---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was thinking about time, how on a movie…"
description: "\"I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is maintained in the same time no matter how many takes and hours pass. Reflectors and lights ar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg"
---

#  I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is…

![“I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is maintained in the same time no matter how many takes and hours pass. Reflectors and lights are added, footprints are smoothed away, so that there are no telltale clues as the day wears on. When the shot is finished and the plugs are pulled…” quote by Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg)

> “I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is maintained in the same time no matter how many takes and hours pass. Reflectors and lights are added, footprints are smoothed away, so that there are no telltale clues as the day wears on. When the shot is finished and the plugs are pulled, time seems to leap forward in a matter of seconds. Perhaps making movies is a step toward being able to move backward and forward and in and out of linear time.”

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Film sets create an illusion of frozen time, masking the passage of hours through careful continuity.

**In simple terms:** Movie making hides real time to keep story flow.

Key Takeaway

Use continuity to maintain narrative immersion.

Themes

film continuity time perception storytelling

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- set design
- editing
- directing
- production management

Key Concepts

cinematography temporal illusion production design

Questions to Reflect On

- How does continuity affect audience immersion?
- What techniques ensure seamless time illusion?

A Different Perspective

Continuity can break if subtle changes slip through.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Leap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Linear time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linear-time/) [Making movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-movies/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie sets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-sets/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Perhaps making movies is a step toward being able to move backward and forward and in and out of linear time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/perhaps-making-movies-is-a-step-toward-being-able-to-move-backward/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

> [A lot of it is found in the editing room and part of that is due to some of the improvisational tactics we employ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-duplass/a-lot-of-it-is-found-in-the-editing-room-and-part-of-that-is-due-to/)

[Mark Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-duplass/)

> [I always love stories that do a big time leap where the past informs the present, where you find out what became of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/i-always-love-stories-that-do-a-big-time-leap-where-the-past-informs/)

[Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/)

> [We always joke now like, you know, the more experienced we get making stuff, we're like, "Never leave set without a shot of each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-duplass/we-always-joke-now-like-you-know-the-more-experienced-we-get-making/)

[Mark Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-duplass/)

> [If we can't get a shot after five passes, what's Ihe use of trying to set up a shot at all?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikan/if-we-can-t-get-a-shot-after-five-passes-what-s-ihe-use-of-trying-to/)

[George Mikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikan/)

> [“Hold on, for some time, to leap beyond the limit of giving up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrmn-ca-vikram-verma/hold-on-for-some-time-to-leap-beyond-the-limit-of-giving-up/)

[Vikrmn: CA Vikram Verma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrmn-ca-vikram-verma/)

> [“In our lives, we don’t always get what we deserve or what we want. But how we deal with those misfortunes mold our character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/in-our-lives-we-don-t-always-get-what-we-deserve-or-what-we-want-but-2/)

[Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/)

> [It takes a long time to put a movie together. It can take years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-green/it-takes-a-long-time-to-put-a-movie-together-it-can-take-years/)

[Tom Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-green/)

> [You know that you're going to invest so much of your time on a movie when you direct it that it's something that just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courteney-cox/you-know-that-you-re-going-to-invest-so-much-of-your-time-on-a-movie/)

[Courteney Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courteney-cox/)

> [The time a movie is made is unique, not only from the talent that is available but if the public was ready for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/the-time-a-movie-is-made-is-unique-not-only-from-the-talent-that-is/)

[Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/)

> [I get cassettes near Academy Award time of every movie that's made that thinks it has some kind of chance for a nomination -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/i-get-cassettes-near-academy-award-time-of-every-movie-that-s-made/)

[William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/)

> [Every time you go into a movie, you go into the point of view of who it is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/every-time-you-go-into-a-movie-you-go-into-the-point-of-view-of-who/)

[Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/)

> [Any time you take a movie to stage, you can't do the same thing; it's not gonna work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-louderman/any-time-you-take-a-movie-to-stage-you-can-t-do-the-same-thing-it-s/)

[Taylor Louderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-louderman/)

> [You know, I don't want to waste my time by being in a movie where nobody remembers my part. That's not interesting at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udo-kier/you-know-i-don-t-want-to-waste-my-time-by-being-in-a-movie-where/)

[Udo Kier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udo-kier/)

> [What does the future, that half of time, matter to the man who is infatuated with eternity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/what-does-the-future-that-half-of-time-matter-to-the-man-who-is/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

## More by Eleanor Coppola

> [When you stop looking for something, you see it right in front of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/when-you-stop-looking-for-something-you-see-it-right-in-front-of-you/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

> [It's scary to watch someone you love go into the center of himself and confront his fears, fear of failure, fear of death, fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/it-s-scary-to-watch-someone-you-love-go-into-the-center-of-himself/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

> [Hong Kong is the supermarket of Asia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/hong-kong-is-the-supermarket-of-asia/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

> [Perhaps making movies is a step toward being able to move backward and forward and in and out of linear time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/perhaps-making-movies-is-a-step-toward-being-able-to-move-backward/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

> [I have looked for the center of the art scene. I went to Paris as a student. I lived in Venice, California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/i-have-looked-for-the-center-of-the-art-scene-i-went-to-paris-as-a/)

[Eleanor Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

[Explore all 6 Eleanor Coppola quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is maintained in the same time no matter how many takes and hours pass. Reflectors and lights are added, footprints are smoothed away, so that there are no telltale clues as the day wears on. When the shot is finished and the plugs are pulled, time seems to leap forward in a matter of seconds. Perhaps making movies is a step toward being able to move backward and forward and in and out of linear time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eleanor Coppola"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie-set-the-shot-is-maintained/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie-set-the-shot-is-maintained/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/eleanor-coppola-57622_able_i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie_2125646.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was thinking about time, how on a movie set the shot is maintained in the same time no matter how many…” — Eleanor Coppola",
                "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": "Eleanor Coppola",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-coppola/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was thinking about time, how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie-set-the-shot-is-maintained/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-coppola/i-was-thinking-about-time-how-on-a-movie-set-the-shot-is-maintained/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
