I'm definitely drawn to stories about outsiders. Feeling like that myself as a gay black man, I often seek to give a voice to those in the world who don't have one.
Roger Ross WilliamsRead
While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. Filmmakers of color rarely get hired by the powerful production companies, and they are not getting supported enough by broadcasters and funders to tell their own stories.
Interpretation
The documentary industry has made progress, but still faces significant challenges regarding diversity and support for filmmakers of color.
Roger Ross Williams emphasizes the progress made in the documentary community compared to Hollywood, yet highlights the persistent lack of opportunities and support for filmmakers of color. He points out that the industry's major players continue to neglect the diverse storytelling that could emerge from these underrepresented voices, which is crucial for a richer, more inclusive narrative landscape.
In practice
This quote can be used in discussions about diversity in film programs.
I'm definitely drawn to stories about outsiders. Feeling like that myself as a gay black man, I often seek to give a voice to those in the world who don't have one.
When I was in high school, I felt totally alienated from the world, but I loved movies. They were my escape, but coming from a disadvantaged community, I never knew that filmmaking was an option for me. A program like School of Doc would have been a game-changer.
Art requires imagination. It requires Creativity. Creativity requires experience and experience comes from your life. And your life is expressed in your art.
First you have nothing, and then, astonishingly, after ripping out your brain and your heart and betraying your friends and ex-lovers and dreaming like a zombie over the page till you can't see or hear or smell or taste, you have something.
For me, I try as much as possible to just think about being in the movie theatre, having the lights dim, and what would I want to see on the screen. That puts me in the frame of mind that made me want to be in the movie business to begin with.
Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment.
The artist is chosen by God to fulfill his commands and must never be overwhelmed by public opinion.
I'm not likely to forget where I've been and what I've done and learned. I think it's just as important to play new instruments as to play new pieces. The old ones are getting scarcer and the new ones more and more wonderful.
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