--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A funny thing about film is that it's the…" description: "\"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. Nobody says to the writer - in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/steven-knight-2205_character_a-funny-thing-about-film-is-that-it-s-th_1943367.jpg" --- # A funny thing about film is that it's the only medium… ![“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. Nobody says to the writer - in a film you've got to have three acts - there's a character arc you have to do - there's no reason that's true.” quote by Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/steven-knight-2205_character_a-funny-thing-about-film-is-that-it-s-th_1943367.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/steven-knight-2205_character_a-funny-thing-about-film-is-that-it-s-th_1943367.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/steven-knight-2205_character_a-funny-thing-about-film-is-that-it-s-th_1943367.jpg) > “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. Nobody says to the writer - in a film you've got to have three acts - there's a character arc you have to do - there's no reason that's true.” [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film is often treated as having rigid rules, but many of those so are conventions, not mandates. **In simple terms:** Film rules are conventions, not absolute laws. Key Takeaway Question conventions critically. Themes creativity film conventions Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - Screenwriting - directing - film education - independent production Key Concepts Narrative structure genre expectations Questions to Reflect On - Do you follow or break a rule? - How do conventions shape storytelling? A Different Perspective Some conventions exist for audience clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose I can do more for a script as an actor than as a writer - in the film sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-suppose-i-can-do-more-for-a-script-as-an-actor-than-as-a-writer-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [My father, Inder Raj Anand, was a well-known writer in the film industry but he did not want me, or my younger brother Bittu,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinnu-anand/my-father-inder-raj-anand-was-a-well-known-writer-in-the-film/) [Tinnu Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinnu-anand/) > [Every writer has to make an emotional journey from artist sitting in attic to being part of a business. The writer of a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/every-writer-has-to-make-an-emotional-journey-from-artist-sitting-in/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Our beliefs are really rules for action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-beliefs-are-really-rules-for-action/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I learned that music should be fun and should be a way to express yourself - that there aren't really any rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-obel/i-learned-that-music-should-be-fun-and-should-be-a-way-to-express/) [Agnes Obel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-obel/) > [Playing the villain, bringing her to life, is the most fun because there really are no rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-robinson/playing-the-villain-bringing-her-to-life-is-the-most-fun-because/) [Angela Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-robinson/) > [I really do have rules for running and managing a business that have never been formalized before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/i-really-do-have-rules-for-running-and-managing-a-business-that-have/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [When trying to seduce a woman, a writer says: 'I'm a writer', and scribbles a poem on a napkin. It always works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-trying-to-seduce-a-woman-a-writer-says-i-m-a-writer-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [And then he says, "The writer must be true to truth." And that's a killer, because the only way you can describe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/and-then-he-says-the-writer-must-be-true-to-truth-and-that-s-a-killer/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“In Murakami's short story 'The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day,' the main character is a writer. In describing the act of writing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/in-murakami-s-short-story-the-kidney-shaped-stone-that-moves-every/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [I just Express out my Feelings on a piece of paper... And people says, I am a Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashank-rayal/i-just-express-out-my-feelings-on-a-piece-of-paper-and-people-says-i/) [Shashank Rayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashank-rayal/) > [Writing is a black-box proposition. You see actors; you can see what they're doing. You can watch the director on set doing his work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/writing-is-a-black-box-proposition-you-see-actors-you-can-see-what/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I'm not sure that I'm going to be a good one or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/as-things-stand-now-i-am-going-to-be-a-writer-i-m-not-sure-that-i-m/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I think every woman character, every female character, has her own arc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katheryn-winnick/i-think-every-woman-character-every-female-character-has-her-own-arc/) [Katheryn Winnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katheryn-winnick/) > [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/) ## More by Steven Knight > [There's a convention in English stuff that if something is more than 100 years old, people have to say 'do not' instead of 'don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-s-a-convention-in-english-stuff-that-if-something-is-more-than/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [There's lots of different ways of writing stuff and lots of different mindsets to have, but I think when it's your own creation, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-s-lots-of-different-ways-of-writing-stuff-and-lots-of-different/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [It's such a gift when you know who you're writing for and you know that that actor is capable of so much that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/it-s-such-a-gift-when-you-know-who-you-re-writing-for-and-you-know/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [I'm not a great film-goer, and I never have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/i-m-not-a-great-film-goer-and-i-never-have-been/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [There's no writers room, or any other writer involved. I write everything from beginning to end. Maybe it's just me not being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-s-no-writers-room-or-any-other-writer-involved-i-write/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [I've realized that the only thing I'm interested in is the performance. If the performance is right, then I'm happy. You offer up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/i-ve-realized-that-the-only-thing-i-m-interested-in-is-the/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [“It seems to me, that if there is a bad taste in your mouth, you spit it out. You don't constantly swallow it back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/it-seems-to-me-that-if-there-is-a-bad-taste-in-your-mouth-you-spit-it/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [With FX in particular, they've been fantastic and were really hands off. I mean, it helps that you've got Ridley Scott on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/with-fx-in-particular-they-ve-been-fantastic-and-were-really-hands/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [I often find in the film world, that it's very self-referring. If you talk to someone about films, they talk about them in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/i-often-find-in-the-film-world-that-it-s-very-self-referring-if-you/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [Whenever I went to L.A. the first thing people said in the meeting, no matter what it was about, was how much they loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/whenever-i-went-to-l-a-the-first-thing-people-said-in-the-meeting-no/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [ I've spent three hours with Snoop Dogg, talking about how he loved \[Peaky Blinders series\]. And David Bowie loved it. The late Leonard Cohen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/i-ve-spent-three-hours-with-snoop-dogg-talking-about-how-he-loved/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [I think the best research is people you meet and things that they say, rather than second hand accounts of something. I think when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/i-think-the-best-research-is-people-you-meet-and-things-that-they-say/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [Writing, when it works, one needs to access whatever it is that creates dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/writing-when-it-works-one-needs-to-access-whatever-it-is-that-creates/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [Making a film is hard because you're not dealing with the intangible. When you're writing, it's perfect because it's only in your head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/making-a-film-is-hard-because-you-re-not-dealing-with-the-intangible/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [There's a grown-upness about television now that wasn't there before. You do know you're doing stuff for adults who can tell the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-s-a-grown-upness-about-television-now-that-wasn-t-there-before/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) [Explore all 179 Steven Knight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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