Skip to content

Costs Quote by Sydney Pollack

“When you're shooting a feature that costs $200,000 a day with a crew of 250, you don't want accidents; you want to know exactly what's going to happen. But with a documentary, you don't, so you have to be sensitive to accidents because that is where the gold is.” quote by Sydney Pollack
Download Open image
“When you're shooting a feature that costs $200,000 a day with a crew of 250, you don't want accidents; you want to know exactly what's going to happen. But with a documentary, you don't, so you have to be sensitive to accidents because that is where the gold is.”

Sydney Pollack

About This Quote

In high‑budget narrative filmmaking, predictability and control are prized, whereas documentary work thrives on unexpected moments that create value.

In simple terms: Big productions need control; documentaries benefit from accidents.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty in documentary storytelling.

Themes

filmmaking risk management creativity documentary budgeting

Mood

reflective strategic

Type

instructional inspirational

When to use this quote

  • film production planning
  • documentary shooting
  • budget allocation
  • creative decision‑making

Key Concepts

predictability serendipity value creation

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you balance safety with openness to surprise?
  • What strategies turn accidents into storytelling assets?
A Different Perspective

Unplanned events can cause safety or legal issues.

4.6 out of 5 (5 ratings)

More by Sydney Pollack

Explore all 169 Sydney Pollack quotes

More Costs quotes

Browse all 534 Costs quotes