Rafi Fine Quotes

Unlike fiction, which you create before you go into production, with reality you kind of create it after everything is produced. The drama and the storytelling is really done in post.

I've always been a bit of a documentarian.

Whether it's 'The West Wing' or anything else, my first thought is always, 'What's a good story?'

I started in documentaries, and that was a great help to me with improvisation, because with documentaries, you're handed a big lump of footage, and you have to shape it and make it into a story - which I love doing.

I still go see films for entertainment, and I love them, but for me as a filmmaker, I really want to have a purpose in telling a story.

What we're doing on 'The West Wing' is fictional. It's not a place to learn about politics or government. Has there ever been a fundraiser on 'The West Wing?' No. So right there, you're in Disneyland.

If there is a tendency in modern television I hate, it is the unstoppable march of the dramatic reconstruction to tell the stories of anything from an ancient Egyptian battle to the early life of Paul Gascoigne.

Documentaries are inherently instinctual; you're constantly moment to moment, determining what the best place for the camera is to tell the story, usually in service of natural lighting.

I always thought of documentaries as films through which you find your voice as a narrator.

I am interested in people. I'm interested in telling stories, whether that is behind the camera or in front of the camera.

In film, I believe things should either be documentary or drama.

I can't imagine soaps will ever stop, because people will always watch as long as they have great stories and characters. But the soaps will have to keep evolving, won't they?

Cinema is not just a medium of entertainment. Yes, it should entertain, but cinema is made to convey a message, to say something.

I love making documentaries. But I do like other factual entertainment as well, and I like doing the lighter stuff.

I make films about stories that I get interested in.

This politics is bound to be reflected in the work of a serious filmmaker. When I make a film, I try to tell a human story to the best of my ability. I do not set out either to preach messages or purely to entertain.

It's weird writing for a documentary because I have all these ideas for what I want to happen, but what actually happens is obviously completely different.

I wanted to do journalism, as I was an idealist. Then, in my second year of journalism, I realized that in real life, things don't work the way you expect them to. I realized that I could express my ideas better through films.

Documentaries require an enormous amount of grit and empathy - and that is something women are incredibly strong at.

People love storylines. They love them because at some point, the talent will get people emotionally invested.

I'm a documentary filmmaker, I know what it means to craft a story, especially when you've shot a lot of material.

Every reality show plot pales in comparison to our history.

Peak TV has resulted in beautiful shows that have nothing in particular to tell us about humanity.

The more films and TV shows I spoil for myself, the more I am convinced that truly interesting stories can't be ruined - the plot thickens with the viewing like a rich sauce.

I'm following my interests, and there's something about investigating the world and creating a watchable, entertaining programme out of it that is deeply satisfying.