Duncan Jones Quotes

Powerful Duncan Jones for Daily Growth

About Duncan Jones

Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, born on May 30, 1971, is an acclaimed British filmmaker who has left a significant impact on the world of cinema. Known professionally as Duncan Jones, he was named after David Bowie, his father, a legendary musician and a pioneer in rock music. Raised in London, Jones spent much of his early life traveling with his father, immersing himself in diverse cultures, an experience that would later influence his filmmaking style. After graduating from the University of Reading with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, he pursued a career in technology before turning to film. In 2009, Jones made his directorial debut with "Moon," a science-fiction drama starring Sam Rockwell. The film was a critical success, earning Jones the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing (Original Screenplay). Jones followed up "Moon" with "Source Code" in 2011, a time-travel thriller featuring Jake Gyllenhaal. The film was praised for its engaging narrative and thought-provoking themes. In 2016, he released "Warcraft," based on the popular video game franchise, marking his first foray into big-budget blockbusters. In addition to his work in cinema, Jones has shown a keen interest in music, directing several music videos and co-writing songs with his father under the moniker Toss Pan Gringo. His unique blend of intellectual depth, emotional resonance, and visual storytelling continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Jones' works reflect his upbringing, his love for science fiction, and his respect for human emotions, creating a cinematic universe that is both imaginative and deeply personal. His career serves as a testament to the enduring power of creativity and the transcendent impact of art.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Life is too short for small dreams, my friend."

This quote by Duncan Jones encourages us to aim high and set ambitious goals in life. Small dreams may not challenge or fulfill us as much as more ambitious ones do, given the limited time we have on Earth. Striving for big dreams can inspire personal growth, foster resilience, and ultimately lead to a more meaningful and satisfying life.

"Everything you see has its roots in something you don't see."

This quote by Duncan Jones implies that all visible aspects of our world have underlying causes or origins that are not immediately apparent to us. It suggests a philosophy that encourages looking beyond the surface level of things, understanding their hidden foundations, and considering how they came to be in order to gain a more comprehensive perspective on life and reality.

"The more we open ourselves up to other possibilities, the more we can learn and grow."

This quote by Duncan Jones emphasizes the importance of being open-minded in our pursuit of knowledge and personal growth. By embracing diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas, we create opportunities for learning, expanding our understanding, and ultimately growing as individuals. It encourages us to break free from rigid beliefs and preconceived notions, and instead, be receptive to new information that could enrich our lives and broaden our horizons.

"We should not let our fears hold us back from exploring who we truly are."

This quote by Duncan Jones encourages personal growth and self-discovery, suggesting that one should not let fear hinder their journey towards understanding their authentic self. It implies that fears can act as barriers, preventing individuals from embracing new experiences or aspects of themselves, but these obstacles should be overcome in order to unlock personal potential and gain a deeper sense of identity. The message is to face fears bravely, explore the unknown, and embrace the process of self-discovery.

"You have to embrace the unknown to find your true path in life."

Embracing the unknown encourages personal growth, pushing one beyond comfort zones into fresh experiences that ultimately lead to self-discovery and a more authentic life path. This quote by Duncan Jones emphasizes the importance of taking risks, facing challenges, and exploring uncharted territories in order to find one's true purpose and identity.

I've lived all over Europe, spent a lot of time in London, went to school in Scotland, college in America, so I do think I have sort of a sensibility on a fairly global level.

- Duncan Jones

College, Think, Over, Sensibility

I'm a film maker who started on the Atari and then went onto the Commodore 64 and the Amiga. So I possibly have a different sensibility to people who didn't play games growing up.

- Duncan Jones

Play, Atari, Maker, Sensibility

I am absolutely of the videogames generation, starting on the Atari and Commodore 64 and the Amiga.

- Duncan Jones

I Am, Generation, Absolutely, Atari

'Warcraft' has always had a far higher percentage of women players than a lot of other games. It has always been a very welcoming environment for women.

- Duncan Jones

Always, Very, Warcraft, Percentage

After 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' the films that followed it, instead of having their own unique aesthetic, they all wanted to be 'Lord of the Rings' as opposed to learning from 'Lord of the Rings.'

