When a documentary filmmaker, working in the style that I do, suggests that there has been a shooting ratio of 40 hours to every one hour of finished film, that doesn't mean that the other 39 are bad.
Ken BurnsRead
I never, ever want to apologize for a film. If it's bad I'll say it's my fault. And that's what I can say so far in all the films that I've done, that if you don't like it, it's entirely my fault.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes personal accountability and ownership in the creative process.
Ken Burns expresses his commitment to artistic integrity and personal responsibility in filmmaking. He asserts that he will not shy away from taking full responsibility for the films he creates, whether they are well-received or not, highlighting the importance of owning one's creative work.
Themes
FilmAccountabilityCreativityResponsibilityArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about creative processes, one might use this quote to highlight the value of accountability.
More from Ken Burns
All quotes →I record all of my music with authentic instruments in a studio before we start editing, doing many, many versions. The music shapes the film as we edit so it has an organic relationship to the content.
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Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.
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It is the great arrogance of the present to forget the intelligence of the past
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In most films music is brought in at the end, after the picture is more or less locked, to amplify the emotions the filmmaker wants you to feel.
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Jazz is a very accurate, curiously accurate accompaniment to 20th century America.
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