American film & television producer (1966- )
I feel like in telling stories, there are the things the audience thinks are important, and then there are the things that are actually important.
J. J. ABRAMS
interview, A. V. Club, Sep. 2, 2008
Technology, as I was saying, can and must help storytelling. I'm most impressed with motion-capture performance technology, the one with the man in lycra, the most sophisticated interface between man/actor and computer animation. It's a very pure form of acting, as Serkis would tell you. You're not helped by any sort of artifice or aided by any costume or prosthetic makeup. Instead, performance capture relies on a complex system of movement-mapping registered by multiple cameras, rendered digitally, and completed by a team of animators. It's an impressive feat of cinematic magic that has seduced filmmakers and moviegoers alike but has failed to change attitudes pertaining to authorship of the role, the blurring lines of performance and special effects, and, ultimately, the lack of a warm body on-screen. It's not CGI cheating!
J. J. ABRAMS
interview, Pirelli, December 16, 2015
I'm actually a huge fan of digital as well. I appreciate how that technology opens the doors for filmmakers who never had access to that level of quality before. However, I do think film itself sets the standard for quality. You can talk about range, light, sensitive, resolution -- there's something about film that is undeniably beautiful, undeniably organic and natural and real.
J. J. ABRAMS
Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2014