--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're a director and someone shows up…" description: "\"If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like, 'Man, I've got a million decisions to make; ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg" --- # If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I… ![“If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like, 'Man, I've got a million decisions to make; can you show up with an idea for the scene?'” quote by Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg) > “If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like, 'Man, I've got a million decisions to make; can you show up with an idea for the scene?'” [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directors must be prepared with clear ideas because they face countless decisions and cannot accept vague suggestions. **In simple terms:** Directors need solid ideas due to many decisions. Key Takeaway Come prepared with concrete concepts. Themes leadership creativity decisionmaking Mood determined focused Type professional advice When to use this quote - film set - creative meetings - pitch sessions - script revisions Key Concepts film direction collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance creative freedom with production limits? - What preparation helps you handle unexpected changes? A Different Perspective A director's vision may still be limited by budget or studio constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Director Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-like/) [Director Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-shows-3440593/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Idea Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-scene-293544/) [Imagine Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-director-5993946/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million/) [Million Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-decisions-3633637/) [Show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [Within the last three years the amount of classified materials has doubled to 15.6 million decisions to classify documents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hodding-carter/within-the-last-three-years-the-amount-of-classified-materials-has/) [Hodding Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hodding-carter/) > [I love when a director shows up with a lot of energy, and different ideas about how to change things and do it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-chase/i-love-when-a-director-shows-up-with-a-lot-of-energy-and-different/) [Bailey Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-chase/) > [I'm always looking for the idea in a scene or the philosophy that makes a scene worth existing beyond exposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/i-m-always-looking-for-the-idea-in-a-scene-or-the-philosophy-that/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [The person viewing your work has no idea what the scene really looked like, nor do they care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-person-viewing-your-work-has-no-idea-what-the-scene-really-looked/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [I've come to the possible conclusion that being a comedic writer/director is like running track. You do it for a certain amount of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wain/i-ve-come-to-the-possible-conclusion-that-being-a-comedic-writer/) [David Wain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wain/) > [When you direct the dialogue you can be precise, but with a song as a director you're more like a football coach. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-ade/when-you-direct-the-dialogue-you-can-be-precise-but-with-a-song-as-a/) [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) > [People who know your work and know your personality, they know your strengths and weaknesses. A director like Guillermo del Toro, he knows more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-jones/people-who-know-your-work-and-know-your-personality-they-know-your/) [Doug Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-jones/) > [Choosing a director is like choosing a therapist - you want somebody who is going to be a step or two ahead of you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-margulies/choosing-a-director-is-like-choosing-a-therapist-you-want-somebody/) [Donald Margulies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-margulies/) > [I love when I work with a director and I'm like, 'You have a sense of what you want. You know your vision. 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He has to be like the captain of a ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-lang/each-picture-has-some-sort-of-rhythm-which-only-the-director-can-give/) [Fritz Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-lang/) > [Sometimes I think being an actor is like being a dog for a director; it's like they throw a stick, and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/sometimes-i-think-being-an-actor-is-like-being-a-dog-for-a-director/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) > [When I meet a good actor, I would like to be a director. When I meet a good director, I would like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiang-wen/when-i-meet-a-good-actor-i-would-like-to-be-a-director-when-i-meet-a/) [Jiang Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiang-wen/) > [It's great when a director like Cameron Crowe can take what you do and fit it into what he's doing. If someone's a fan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/it-s-great-when-a-director-like-cameron-crowe-can-take-what-you-do/) [J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/) > [I’m an actor who’s accustomed to bringing a lot of stuff to the table, and you have to be ready because some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-m-an-actor-who-s-accustomed-to-bringing-a-lot-of-stuff-to-the-table/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) ## More by Casey Affleck > [Talking to other people about a part is not helpful for me. It's such an internal and complicated and still kind of mysterious process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/talking-to-other-people-about-a-part-is-not-helpful-for-me-it-s-such/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Most calves used by the dairy industry have their horns BURNED or GOUGED out of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/most-calves-used-by-the-dairy-industry-have-their-horns-burned-or/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [When people ask me why I don't eat meat or any other animal products, I say, 'Because they are unhealthy and they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/when-people-ask-me-why-i-don-t-eat-meat-or-any-other-animal-products/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Sometimes being an actor is kind of demanding in very different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/sometimes-being-an-actor-is-kind-of-demanding-in-very-different-ways/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [After I left LA... it was like waking up. 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That's the job they have; they have to do it. They hate their boss and their coworkers, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/some-people-go-to-their-job-that-s-the-job-they-have-they-have-to-do/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Chickens, cows, and pigs in factory farms spend their whole lives in filthy, cramped conditions, only to die a prolonged and painful death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/chickens-cows-and-pigs-in-factory-farms-spend-their-whole-lives-in/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [If you show up in L.A. with your shirt inside out or socks mismatched, people start putting change in your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-show-up-in-l-a-with-your-shirt-inside-out-or-socks-mismatched/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I knew it would be hard work, but that's the reason you're an actor. If you're a bricklayer, you don't want to just show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-knew-it-would-be-hard-work-but-that-s-the-reason-you-re-an-actor-if/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I feel like whenever I do a movie, people think, 'Well, that's good, but that's probably the best he'll do.' I sort of bang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-feel-like-whenever-i-do-a-movie-people-think-well-that-s-good-but/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) [Explore all 121 Casey Affleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) ## 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. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. 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": "If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like, 'Man, I've got a million decisions to make; can you show up with an idea for the scene?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Casey Affleck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-up-and-asks-how-i-do-it-i-d/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-up-and-asks-how-i-do-it-i-d/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a2/casey-affleck-3849_cinema_if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-u_3210043.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you're a director and someone shows up and asks how I do it, I'd imagine, as a director, you're like…” — Casey Affleck", "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": "Casey Affleck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you're a director and someone...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-up-and-asks-how-i-do-it-i-d/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/if-you-re-a-director-and-someone-shows-up-and-asks-how-i-do-it-i-d/#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 } } ] } ```