- Duncan Jones

Aesthetic, Films, Opposed, Rings

I'd done a bachelor's degree, which I'd enjoyed, but I didn't know what to do with my life at the time. I was conflicted, and, being a hopeless romantic, I followed my girlfriend at the time to Vanderbilt, where, obviously, we broke up a couple of months later.

- Duncan Jones

Life, My Life, Couple, Hopeless

I watched the German version of 'Baron Munchasen' and Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis' at a young age. 'Star Wars' was also a huge thing when I was a kid.

- Duncan Jones

Star, German, Metropolis, Huge Thing

My dad and I used to shoot little one-stop animations on an old 8mm film camera when I was no more than 7 or 8, and when he was away at work, I would keep shooting nonsensical, short animated films using 'Star Wars' figures or Smurfs - depended what the narrative was.

- Duncan Jones

Away, Figures, Dad, Animated

I was a little geeky kid anyway. If I wasn't shooting little stop-animation films, then I was playing computer games or Dungeons & Dragons.

- Duncan Jones

Kid, Dungeons, Films, Dragons

My parents did call me Zowie now and then, but then, realising that it drew too much attention, they called me 'Joe'. Then, later, I sort-of co-opted my own name back.

- Duncan Jones

Own, Back, Joe, Much Attention

I love J. G. Ballard. I love authors who take the world as we know it and just tweak one thing and say, 'What if the world were like this?'

- Duncan Jones

Love, Like, One Thing, Tweak

I was the only kids to have Sony Umatic tapes of the old 'Star Wars.' It was such an old technology; you needed two or three tapes to show one movie, so the kids used to come over to my house, and we would watch 'Star Wars.'

- Duncan Jones

Movie, Needed, Tapes, Sony

It seems like the reason that I miss the science fiction from the late '70s and '80s is that at that period, they really were doing interesting, introspective human stories that just happened to take place in science fiction settings.

- Duncan Jones

Doing, Reason, Fiction, Introspective

It's always nerve-racking, showing your parents things you've been working on.

- Duncan Jones

Always, Been, Things, Nerve-Racking

Sometimes you see films, not just science fiction films, where you get the sense that if the camera were to pan just to the left or the right, all of a sudden you'd be seeing light stands and crew standing around. But with 'Blade Runner,' the beauty of it is that it felt like a real, breathing city.

- Duncan Jones

Beauty, City, Fiction, Pan

Growing up, I was on film sets occasionally, when my dad was acting, so I got to run around and do odd jobs on films like 'Labyrinth' and others... I seemed destined to make films.

- Duncan Jones

Run, Odd Jobs, Dad, Labyrinth

When Peter Jackson made the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, I remember there was a concern that people who didn't read Tolkien wouldn't go see the first one. But the films were so good in their own right that the audience grew beyond the readership of the book.

- Duncan Jones

Own, I Remember, Lord, Tolkien

Fantasy films tend to skew towards what Tolkien fantasy was, which is that the humans, the Hobbits, and the cute creatures are the good guys, and everything that's ugly are the bad guys.

- Duncan Jones

Fantasy, Which, Films, Tolkien

My stepmom's from Somalia, my baby sister is African American, my dad was always English, I'm a white man... You may have noticed.

- Duncan Jones

Always, African American, Somalia

One of the things I think is unique and signature about Blizzard is that whenever they do their games, and with 'Warcraft' in particular, they take the things they love and put a twist on it. They showed that heroes can come from the most unexpected places, and as a player, you can play as a hero, on all sides.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Play, I Think, Twist

My job is really to... everyone is reading the script, and my job is to make sure we all interpret it in as much the same way as possible. And then I give them the freedom to sort of - to get their performance across and then make suggestions where things are not working and accentuate and push things where they really are working.

- Duncan Jones

Same, Accentuate, Across, Interpret

I guess, as a director, you sort of take the script, and you find ways to interpret it.

