---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day…"
description: "\"I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking \"Only 19 and a half days to go... I can make it!\"\" — Guy Maddin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg"
---

#  I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime…

![“I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking &quot;Only 19 and a half days to go... I can make it!&quot;” quote by Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg)

> “I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking "Only 19 and a half days to go... I can make it!"”

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

## About This Quote

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

Feeling anxious during a long shoot, counting down days to motivate.

**In simple terms:** Anxious countdown; self‑motivation.

Key Takeaway

Break tasks into smaller steps.

Themes

anxiety productivity film

Mood

nervous determined

Type

creative motivational

When to use this quote

- film production
- personal coping

Key Concepts

deadline motivation stress management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you reduce anxiety?
- What alternative motivators help?

A Different Perspective

Countdown may add pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Day Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-shoot-432698/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-days/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lunchtime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunchtime/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Nervous Wreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-wreck-719638/) [Shoot Lunchtime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot-lunchtime-1860177/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wrecks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrecks/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[Ted\] Cruz is going down. He looks like a nervous wreck. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/ted-cruz-is-going-down-he-looks-like-a-nervous-wreck/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [I was a scared kid... I think I was born a nervous wreck, and I think movies were one way to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-a-scared-kid-i-think-i-was-born-a-nervous-wreck-and-i-think/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-haim/i-started-on-the-downers-which-were-a-hell-of-a-lot-better-than-the/)

[Corey Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-haim/)

> [There were two auditions for 'The Social Network,' one with Aaron Sorkin and one with David Fincher. I was a nervous wreck. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armie-hammer/there-were-two-auditions-for-the-social-network-one-with-aaron-sorkin/)

[Armie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armie-hammer/)

> [I would be a nervous wreck on a date, which sounds crazy because I'm a confident woman but I wouldn't know what to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maura-higgins/i-would-be-a-nervous-wreck-on-a-date-which-sounds-crazy-because-i-m-a/)

[Maura Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maura-higgins/)

> [Mahesh doesn't show his own anxieties when his films are up for release, but I become a nervous wreck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namrata-shirodkar/mahesh-doesn-t-show-his-own-anxieties-when-his-films-are-up-for/)

[Namrata Shirodkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namrata-shirodkar/)

> [When I first started performing, I was a nervous wreck. Honestly, sometimes I felt like I was going to run off the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrie-sellers/when-i-first-started-performing-i-was-a-nervous-wreck-honestly/)

[Aubrie Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrie-sellers/)

> [I wanted to end my life so bad and was in my car ready to go down that ramp into the water, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-smith/i-wanted-to-end-my-life-so-bad-and-was-in-my-car-ready-to-go-down/)

[Susan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-smith/)

> [I get a little upset, yeah, if a year goes by and I don't get a script. Thank God I have other interests that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-get-a-little-upset-yeah-if-a-year-goes-by-and-i-don-t-get-a-script/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [There was no time for long, meaningful pauses for the camera. My head was melted at the end of it. I had a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/there-was-no-time-for-long-meaningful-pauses-for-the-camera-my-head/)

[Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/)

> [“There was Bartender Boy, but he wouldn't get off until well after 2 A.M. I was a nervous wreck already, so if this dragged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/there-was-bartender-boy-but-he-wouldn-t-get-off-until-well-after-2-a/)

[Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/)

> [As a part owner, I'm going to be not only an admirer... but a nervous wreck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-staubach/as-a-part-owner-i-m-going-to-be-not-only-an-admirer-but-a-nervous/)

[Roger Staubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-staubach/)

> [I'm moving on with life. I don't really need you anymore, I want to thank you, for everything you've done. You've turned me into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-moving-on-with-life-i-don-t-really-need-you-anymore-i-want-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I would love to act. I get to do it in three and a half minutes in a video on a three-day shoot, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-would-love-to-act-i-get-to-do-it-in-three-and-a-half-minutes-in-a/)

[Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/)

