But I'd be lying if I didn't say that every time you go to make a film, you're desperate to either do it better than you did it last time or to not repeat yourself.
Paul Thomas AndersonRead
My filmmaking education consisted of finding out what filmmakers I liked were watching, then seeing those films. I learned the technical stuff from books and magazines, and with the new technology you can watch entire movies accompanied by audio commentary from the director. You can learn more from John Sturges' audio track on the 'Bad Day at Black Rock' laserdisc than you can in 20 years of film school. Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the value of self-directed learning in filmmaking over formal education.
Paul Thomas Anderson's quote underlines his belief that true education in filmmaking comes from actively seeking out and analyzing the works of established filmmakers rather than relying solely on traditional film school. He advocates for utilizing available resources, such as audio commentaries and books, to gain a deeper understanding of the craft, asserting that one can acquire more knowledge outside the confines of formal education due to the abundance of accessible information.
Themes
FilmmakingEducationSelf-LearningTechnologyFilm School
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the merits of online education versus traditional schooling.
More from Paul Thomas Anderson
All quotes →No matter how many times you do it, you don't get used to the sadness - for me at least - of coming to the end of a film.
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I really subscribe to that old adage that you should never let the audience get ahead of you for a second. So if the film's abrasive and wrongfoots people then, y'know, that's great. But I hope it involves an audience.
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I always had a dream about trying to make a movie that had no dialogue in it, that was just music and pictures. I still haven't done it yet, but I tried to get close in the beginning.
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It's a gamble you take, the risk of alienating an audience. But there's a theory - sometimes it's better to confuse them for five minutes than let them get ahead of you for 10 seconds.
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We’re all children of Kubrick, aren’t we? Is there anything you can do that he hasn’t done?
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