- Duncan Jones

Ways, Take, Guess, Interpret

Science-fiction cities in general, I think, are so hard to get right, because it's so easy to just play some cheesy music or do something that takes you right out of it, but 'Blade Runner' got it right, and I love that about the film.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Play, Some, Science-Fiction

For me, 'Blade Runner' is the best science-fiction film ever made.

- Duncan Jones

Me, Made, Ever, Science-Fiction

I played lots of games, and I was a fan of gaming, so I was always looking for new games. I was also a science fiction and fantasy fan, growing up, in games and books and movies.

- Duncan Jones

New, Gaming, Always, Science Fiction

I'm a bit of a geek, actually. So I always wanted my first film to be science fiction.

- Duncan Jones

Film, Always, Fiction, Science Fiction

The beauty of science fiction is that it takes the audience's guard down; they're much more willing to open themselves up and allow themselves to be questioned and have their values questioned when they don't think we're talking about their world or them and what they're used to.

- Duncan Jones

Beauty, Fiction, Allow, Science Fiction

Be it a video game, comic book, or cheque book, the question always is, 'What story do you have to tell?'

- Duncan Jones

Game, Question, Always, Comic Book

When I was at graduate school, you wouldn't have recognised me. I was so different - and not a nice person: a grumpy, surly, upset, confused, lost person.

- Duncan Jones

Nice, Grumpy, Upset, Graduate School

I went to college and graduate school, studying philosophy. I really did think I was going to wind up being a lecturer or professor of some sort.

- Duncan Jones

College, Think, Some, Graduate School

I don't want to build on someone else's legacy. I wanted to establish my own thing.

- Duncan Jones

Legacy, Want, My Own, Establish

My family is very international.

- Duncan Jones

Family, Very, International

I was a 'Warcraft' player myself, and when I pitched my take on the film, they said right away, 'That is a player. That is the game.' So I've had their support from the very beginning.

- Duncan Jones

Game, Very, Warcraft, Right Away

That's what I wanted to do... I wanted to make a great film that just happened to be based on a video game.

- Duncan Jones

Game, Based, Great Film, Video Game

Jeron Lanier and 'Lawnmower Man.' That was VR. And there was the VFX1, that big giant VR prototype unit, and I was like, 'I am going to save my money and get one of those.' And then VR just sort of drifted away.

- Duncan Jones

Big, Away, Save, Prototype

I was a big fan of Luc Besson and obviously Ridley Scott.

- Duncan Jones

Big, Fan, Big Fan, Scott

It felt very fresh to me, and it feels very contemporary - this idea that conflict's not being about good and evil and not necessarily being black and white. If you dig deep enough, you'll often find that people do things because they feel that they have to as opposed to because they are evil.

- Duncan Jones

Deep, Very, Feels, Fresh

Terry Gilliam, he's a really interesting and amazing film maker, and when he gets it right, it's really powerful stuff.

- Duncan Jones

Interesting, Film, Maker, Terry

I think, visually, 'Moon' probably owes more to the first half of 'Alien' and 'Outland' than it does to '2001.' The character of Gerty is obviously a straight rip-and-riff on HAL.

- Duncan Jones

Think, I Think, Owes, Hal

I think everything you do, whether it's low budget things when you're first starting out or full feature films or when you're working with Hollywood, you're always learning, all the time.

- Duncan Jones

Learning, Hollywood, I Think, Low Budget

I think one of the biggest jobs of being a director is getting the casting right.

- Duncan Jones

Think, I Think, Getting, Casting

Bowie is my dad's stage name, so I was never, ever called Zowie Bowie. The tabloids liked that because it rhymed.

- Duncan Jones

Tabloids, Dad, Liked, Bowie

In the past, a lot of films based on video games think that the audience wants to experience what it's like to play the game, and that's absolutely not the case.

- Duncan Jones

Play, In The Past, Films, Case

Games have always presented an opportunity to escape. But they are also an opportunity to go somewhere that you come to know well.

- Duncan Jones

Opportunity, Go, Always, Presented

My priority is having the ability to be creative and to come up with the right decisions and not be fettered. If there are a lot of people involved in decision making, it can become frustrating.