> [Another mistake a director can make is not to be prepared, so you get there on the day to shoot the scene, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/another-mistake-a-director-can-make-is-not-to-be-prepared-so-you-get/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

## More by Guy Maddin

> [I was too lazy to read, and I was even too lazy to imagine scenarios drawn up by the pictures. They just suggested a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-was-too-lazy-to-read-and-i-was-even-too-lazy-to-imagine-scenarios/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [I probably live in the best province for independent filmmakers. Manitoba has a sort of thieving-magpie approach, trying to lift productions from other provinces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-probably-live-in-the-best-province-for-independent-filmmakers/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [Whenever you take a subject you're obsessed with or that haunts you, and make a movie about it, you're converting it into work units…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/whenever-you-take-a-subject-you-re-obsessed-with-or-that-haunts-you/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [I've been so lazy all my life. I used to literally lie on the couch, up until the age of 35, fearing that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-ve-been-so-lazy-all-my-life-i-used-to-literally-lie-on-the-couch-up/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [The Forbidden Room and Seances are related. Both of them are made up of lost film matter adapted through the medium of me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/the-forbidden-room-and-seances-are-related-both-of-them-are-made-up/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [Well, I had a wolverine. It was supposed to be a cat, but Jason (Patric) is allergic to cats. I can't remember where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/well-i-had-a-wolverine-it-was-supposed-to-be-a-cat-but-jason-patric/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [I literally designed and built the sets myself, and I kind of liked it. I always gave myself eight weeks to do that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-literally-designed-and-built-the-sets-myself-and-i-kind-of-liked-it/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [It's funny how film is the slowest art form to adapt to freedom. It's had freedom all along. It could've done whatever it wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/it-s-funny-how-film-is-the-slowest-art-form-to-adapt-to-freedom-it-s/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [In many relationships that I've had people just try to own the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/in-many-relationships-that-i-ve-had-people-just-try-to-own-the-other/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [But in the act of attempting to imitate I discovered that I had a voice of my own. Whether I liked it or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/but-in-the-act-of-attempting-to-imitate-i-discovered-that-i-had-a/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [If you sit in on a film class with students, their big complaint is "That's not like real life." They don't realize that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/if-you-sit-in-on-a-film-class-with-students-their-big-complaint-is/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [I've usually never felt comfortable shooting until things were kind of claustrophobic, but ballet dancers need a lot of space, so the sets that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-ve-usually-never-felt-comfortable-shooting-until-things-were-kind/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [If I feel like crying, I'll just cry in a dream. Something I really try not to do in my waking hours. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/if-i-feel-like-crying-i-ll-just-cry-in-a-dream-something-i-really-try/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [I like the way we get to be uninhibited in our dreams, we don't' need to repress our behaviours like we do in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-like-the-way-we-get-to-be-uninhibited-in-our-dreams-we-don-t-need/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [Some Jungian or Freudian would tell me I'm just trying to go back to the womb... at gunpoint, if necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/some-jungian-or-freudian-would-tell-me-i-m-just-trying-to-go-back-to/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

[Explore all 55 Guy Maddin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

## More Firsts quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/)

[Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/)

> [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [You sort of can't talk about the post production unless you talk about what comes first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-greengrass/you-sort-of-can-t-talk-about-the-post-production-unless-you-talk/)

[Paul Greengrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-greengrass/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/)

[Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/)

[Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

[Browse all 32,432 Firsts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking \"Only 19 and a half days to go... I can make it!\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Guy Maddin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-shoot-at-lunchtime-on-the-first/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Firsts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-shoot-at-lunchtime-on-the-first/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/guy-maddin-12338_firsts_i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-sho_2590907.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking \"Only 19 and a half…” — Guy Maddin",
                "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": "Guy Maddin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm a nervous wreck. If it's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-shoot-at-lunchtime-on-the-first/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-shoot-at-lunchtime-on-the-first/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
