Skip to main content

Science & Tech Quote by Tom Hanks

"Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal"

About this Quote

Tom Hanks’s line is a quiet rebuttal to two loud camps: the nostalgists who treat “real cinema” like a vintage wine, and the gadget evangelists who confuse new tools with new ideas. By framing movie-making as “telling a story” first, he keeps narrative in the driver’s seat. Then he adds the pragmatic twist: “with the best technology at your disposal.” Not the flashiest, not the newest, not the most expensive. The best you can actually use to serve the story you’re trying to land.

The subtext is deeply Hanksian: competence as a moral stance. In an industry that loves mystique, he argues for craft. Technology isn’t the enemy of authenticity; it’s the evolving toolbox of a working storyteller. That’s a worldview shaped by his own career arc, from analog-era Hollywood through digital filmmaking, motion capture (The Polar Express), and de-aging experiments. He’s been the face on screen while the machinery behind the screen has radically changed, so he knows the real continuity is intention.

The phrasing also slips in a democratizing implication. “At your disposal” acknowledges inequality without fetishizing it: not everyone has the same budget, but everyone makes choices. A phone camera, a RED, a virtual production stage - they’re all just levers. The measure is whether the audience feels something coherent and true. Hanks is insisting that the future of film isn’t a format war; it’s a discipline: story first, tools second, ego last.

Quote Details

TopicMovie
Source
Later attribution: Everything I Learned in Life I Learned From Tom Hanks (Editors of Cider Mill Press, 2021) modern compilationISBN: 9781646431922 · ID: a2Q0EAAAQBAJ
Text match: 95.00%   Provider: Google Books
Evidence:
... make you not feel lonely, even when you are.” “I've made over twenty movies, and five of them are good.” “Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal.” 67 " The truth is that everyone pays attention to who's.
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Hanks, Tom. (2026, March 25). Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/movie-making-is-telling-a-story-with-the-best-99424/

Chicago Style
Hanks, Tom. "Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal." FixQuotes. March 25, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/movie-making-is-telling-a-story-with-the-best-99424/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal." FixQuotes, 25 Mar. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/movie-making-is-telling-a-story-with-the-best-99424/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.

More Quotes by Tom Add to List
Tom Hanks on filmmaking: technology serves story
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a Actor from USA.

31 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

We use cookies and local storage to personalize content, analyze traffic, and provide social media features. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media and analytics partners. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our Privacy Policy.