--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think about filmmaking as an…" description: "\"If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum, starting with the writer and ending with maybe the marketing department, the actor's contribution ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg" --- # If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum… ![“If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum, starting with the writer and ending with maybe the marketing department, the actor's contribution is a rather slender band.” quote by William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg) > “If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum, starting with the writer and ending with maybe the marketing department, the actor's contribution is a rather slender band.” [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The actor's role is a small but essential part within the broad filmmaking process. **In simple terms:** Actors are a small piece of the film puzzle. Key Takeaway Value each contribution proportionally. Themes collaboration film production role importance Mood analytical pragmatic Type industry insightful When to use this quote - independent film sets - large studio productions - theatre rehearsals Key Concepts ensemble dynamics creative hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How does an actor maximize impact within a narrow scope? - What supports can enhance an actor's contribution? A Different Perspective Actors may be limited by script and direction, reducing creative agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-contribution-349396/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Filmmaking Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking-entire-5417926/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Slender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slender/) [Slender Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slender-band-5417927/) [Spectrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spectrum/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Think Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-filmmaking-585962/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I do like taking on responsibility, sometimes too much. But I was aware of that early on and it's something that came up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-do-like-taking-on-responsibility-sometimes-too-much-but-i-was-aware/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I'm an actor, that's my contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-close/i-m-an-actor-that-s-my-contribution/) [Glenn Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-close/) > [The goal with 'X' was to make you think about filmmaking, and think about horror filmmaking, and hopefully just be like, pumped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/the-goal-with-x-was-to-make-you-think-about-filmmaking-and-think/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) > [I think that filmmaking is very addicting and risky, and it gives you a high, for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/i-think-that-filmmaking-is-very-addicting-and-risky-and-it-gives-you/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [I think people think filmmaking is fun, but I've never thought that. For me it's always been a lot of work and pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-people-think-filmmaking-is-fun-but-i-ve-never-thought-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love filmmaking when fate is a part of the process and you are dependent on the laws of physics and the elements to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/i-love-filmmaking-when-fate-is-a-part-of-the-process-and-you-are/) [Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/) > [I always do casting for every role, even if it's just one sentence. I like to work with theater actors because they're used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-ade/i-always-do-casting-for-every-role-even-if-it-s-just-one-sentence-i/) [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) > [I think filmmaking is a strange animal because it's anti-Democratic and collective at the same time, but I think it's all about not trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-arden-oplev/i-think-filmmaking-is-a-strange-animal-because-it-s-anti-democratic/) [Niels Arden Oplev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-arden-oplev/) > [I think that, again, filmmaking is the director's medium in the end, and the best thing a producer can do is stay out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/i-think-that-again-filmmaking-is-the-director-s-medium-in-the-end-and/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [I think filmmaking is a gamble anyway, right? You never know the results from the start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wu/i-think-filmmaking-is-a-gamble-anyway-right-you-never-know-the/) [Daniel Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wu/) > [I think of filmmaking as a form of communication. Maybe it's also an art, but that's for somebody else to decide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/i-think-of-filmmaking-as-a-form-of-communication-maybe-it-s-also-an/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) > [I think filmmaking is largely about preparation and taste and luck. If you have all of those three things, I think you will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-slade/i-think-filmmaking-is-largely-about-preparation-and-taste-and-luck-if/) [David Slade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-slade/) > [I think filmmaking is a team work and it's a shared responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisy-shah/i-think-filmmaking-is-a-team-work-and-it-s-a-shared-responsibility/) [Daisy Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisy-shah/) > [I think filmmaking should be a wonderfully free collaborative process, and it so very rarely is. I often see directors as jailers of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-think-filmmaking-should-be-a-wonderfully-free-collaborative-process/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) ## More by William Mapother > [I went to Notre Dame. I don't know if that has any relevance, but maybe we all had a little too much philosophy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-went-to-notre-dame-i-don-t-know-if-that-has-any-relevance-but-maybe/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [Generally a wise actor will be very careful about the person to whom he gives that power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/generally-a-wise-actor-will-be-very-careful-about-the-person-to-whom/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I've made a number of independent films that didn't receive theatrical distribution, that a lot of people haven't heard of, and as a result,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-ve-made-a-number-of-independent-films-that-didn-t-receive/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [Look, we all know how hard it is for us to - I'm going to speak for myself - find a still photo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/look-we-all-know-how-hard-it-is-for-us-to-i-m-going-to-speak-for/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I do like taking on responsibility, sometimes too much. But I was aware of that early on and it's something that came up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-do-like-taking-on-responsibility-sometimes-too-much-but-i-was-aware/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I remember when I was working on Mission: Impossible 2, John Woo said, "In Hong Kong, there's not much money and a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-remember-when-i-was-working-on-mission-impossible-2-john-woo-said/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I love sci-fi, especially when it thrives on a thought-provoking story, rather than explosions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-love-sci-fi-especially-when-it-thrives-on-a-thought-provoking-story/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [One of the great things about film is that, typically anything that's introduced in the first five minutes, the audiences will by into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/one-of-the-great-things-about-film-is-that-typically-anything-that-s/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I worked in script development, many years ago, and read a lot of scripts. Between that and the scripts I've read as an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-worked-in-script-development-many-years-ago-and-read-a-lot-of/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [If the question was did we want to delay the revelation?... Yeah, you want to delay it as long as possible because the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/if-the-question-was-did-we-want-to-delay-the-revelation-yeah-you-want/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [Well, you're in a theater and it's 24 shots a second, your face, your body, your voice, and it's your craft, the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/well-you-re-in-a-theater-and-it-s-24-shots-a-second-your-face-your/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [One of the advantages of shooting digitally was that we had a lot of time. When you shoot, even if you do a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/one-of-the-advantages-of-shooting-digitally-was-that-we-had-a-lot-of/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I was an English major, so I love discussing possibilities and alternate theories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-was-an-english-major-so-i-love-discussing-possibilities-and/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [I can be a bit of a science geek. I tend more towards reading about brain science, neuroscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/i-can-be-a-bit-of-a-science-geek-i-tend-more-towards-reading-about/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) > [So I'm here, and not being one for missed opportunities, I made a list of the casting directors in New York and mark off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/so-i-m-here-and-not-being-one-for-missed-opportunities-i-made-a-list/) [William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) [Explore all 31 William Mapother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [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/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum, starting with the writer and ending with maybe the marketing department, the actor's contribution is a rather slender band.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Mapother" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-entire-spectrum-starting-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-entire-spectrum-starting-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/william-mapother-20419_actor_if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-enti_685983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you think about filmmaking as an entire spectrum, starting with the writer and ending with maybe the…” — William Mapother", "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": "William Mapother", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you think about filmmaking as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-entire-spectrum-starting-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/if-you-think-about-filmmaking-as-an-entire-spectrum-starting-with-the/#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 } } ] } ```