- Duncan Jones

Decision, Making, Having, Priority

I think my sensibilities about storytelling and character just automatically come into play when I'm trying to work on any kind of narrative. For me, it doesn't really matter what the source of the narrative is. I will be looking for ways to make it into an intriguing story with empathetic characters.

- Duncan Jones

Play, Storytelling, I Think, Sensibilities

Even before 'Moon,' I did a short film called 'Whistle,' and it had a lot of the things that I thought I would need to be able to do on a feature film: I shot on location, there was special FX work, there was stunt work, we used squibs, I shot on 35 mm film.

- Duncan Jones

Thought, Before, Had, Short Film

I guess sci-fi was like my candy growing up. My dad always thought it was important for me to read an hour or two every night. And if I got stuck or didn't want to read, sci-fi was sort of the thing you'd give me to spur me on to read that evening.

- Duncan Jones

Thought, Candy, Dad, Evening

The feeling that makes 'Warcraft' work as a game is that feeling that heroism can come out of anything or anyone.

- Duncan Jones

Work, Game, Warcraft, Heroism

I was such a big 'Dirty Dozen,' 'Where Eagles Dare,' 'A Bridge Too Far' - all those kinds of movies I loved.

- Duncan Jones

Dirty, Big, Kinds, Eagles

Motion capture has become very specialized but also still just a tool of filmmaking.

- Duncan Jones

Very, Still, Specialized, Tool

I was in my 30s when I finally went to film school. It was kind of always going to happen, but I did try to keep it suppressed for awhile.

- Duncan Jones

Happen, Always, Film School, Suppressed

I got some funky scholarships to play soccer and did well in my SATs, so I went off to college and then grad school but found that that wasn't me. My family, relieved I seemed to have come to my senses, were happy to let me go to film school.

- Duncan Jones

College, Play, Some, Funky

Toshiro Mifune was such an elegant hero, and there's something really empathetic about him.

- Duncan Jones

Hero, Him, About, Empathetic

I love incredibly imaginative, speculative sci-fi.

- Duncan Jones

Love, I Love, Incredibly, Speculative

I'm a gamer at heart and always have been. I'm also a filmmaker.

- Duncan Jones

Always, Gamer, Been, Filmmaker

As a filmmaker, the only way that I understand how to make a film is holistically.

- Duncan Jones

Understand, How, Only, Filmmaker

Film directing is really undermined if you attempt to do it by committee because there has to be a single vision as to how to tell a story. It's like if you were at a campfire, and everyone is taking turns to give one sentence in telling a horror story. It would be a mess - it's not going to make sense.

- Duncan Jones

Tell, Mess, Telling, Directing

I'm a natural puzzle solver.

- Duncan Jones

Natural, Solver, Puzzle

I have to work with the team at Blizzard and the producers on the film and convince them that, as a fan, I have a unique and hopefully entertaining way of taking people through the first contact story, which is really what sets up 'Warcraft' for everyone else.

- Duncan Jones

Through, Fan, Entertaining, Hopefully

Hopefully, by the second or the third film, who my father is won't be a story anyone's interested in. They'll either like the films or they won't, and if they don't like them, I won't be making them any more.

- Duncan Jones

Making, Like, Films, Hopefully

I love the 'what if' nature of sci-fi.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Nature, I Love, What If

I've certainly never used my father's name as a way of getting a meeting. And fortunately, I've never needed to.

- Duncan Jones

Never, Getting, Certainly, Fortunately

There's a depth to the look that you get with models that you just can't get with CGI. It's about the detail that you just wouldn't think to put in.

- Duncan Jones

Think, Models, CGI, Detail

I think if you're young and you're being compared with a successful family member, it's really hard to maintain any sense of self-worth and credibility.

- Duncan Jones

Think, Young, I Think, Compared

I personally prefer projecting digitally. I guess I'm of that generation where I like that clarity.

- Duncan Jones

Generation, Personally, Projecting

J. G. Ballard is just an example of the writers I like. Philip K. Dick is obviously one of them. I'm a big fan of William Gibson as well. He started cyberpunk with 'Neuromancer.' I've come to know him a little bit over Twitter, of all places, and I was always a huge fan of his. It's very cool to know he even knows I exist.

