--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Really top-notch directors, I've often…" description: "\"Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them just to see how they work.\" — Alan Alda" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png" --- # Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them… ![“Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them just to see how they work.” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png) > “Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them just to see how they work.” [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker values observing directors to learn their methods. **In simple terms:** Learning by watching experts accelerates skill growth. Key Takeaway Seek mentorship and observation. Themes learning mentorship professional development Mood curious motivated Type educational professional When to use this quote - apprenticeships - studio visits - creative workshops Key Concepts film directing skill acquisition career growth Questions to Reflect On - Which director’s technique intrigues you? - How can you apply observed methods? A Different Perspective Observation alone may not replace hands‑on practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Directors Ve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors-ve-1276732/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Just Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-work/) [Notch Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notch-directors-3707720/) [Notches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notches/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Notch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-notch-3707721/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Top notch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-notch/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Curator Shantrelle P. Lewis left for Amsterdam an Andy Warhol fellow, and came back with a film in her pocket. Please support this confrontation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dream-hampton/curator-shantrelle-p-lewis-left-for-amsterdam-an-andy-warhol-fellow/) [dream hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dream-hampton/) > [I'm not quite as limber, but for my peers and my age group, I'm still top notch!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/i-m-not-quite-as-limber-but-for-my-peers-and-my-age-group-i-m-still/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [The secret of being a top-notch con man is being able to know what the mark wants, and how to make him think he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-secret-of-being-a-top-notch-con-man-is-being-able-to-know-what/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [You cannot take a few people from one unit, throw them in with some from another, give them someone else's equipment, and hope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-alvin-beckwith/you-cannot-take-a-few-people-from-one-unit-throw-them-in-with-some/) [Charles Alvin Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-alvin-beckwith/) > [Mick Jagger also a music connoisseur and knows everything about that era. 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I felt really privileged to be in the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-shames/i-loved-seeing-my-name-in-print-i-loved-seeing-my-words-in-print-i/) [Laurence Shames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-shames/) > [Antiques to Die For sets the gold standard for the classic contemporary cozy. Agatha-finalist Jane K. Cleland's writing is top-notch; her plotting and pace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-spencer-fleming/antiques-to-die-for-sets-the-gold-standard-for-the-classic/) [Julia Spencer-Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-spencer-fleming/) > [I hired top-notch people, trusted them to do their jobs, and then came to grips with the fact that I wouldn't be coaching as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-dungy/i-hired-top-notch-people-trusted-them-to-do-their-jobs-and-then-came/) [Tony Dungy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-dungy/) > [You'd been petting a stuffed dog?' she said 'A dead one?' 'It was a really well stuffed dog' I clarified. 'I have seen some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/you-d-been-petting-a-stuffed-dog-she-said-a-dead-one-it-was-a-really/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [I love classic rock, rock and roll, that's the top notch. I love soul - bluesy music as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-reinhart/i-love-classic-rock-rock-and-roll-that-s-the-top-notch-i-love-soul/) [Haley Reinhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-reinhart/) ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. 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You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. 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I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them just to see how they work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-worked-with-them-just-to-see/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-worked-with-them-just-to-see/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/alan-alda-1859_cinema_really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-wo_2027828.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Really top-notch directors, I've often worked with them just to see how they work.” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Alda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Really top-notch directors, I've often worked...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-worked-with-them-just-to-see/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/really-top-notch-directors-i-ve-often-worked-with-them-just-to-see/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```