--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Directing, to me, starts even before we…" description: "\"Directing, to me, starts even before we get to the set. Directing is a fluid, an abstract thing. It's not done only purely in the moment. It's an idea ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/harmony-korine-8808_abstract_directing-to-me-starts-even-before-we-ge_1248607.jpg" --- # Directing, to me, starts even before we get to the set… ![“Directing, to me, starts even before we get to the set. Directing is a fluid, an abstract thing. It's not done only purely in the moment. It's an idea that you plant before. It's a location that you show. It's something I whisper in someone's ear. It's a freeform thing. It only takes me a week to…” quote by Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/harmony-korine-8808_abstract_directing-to-me-starts-even-before-we-ge_1248607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/harmony-korine-8808_abstract_directing-to-me-starts-even-before-we-ge_1248607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/harmony-korine-8808_abstract_directing-to-me-starts-even-before-we-ge_1248607.jpg) > “Directing, to me, starts even before we get to the set. Directing is a fluid, an abstract thing. It's not done only purely in the moment. It's an idea that you plant before. It's a location that you show. It's something I whisper in someone's ear. It's a freeform thing. It only takes me a week to write the script, but it's years that you're thinking about it. The execution is really the fast part.” [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directing begins with conceptual planning and imagination before any physical production, emphasizing pre‑visualization and internal vision. **In simple terms:** Directing starts in the mind before the set. Key Takeaway Focus on ideas early. Themes creativity process vision Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - film production - storyboarding - creative workshops Key Concepts Narrative theory pre‑visualization Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture ideas before filming? - What tools help translate abstract vision to concrete plans? A Different Perspective Execution alone cannot compensate for weak concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's sort of one ongoing process where writing ends and directing starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-durkin/it-s-sort-of-one-ongoing-process-where-writing-ends-and-directing/) [Sean Durkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-durkin/) > [I've always known that I love directing but I was really aware of it while making 'Beginners.' I am my happiest when I'm on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-ve-always-known-that-i-love-directing-but-i-was-really-aware-of-it/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I love learning on the set. But, directing is not something I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-love-learning-on-the-set-but-directing-is-not-something-i-want-to-do/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [I'm very manipulative towards directors. My theory is that everyone on the set is directing the film, we're all receiving art messages from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/i-m-very-manipulative-towards-directors-my-theory-is-that-everyone-on/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [For me, running a set and directing has been the most rewarding thing of my life and a happy surprise, because it was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/for-me-running-a-set-and-directing-has-been-the-most-rewarding-thing/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [“Anyone else feel like that? Like your life's a big act. Like you're trying to be a man when you're just a scared kid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/anyone-else-feel-like-that-like-your-life-s-a-big-act-like-you-re/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [So sometimes it is an outright manipulation like that, but most of the time I'm just, I'm creating a mood that is a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-friedman/so-sometimes-it-is-an-outright-manipulation-like-that-but-most-of-the/) [Carol Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-friedman/) > [A hunter that is worth his salt does not catch game because he sets his traps, or because he knows the hunting routines of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/a-hunter-that-is-worth-his-salt-does-not-catch-game-because-he-sets/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [Music licensing is a strange business to navigate, and all kinds of little things can drive a price up or down. It's completely fluid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-richardson/music-licensing-is-a-strange-business-to-navigate-and-all-kinds-of/) Liza Richardson > [I met people on college campuses who were defining themselves as genderqueer to express revolutionary feelings, or to communicate their individuality; they were gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-met-people-on-college-campuses-who-were-defining-themselves-as/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [Believe me, you lose more than a gallon of fluids during a race. You could lose between six and 10 pounds during a race,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-andretti/believe-me-you-lose-more-than-a-gallon-of-fluids-during-a-race-you/) [Michael Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-andretti/) > [Envy may justly be called "the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity;" it is the most acid fruit that grows on the stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/envy-may-justly-be-called-the-gall-of-bitterness-and-bond-of-iniquity/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/presidential-ambition-is-a-disease-that-can-only-be-cured-by/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Time is a corrosive fluid, dissolving motivation, destroying novelty, and leaching the joy from life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/time-is-a-corrosive-fluid-dissolving-motivation-destroying-novelty/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) ## More by Harmony Korine > [A scientist shouldn't be asked to judge the economic and moral value of his work. All we should ask the scientist to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/a-scientist-shouldn-t-be-asked-to-judge-the-economic-and-moral-value/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I've started lots of books, but it's hard for me to finish them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-ve-started-lots-of-books-but-it-s-hard-for-me-to-finish-them/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I'd always heard stories about how Harpo Marx was the most talkative of the Marx brothers. I found it interesting that someone you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-d-always-heard-stories-about-how-harpo-marx-was-the-most-talkative/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [ The first time I hung out with \[David Blaine\], he took me to this condemned building, and it had a pizza oven and he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/the-first-time-i-hung-out-with-david-blaine-he-took-me-to-this/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [Here's the thing that people don't understand: I don't really care. I've never been a careerist. It's not a strategy. I react to certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/here-s-the-thing-that-people-don-t-understand-i-don-t-really-care-i/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [What makes Gucci Mane Gucci Mane is like what made Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra - it's just him. He's trap's Frank Sinatra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/what-makes-gucci-mane-gucci-mane-is-like-what-made-frank-sinatra/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I tried working odd jobs that had nothing to do with creating, and it was difficult for me. In the end, I just always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-tried-working-odd-jobs-that-had-nothing-to-do-with-creating-and-it/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I always wanted the films to play in malls, and I wanted as many people as possible to see them. I never want them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-always-wanted-the-films-to-play-in-malls-and-i-wanted-as-many/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [Some of the most radical work is being done in the most commercially pop venues, and some of the most boring work is being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/some-of-the-most-radical-work-is-being-done-in-the-most-commercially/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I look at WorldstarHipHop in the morning, Bossip, Global Grind, and everything in between, but it's all so quick, I don't even think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-look-at-worldstarhiphop-in-the-morning-bossip-global-grind-and/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [I just haven't let myself get to a place where I've felt a part of any kind of a community, so I've always stayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/i-just-haven-t-let-myself-get-to-a-place-where-i-ve-felt-a-part-of/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [My knock with filmmaking is the whole bureaucracy around it, so in some ways, staying outside of it is easier for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/my-knock-with-filmmaking-is-the-whole-bureaucracy-around-it-so-in/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [Editing is fun for me. That's where you make things happen. Filming a movie, I just try to set things up and see where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/editing-is-fun-for-me-that-s-where-you-make-things-happen-filming-a/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [Ever since I was little, I would just make stories up in my mind. It was based on people I saw in the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/ever-since-i-was-little-i-would-just-make-stories-up-in-my-mind-it/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) > [It's hard to say things without coming off in a certain way, but at a young age, I felt very driven. All I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmony-korine/it-s-hard-to-say-things-without-coming-off-in-a-certain-way-but-at-a/) [Harmony Korine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) [Explore all 77 Harmony Korine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmony-korine/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Directing, to me, starts even before we get to the set. Directing is a fluid, an abstract thing. It's not done only purely in the moment. It's an idea that you plant before. It's a location that you show. It's something I whisper in someone's ear. It's a freeform thing. It only takes me a week to write the script, but it's years that you're thinking about it. 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