- Duncan Jones

Big, Very, Bit, Philip

It took a generation of filmmakers who loved and were raised on comic books to make movies that you actually cared about and felt something for. I think that's absolutely the same with what's going on with videogame movies.

- Duncan Jones

I Think, About, Comic Books, Cared

I do have a somewhat unique upbringing.

- Duncan Jones

Unique, Somewhat, Upbringing

Treat the audience with respect and maturity, and have a certain faith in them to catch up.

- Duncan Jones

Treat, Maturity, Audience, Catch

Eventually, I'm going to be judged purely on my own merits.

- Duncan Jones

My Own, Going, Purely, Merits

I'm not the guy who does slo-mo, or I'm not the guy who does splashing rain or doves flying or anything; that's not me. Every film, I try and make it the way I see it in my head, and it really just depends on the script and the people I'm working with or whatever interests me at that particular time.

- Duncan Jones

Guy, I See, Doves, Interests

I'd love to do a Western.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Western

I thought 'The Social Network' was fantastic.

- Duncan Jones

Thought, Social, Network, Fantastic

'Warcraft' by its very nature is epic in scale.

- Duncan Jones

Nature, Very, Warcraft, Epic

Trying to make a movie like 'Warcraft,' and trying to do it in a unique way... you get killed by a death of 1,000 cuts.

- Duncan Jones

Death, Movie, Warcraft, Cuts

I don't know if subconsciously there was some reaction going on, if there was something in me that didn't want to learn an instrument - because I couldn't have been that incompetent!

- Duncan Jones

Some, Reaction, Been, Incompetent

I love my work, but I don't like being in the spotlight. I was never going to be an actor, that's for sure.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Like, Sure, Spotlight

I took an incredibly roundabout route getting into feature films.

- Duncan Jones

Getting, Took, Films, Feature

You only get one shot to do a first feature.

- Duncan Jones

You, Only, Get, Feature

Basically, if you want to have a computer system that could pass the Turing test, it as a machine is going to have to be able to self-reference and use its own experience and the sense data that it's taking in to basically create its own understanding of the world and use that as a reference point for all new sense data that's coming in to it.

- Duncan Jones

Data, Own, Use, Reference

'Warcraft' is going to be a period of my life I treasure and loathe at the same time.

- Duncan Jones

My Life, Same, Period, Warcraft

My sense of humor often gets me in trouble.

- Duncan Jones

Humor, Me, Sense Of Humor, Trouble

Girls seem to get me in trouble a lot of times.

- Duncan Jones

Get, Lot, Times, Trouble

I have a sense of humor, and sometimes it gets me into trouble.

- Duncan Jones

Humor, Me, Sense Of Humor, Trouble

I was always bit of a jock.

- Duncan Jones

Always, Bit, Jock

I don't know why, but for whatever reason, that side of life - the celebrity and the spectacle - has never interested me.

- Duncan Jones

Reason, Celebrity, Side, Spectacle

I saw the drawbacks of fame as a kid. It wasn't for me.

- Duncan Jones

Me, Kid, Saw, Drawbacks

You would never have seen me on any party scene, which is probably what made me able to disappear, in a way, because the tabloids had nothing to follow.

- Duncan Jones

Nothing, Made, Which, Tabloids

I was a sensitive boy.

- Duncan Jones

Boy, Sensitive

I love games, and I feel they've been sold short shrift in films so far.

- Duncan Jones

Love, Sold, Films, Games

I was angry and frustrated when I was younger and didn't know my place in the world.

- Duncan Jones

World, Know, Frustrated, Younger

I view myself still as a director. That's what I do.

- Duncan Jones

Myself, View, Still, Director

I've been very strategic in how I've approached the jobs I want to do.

- Duncan Jones

How, Been, Very, Strategic

One of the things my dad always said is that it's O.K. to do one for you and one for them. He taught me a lot of things, but that's certainly one of the many that I took to heart.

- Duncan Jones

Always, Certainly, Took, One Of The Things

You could make a film out of just about anything so long as there is a clear vision about the story.

- Duncan Jones

Clear, Could, About, Vision

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.