---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're working on a film, it's…"
description: "\"When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very all-consuming. There's not something in particular.\" — Howard Shore"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg"
---

#  When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very…

![“When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very all-consuming. There's not something in particular.” quote by Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg)

> “When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very all-consuming. There's not something in particular.”

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

## About This Quote

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

Film work is demanding and all‑consuming, often lacking a single defining element.

**In simple terms:** Film scoring is intense and immersive, without a single focus.

Key Takeaway

Balance intensity with personal well‑being.

Themes

film industry creative process intensity focus

Mood

intense thoughtful

Type

professional creative

When to use this quote

- film production
- composer collaboration
- time management
- self‑care routines

Key Concepts

artistic immersion workload management creative burnout

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain focus during long projects?
- What strategies prevent burnout?

A Different Perspective

Creative intensity can lead to burnout without boundaries.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/)

## Related quotes

> [The thing is that when you make a film, it is such an intense experience. It's like being married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/the-thing-is-that-when-you-make-a-film-it-is-such-an-intense/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [In the film industry you work very long hours, and making a film is a very intense process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/in-the-film-industry-you-work-very-long-hours-and-making-a-film-is-a/)

[Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/)

> [“love and hate are very close emotions, both intense and consuming”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleatha-romig/love-and-hate-are-very-close-emotions-both-intense-and-consuming/)

[Aleatha Romig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleatha-romig/)

> [I can't even remember anything before Albee. There is this bursting love you feel, but it's so intense and so all-consuming. I've become one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-lowes/i-can-t-even-remember-anything-before-albee-there-is-this-bursting/)

[Katie Lowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-lowes/)

> [When you're working on film music, you're only working on 20, 30-minute sections at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-film-music-you-re-only-working-on-20-30-minute/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I've done every kind of student gig going, where you get beat up, spat out, chucked out, and your car nicked. Working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/i-ve-done-every-kind-of-student-gig-going-where-you-get-beat-up-spat/)

[Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/)

> [I don't want to sound like too much of a drama queen! But I'm not going to tell you, 'Oh, it's just so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-don-t-want-to-sound-like-too-much-of-a-drama-queen-but-i-m-not/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [Working on a film is different from working in an office. You spend 16-hour days together; you share stories and become really close. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shenaz-treasury/working-on-a-film-is-different-from-working-in-an-office-you-spend-16/)

[Shenaz Treasury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shenaz-treasury/)

> [I didn't want to miss the chance of working in a film like Uri.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-raina/i-didn-t-want-to-miss-the-chance-of-working-in-a-film-like-uri/)

[Mohit Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-raina/)

> [The most important question for me when I begin working on a film is where to start. For a book, what makes you convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-most-important-question-for-me-when-i-begin-working-on-a-film-is/)

[Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/)

> [I never had any special appetite for filmmaking, but you have to make a living and it is miraculous to earn a living working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/i-never-had-any-special-appetite-for-filmmaking-but-you-have-to-make/)

[Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/)

> [For me, when working on a film or play or television show, everything for me starts with the screenplay and I am devoted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spader/for-me-when-working-on-a-film-or-play-or-television-show-everything/)

[James Spader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spader/)

> [Television is very different than working on film. With films, you get to develop a set of characters, and then, at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/television-is-very-different-than-working-on-film-with-films-you-get/)

[Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/)

> [One day, I read an extremely vague ad looking for someone interested in working in film. Seeing as I loved watching films, I replied,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/one-day-i-read-an-extremely-vague-ad-looking-for-someone-interested/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [I love the consistency of working on television. You don't get that in working on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-tortorella/i-love-the-consistency-of-working-on-television-you-don-t-get-that-in/)

[Nico Tortorella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-tortorella/)

## More by Howard Shore

> [It is very gratifying to see the music from 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy find a new life on the concert stage as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/it-is-very-gratifying-to-see-the-music-from-the-lord-of-the-rings/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I read all of the books by Tolkien, including 'The Hobbit,' when I was in my twenties, and his deep love of nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-read-all-of-the-books-by-tolkien-including-the-hobbit-when-i-was-in/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I've been writing music since I was 9. I took harmony and counterpoint classes when I was studying the clarinet. So, I've been writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-ve-been-writing-music-since-i-was-9-i-took-harmony-and-counterpoint/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [All of the silent films had live music accompaniment, so it's actually a very rich period in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/all-of-the-silent-films-had-live-music-accompaniment-so-it-s-actually/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I always believed 'The Fly' to be a classic opera story. It's a tale of love and death, true love surviving in the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-always-believed-the-fly-to-be-a-classic-opera-story-it-s-a-tale-of/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [Composing is sort of an intuitive act. You have to put yourself in the right frame of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/composing-is-sort-of-an-intuitive-act-you-have-to-put-yourself-in-the/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [Theater and film are essentially the same - just different kinds of storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/theater-and-film-are-essentially-the-same-just-different-kinds-of/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I like to do a lot of research on all of the films I work on. So, I like to read a lot. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-like-to-do-a-lot-of-research-on-all-of-the-films-i-work-on-so-i/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I live in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. and spend time in the West Village, where my wife Elizabeth Cotnoir, a writer-producer and documentary filmmaker, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-live-in-tuxedo-park-n-y-and-spend-time-in-the-west-village-where-my/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [My first score for 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' was the beginning of my journey into the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/my-first-score-for-the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-the-fellowship-of/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [Music is essentially an emotional language, so you want to feel something from the relationships and build music based on those feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/music-is-essentially-an-emotional-language-so-you-want-to-feel/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [The music for 'The Departed' could have been played by an orchestra, but you make a decision about orchestration based on the context of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/the-music-for-the-departed-could-have-been-played-by-an-orchestra-but/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I usually work with the director and it's just a collaboration between me and the one person. I think you make good movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-usually-work-with-the-director-and-it-s-just-a-collaboration/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [I always go back to the original material. I want a good connection as the composer and writer of the score to the director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-always-go-back-to-the-original-material-i-want-a-good-connection-as/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

> [You can find the whole world of a film in one instrument, or you can find a world of sound in the orchestra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/you-can-find-the-whole-world-of-a-film-in-one-instrument-or-you-can/)

[Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

[Explore all 46 Howard Shore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/)

## 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

> [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": "When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very all-consuming. There's not something in particular.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Howard Shore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-intense-and-it-s-very-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cinema"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-intense-and-it-s-very-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/howard-shore-14455_cinema_when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-inten_3215303.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you're working on a film, it's intense and it's very all-consuming. There's not something in particular.” — Howard Shore",
                "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": "Howard Shore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you're working on a film,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-intense-and-it-s-very-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-a-film-it-s-intense-and-it-s-very-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
