QuoteProject
If you've noticed that I don't use long takes, it's not because I don't like them, but because no one gives me the necessary means to treat myself to them. It's more economical to make one image, then this image and then that image, and try to control them later, in the editing studio.
Orson Welles
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Orson Welles explains his preference for shorter takes due to resource limitations in filmmaking.

In this quote, Orson Welles reflects on the constraints he faces as a filmmaker, particularly the lack of resources to execute longer takes. He implies that the economic realities of film production often dictate creative choices, pushing him towards a style that allows for more control during editing rather than capturing extensive, uninterrupted performances.

Themes

FilmmakingEditingCreative ConstraintsShort TakesOrson Welles

In practice

Example use cases

In a film discussion, you might use it to highlight the impact of budget on artistic choices.

More from Orson Welles

Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.
Orson WellesRead
When people accept breaking the law as normal, something happens to the whole society.
Orson WellesRead
A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army.
Orson WellesRead
I passionately hate the idea of being with it; I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.
Orson WellesRead
Old age is the only disease you dont want to be cured of.
Orson WellesRead
Movie directing is a perfect refuge for the mediocre.
Orson WellesRead

Similar quotes

All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through time and changes taking place, and that's what we call 'the plot'.
Margaret AtwoodRead
The relationship between the public and the artist is complex and difficult to explain. There is a fine line between using this critical energy creatively and pandering to it.
Andy GoldsworthyRead
I think literary theory satisfied a deep love I have for big, encompassing narratives about the world and how it works - which are usually, in the end, more creative visions unto themselves than illuminating explanations.
Jennifer EganRead
'Vogue' and 'Vice' may appear to some to see the world through different lenses. But in my view, both are fearless and breathtaking, with unquenchable curiosity and vigor.
Anna WintourRead
When I start to write, I don't have any plan at all. I just wait for the story to come.
Haruki MurakamiRead
Real people move, they bear with them the element of time. It is this fourth dimension of people that I try to capture in a photograph.
Richard AvedonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.