pocus. Voilà. Please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/so-she-tried-all-the-magical-passwords-she-could-think-of-abracadabra/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Just think for how long humanity was controlled by mystical, magical thinking - the diseases and suffering that led to. We managed to survive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/just-think-for-how-long-humanity-was-controlled-by-mystical-magical/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If I had to read only one author, it would be Gabriel Garcia Marquez because I love the mystical, magical quality of his writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/if-i-had-to-read-only-one-author-it-would-be-gabriel-garcia-marquez/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [I ain't got no magical powers and mystical trips and all that kind of crap. It's kind of silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/i-ain-t-got-no-magical-powers-and-mystical-trips-and-all-that-kind-of/) [Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/) > [“Here, Earth-born, over the lilt of the water, Lisping its music and bearing a burden of light, Bosoming day as a laughing and radiant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/here-earth-born-over-the-lilt-of-the-water-lisping-its-music-and/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Music is one of the only inanimate things we have left. It can still be mystical, magical and awe-inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-furtado/music-is-one-of-the-only-inanimate-things-we-have-left-it-can-still/) [Nelly Furtado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly-furtado/) > [I don't know what 'my way' is. Everybody keeps telling me I got all these things. I read the other day where I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/i-don-t-know-what-my-way-is-everybody-keeps-telling-me-i-got-all/) [Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/) > [“The greatest book is one written by your pen, but not exactly from your mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-greatest-book-is-one-written-by-your-pen-but-not-exactly-from/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I persist in preferring philosophers to rabbis priests imams ayatollahs and mullahs. Rather than trust their theological hocus-pocus I prefer to draw on alternatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-onfray/i-persist-in-preferring-philosophers-to-rabbis-priests-imams/) [Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/) > [“Hocus Pocus let's try to focus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/hocus-pocus-let-s-try-to-focus/) [Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/) > [I think William Shakespeare was the wisest human being I ever heard of. To be perfectly frank, though, that's not saying much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-think-william-shakespeare-was-the-wisest-human-being-i-ever-heard/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The law is a sort of hocus-pocus science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-macklin/the-law-is-a-sort-of-hocus-pocus-science/) [Charles Macklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-macklin/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) ## More by Spike Lee > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [A spine to my films that's become more evident to me is that many are about the choices people make, and the reverberations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-spine-to-my-films-that-s-become-more-evident-to-me-is-that-many-are/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I am very fortunate I can send my kids to private school, but everybody does not have the money. If you cannot get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-am-very-fortunate-i-can-send-my-kids-to-private-school-but/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I really don't deal with hypotheticals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-really-don-t-deal-with-hypotheticals/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I've never seen black men with fine white women. They be ugly. Mugly dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-ve-never-seen-black-men-with-fine-white-women-they-be-ugly-mugly/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I may have been born yesterday, but I stayed up all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-may-have-been-born-yesterday-but-i-stayed-up-all-night/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I consider Madonna a friend, and she sure knows how to work the publicity machine. Of course, I don't have breasts. If I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-consider-madonna-a-friend-and-she-sure-knows-how-to-work-the/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [If you can't take a hit, you're not going to last long, that's for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/if-you-can-t-take-a-hit-you-re-not-going-to-last-long-that-s-for-sure/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do. To say the whole world has to fall into line is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/america-doesn-t-have-the-moral-right-to-tell-other-people-what-to-do/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I'm worried just as much about Donald Trump as that crazy guy in North Korea - and he has a nuclear code. I'm worrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-m-worried-just-as-much-about-donald-trump-as-that-crazy-guy-in/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I think the best actors in the world are here in New York City. And this city is just so vibrant the energy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-think-the-best-actors-in-the-world-are-here-in-new-york-city-and/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [People sometimes forget all the films that we've done. They remember the likes of 'Malcolm X' and 'Do the Right Thing.' But I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/people-sometimes-forget-all-the-films-that-we-ve-done-they-remember/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I ain't Martin Luther King. I don't need a dream. I have a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-ain-t-martin-luther-king-i-don-t-need-a-dream-i-have-a-plan/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/any-film-i-do-is-not-going-to-change-the-way-black-women-have-been/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I think if people looked at my body of work, they'd see a great breadth of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-think-if-people-looked-at-my-body-of-work-they-d-see-a-great/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) [Explore all 141 Spike Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical thing associated with the making of film that sort of psyches people out and makes them think that this cannot be done; that this is a craft that cannot be learned.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Spike Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or-magical-mystical-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or-magical-mystical-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/spike-lee-3057_cinema_there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or_1886990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There’s always been this hocus-pocus or magical, mystical thing associated with the making of film that sort…” — Spike Lee", "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": "Spike Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There’s always been this hocus-pocus or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or-magical-mystical-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/there-s-always-been-this-hocus-pocus-or-magical-mystical-thing/#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 } } ] } ```