"And I also trust that there's more than one way to do something"
About this Quote
Muren’s line lands like a quiet manifesto from someone who made a career out of inventing the impossible on deadlines. “I also trust” is doing more work than it looks like: it signals humility and confidence at once. He’s not claiming a single philosophy; he’s placing faith in a process. That word trust matters in art and in effects work especially, where you’re constantly negotiating uncertainty, budgets, physics, and taste. Trust is what lets you keep experimenting after a version fails.
The subtext is a rebuttal to the cult of the “right way,” the kind of gatekeeping that turns craft into dogma. Coming from a visual effects pioneer, it’s also an argument against tool worship. One way might be analog miniatures, another digital compositing, another a clever cheat in-camera. The point isn’t the method; it’s the outcome, and the willingness to pivot until the outcome feels true.
There’s a cultural context here too: effects artistry sits at the crossroads of engineering and imagination, and it’s often judged by audiences who only notice it when it’s bad. “More than one way” defends the invisible labor of iteration: the discarded tests, the alternate pipelines, the lateral thinking that makes spectacle look effortless. It’s a gentle permission slip to be pluralistic in how you make, solve, and collaborate.
Intent-wise, it’s mentorship in a sentence: don’t get precious, don’t get stuck, don’t confuse tradition with necessity.
The subtext is a rebuttal to the cult of the “right way,” the kind of gatekeeping that turns craft into dogma. Coming from a visual effects pioneer, it’s also an argument against tool worship. One way might be analog miniatures, another digital compositing, another a clever cheat in-camera. The point isn’t the method; it’s the outcome, and the willingness to pivot until the outcome feels true.
There’s a cultural context here too: effects artistry sits at the crossroads of engineering and imagination, and it’s often judged by audiences who only notice it when it’s bad. “More than one way” defends the invisible labor of iteration: the discarded tests, the alternate pipelines, the lateral thinking that makes spectacle look effortless. It’s a gentle permission slip to be pluralistic in how you make, solve, and collaborate.
Intent-wise, it’s mentorship in a sentence: don’t get precious, don’t get stuck, don’t confuse tradition with necessity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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