--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You never know what to expect when you're…" description: "\"You never know what to expect when you're a writer visiting a movie set.\" — Bryan Burrough" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg" --- # You never know what to expect when you're a writer… ![“You never know what to expect when you're a writer visiting a movie set.” quote by Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg) > “You never know what to expect when you're a writer visiting a movie set.” [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers on film sets encounter unpredictable situations, making expectations unreliable and requiring adaptability. **In simple terms:** Writers can't predict what will happen on a movie set. Key Takeaway Stay flexible and open to surprise. Themes creativity uncertainty adaptability film writing Mood pragmatic inquisitive Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - film production - script development - creative collaborations - career transitions Key Concepts improvisation narrative structure industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can writers prepare for unpredictable set environments? - What strategies help maintain creative vision amid chaos? A Different Perspective Unexpected set dynamics can derail planned narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Shaping it is something I would expect to do together with a writer, because that's a director's job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/shaping-it-is-something-i-would-expect-to-do-together-with-a-writer/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [Eccentric behavior is not routinely noticed around a movie set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/eccentric-behavior-is-not-routinely-noticed-around-a-movie-set/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I'd like to see a slasher movie set in the depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-d-like-to-see-a-slasher-movie-set-in-the-depression/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [What's interesting is that you can have a set that's very calm, very smooth, very cooperative... and end up with a terrible movie. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobin-bell/what-s-interesting-is-that-you-can-have-a-set-that-s-very-calm-very/) [Tobin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobin-bell/) > [Standing beneath the white light of an Apple store is like standing on a Stanley Kubrick movie set. His '2001: A Space Odyssey' predicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/standing-beneath-the-white-light-of-an-apple-store-is-like-standing/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I'm doing a much smaller movie. It's set in Germany and it's a totally different subject matter. I'm trying to break it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-emmerich/i-m-doing-a-much-smaller-movie-it-s-set-in-germany-and-it-s-a-totally/) [Roland Emmerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-emmerich/) > [I like being alone. I need a lot of alone time as a human. And especially on a movie set when you're around people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rooney-mara/i-like-being-alone-i-need-a-lot-of-alone-time-as-a-human-and/) [Rooney Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rooney-mara/) > [I'm lucky that I get to jump around, do a big-budget comedy and then a smaller film. I don't even make a big distinction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-m-lucky-that-i-get-to-jump-around-do-a-big-budget-comedy-and-then-a/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [ Angelina Jolie may get him \[Antonio Banderas\] in bed for eight hours on a movie set, but I get him in bed everyday. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-griffith/angelina-jolie-may-get-him-antonio-banderas-in-bed-for-eight-hours-on/) [Melanie Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-griffith/) > [In the ring, you want every one of the 80,000 people in the building to know what you're feeling. On a movie set, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/in-the-ring-you-want-every-one-of-the-80-000-people-in-the-building/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [The only place where you can be a dictator and still be loved is on the movie set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/the-only-place-where-you-can-be-a-dictator-and-still-be-loved-is-on/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I've always said that I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I could make a great movie about him if I set my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-devlin/i-ve-always-said-that-i-don-t-believe-in-santa-claus-but-i-could-make/) [Dean Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-devlin/) > [Sometimes when you get on a new movie you kind of how to figure out the way other people work and it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-wilson/sometimes-when-you-get-on-a-new-movie-you-kind-of-how-to-figure-out/) [Luke Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-wilson/) > [It's such a high-pressure form of live entertainment that I found, once I got out there, being on a movie set isn't that different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ambrose/it-s-such-a-high-pressure-form-of-live-entertainment-that-i-found/) [Dean Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ambrose/) > [Sometimes you can't even find the director on a movie set. Sometimes you don't want to find the director on a movie set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/sometimes-you-can-t-even-find-the-director-on-a-movie-set-sometimes/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) ## More by Bryan Burrough > [American writers, at least those of us who are fortunate enough to support ourselves in the field, are by and large a lucky lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/american-writers-at-least-those-of-us-who-are-fortunate-enough-to/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“History is written by the victors, they say, and there was no one alive who would come forward to dispute Hoover’s fabricated story. Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/history-is-written-by-the-victors-they-say-and-there-was-no-one-alive/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“When one looks back across a chasm of seventy years, through a prism of pulp fiction and bad gangster movies, there is a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/when-one-looks-back-across-a-chasm-of-seventy-years-through-a-prism/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [The underground is not a place but a way of life. You can be underground most anywhere, from the Upper West Side of Manhattan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/the-underground-is-not-a-place-but-a-way-of-life-you-can-be/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“To the generations of Americans raised since World War 2, the identities of criminals such as Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, "Ma"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/to-the-generations-of-americans-raised-since-world-war-2-the/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [I don't know the figures, but Hollywood must buy 100 rights for every movie that actually gets made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/i-don-t-know-the-figures-but-hollywood-must-buy-100-rights-for-every/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“an odd-job detective agency with fuzzy lines of authority and responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/an-odd-job-detective-agency-with-fuzzy-lines-of-authority-and/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [From time to time, just about every 'Vanity Fair' writer has a chance to sell rights to an article or a book to Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/from-time-to-time-just-about-every-vanity-fair-writer-has-a-chance-to/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“the Bureau acquired the nickname “The Department of Easy Virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/the-bureau-acquired-the-nickname-the-department-of-easy-virtue/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [I'm accustomed to Internet forums where rudeness and incivility are the rule, where too many people seem to take pride in their insults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/i-m-accustomed-to-internet-forums-where-rudeness-and-incivility-are/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > ['Bonnie and Clyde,' while one of the best movies ever made, was far more interested in portraying Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker as romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/bonnie-and-clyde-while-one-of-the-best-movies-ever-made-was-far-more/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“radical violence was so deeply woven into the fabric of 1970s America that many citizens, especially in New York and other hard-hit cities, accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/radical-violence-was-so-deeply-woven-into-the-fabric-of-1970s-america/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“changes in the story were the result of normal editing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/changes-in-the-story-were-the-result-of-normal-editing/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“Art has now done for Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow something they could never achieve in life: it has taken a shark-eyed multiple murderer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/art-has-now-done-for-bonnie-parker-and-clyde-barrow-something-they/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) [Explore all 26 Bryan Burrough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) ## More Expect quotes > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/therefore-you-also-must-be-ready-for-the-son-of-man-is-coming-at-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People expect more and more every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/people-expect-more-and-more-every-time/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) > [“Love is promising to give someone everything and not expect anything in return.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hart/love-is-promising-to-give-someone-everything-and-not-expect-anything/) [Emma Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hart/) > [I wanted to make a place for filmmakers and artists to come and 'do their stuff,' but I didn't expect it to have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/i-wanted-to-make-a-place-for-filmmakers-and-artists-to-come-and-do/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) > [Parents should have perfect control over their own spirits, and with mildness and yet firmness bend the will of the child until it shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/parents-should-have-perfect-control-over-their-own-spirits-and-with/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [“When you have a relationship with Jesus, you learn to expect something different everyday of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/when-you-have-a-relationship-with-jesus-you-learn-to-expect-something/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) > [I didn't expect I will get the Arjuna at 18 years. I thought 19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/i-didn-t-expect-i-will-get-the-arjuna-at-18-years-i-thought-19/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Sometimes when you least expect it, hope wiggles into your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-plourde/sometimes-when-you-least-expect-it-hope-wiggles-into-your-heart/) [Lynn Plourde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-plourde/) > [I laid my life on the line, so I expect nothing less from you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-day-to-remember/i-laid-my-life-on-the-line-so-i-expect-nothing-less-from-you/) [A Day To Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-day-to-remember/) Browse all 2,143 Expect quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You never know what to expect when you're a writer visiting a movie set.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bryan Burrough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-re-a-writer-visiting-a-movie/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-re-a-writer-visiting-a-movie/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/bryan-burrough-23197_expect_you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-r_3138574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You never know what to expect when you're a writer visiting a movie set.” — Bryan Burrough", "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": "Bryan Burrough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You never know what to expect...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-re-a-writer-visiting-a-movie/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/you-never-know-what-to-expect-when-you-re-a-writer-visiting-a-movie/#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 } } ] } ```