We begin with his viewers. "They are quick, clever, intellectually confident, but not intellectuals," says Curtis. "They feel intimated by a lot of the snobbery and elitism that still clings to certain areas in this country." He contrasts this with the "rigid definition of how you are supposed to think" allegedly found among intellectuals, with their attachment to theories. "My audience isn't interested in that," he says - and nor, he seems to imply, is he.
Lovely write up on Adam Curtis in Creative Review, this quote especially was interesting. Always great to hear how people perceive their audience. Curtis' summary of his audience is bold and even quite challenging, but feels bang on.
In the piece there's also a great insight into his trademark use of Arial/Helvetica in his films, and what his intention was with that. Surprisingly comparing it to the approach taken in South Park:
"The people I really admire are South Park because South Park, who I know lots of people think are silly, are not. They are actually brilliant journalists because they have the ability to boil stories down into good, tight little bits. When I use little bits of text I'm doing what I got from South Park, which is to simplify everything right down."
