--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was working outside the system 'cause I…" description: "\"I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get into the system. But in fact I like going off and I like editing my own films and I like telling..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png" --- # I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get… ![“I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get into the system. But in fact I like going off and I like editing my own films and I like telling small stories where you can really get into the minutiae of stuff.” quote by Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png) > “I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get into the system. But in fact I like going off and I like editing my own films and I like telling small stories where you can really get into the minutiae of stuff.” [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She values independent creation over mainstream systems, focusing on detailed, personal storytelling. **In simple terms:** Prefers making her own films and telling small, detailed stories. Key Takeaway Embrace DIY creativity and focus on detail. Themes independence creativity detail storytelling Mood reflective inspired Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - film workshops - personal projects - small‑scale productions - learning editing software Key Concepts DIY filmmaking personal narrative micro‑story Questions to Reflect On - How can you create impact with limited means? - What details make your story unique? A Different Perspective May lack resources and wider audience reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) ## Related quotes > [ \[on editing of the films\] There is always a question of time, and the director. I've worked with a lot of directors who don't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/on-editing-of-the-films-there-is-always-a-question-of-time-and-the/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [I was writing, directing, and editing my own films as a young kid with my parents' video camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-tandy/i-was-writing-directing-and-editing-my-own-films-as-a-young-kid-with/) [Meagan Tandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meagan-tandy/) > [I have used the name Jambulingam while editing films such as 'Super Troopers' and 'Puddle Cruiser.' I like the look and sound of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/i-have-used-the-name-jambulingam-while-editing-films-such-as-super/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [“The editing of a good piece of writing is like the editing of one's life: never quite complete; rendering all, ultimately, unfinished works when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kc-woodworth/the-editing-of-a-good-piece-of-writing-is-like-the-editing-of-one-s/) KC Woodworth > [I always feel like the editing room is like coming into the kitchen. What kind of a meal do you make from there? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/i-always-feel-like-the-editing-room-is-like-coming-into-the-kitchen/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [I like editing. Generally, you work under the assumption that everything can be shorter. I like to see if I can reconstruct a sentence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/i-like-editing-generally-you-work-under-the-assumption-that/) [Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/) > [You know, post-production is a bit of a grind to me. If I'm producing a film, I really... I mean I like editing, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-mcginley/you-know-post-production-is-a-bit-of-a-grind-to-me-if-i-m-producing-a/) [John C. McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-mcginley/) > [I'm telling you I was from such a small village I didn't even know what wrestling was until I came to America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beneil-dariush/i-m-telling-you-i-was-from-such-a-small-village-i-didn-t-even-know/) [Beneil Dariush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beneil-dariush/) > [I think I have an obligation, to the people who have consented to be in the film, to make a film that is fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-wiseman/i-think-i-have-an-obligation-to-the-people-who-have-consented-to-be/) [Frederick Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-wiseman/) > [I think a lot about the editing of the films when we're making them, partly because I studied that, and partly because if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schneider/i-think-a-lot-about-the-editing-of-the-films-when-we-re-making-them/) [Paul Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schneider/) > [I wish I could play music. I think I get as closeas possible with the editing of the films. Over the years musichas been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/i-wish-i-could-play-music-i-think-i-get-as-closeas-possible-with-the/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [I don't like to do any editing on guitars. I think the more editing you do, it just takes away from the feel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-static/i-don-t-like-to-do-any-editing-on-guitars-i-think-the-more-editing/) [Wayne Static](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-static/) > [I've always equated the writing process with editing, sort of like when I get through editing the movie, that's like my last draft of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-ve-always-equated-the-writing-process-with-editing-sort-of-like/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [My goal is to strip things down so that you need just the right amount of words or shape to convey what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/my-goal-is-to-strip-things-down-so-that-you-need-just-the-right/) [Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/) ## More by Kelly Reichardt > [Well, the reason that I teach at Bard is because it's a largely avant-garde program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/well-the-reason-that-i-teach-at-bard-is-because-it-s-a-largely-avant/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [To some degree I'm tied to the budgets I can raise. And that starts to very much affect you... originally I always shot outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/to-some-degree-i-m-tied-to-the-budgets-i-can-raise-and-that-starts-to/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [In my world, when I'm making work, when I go to my core group of people that I've been going to for 20 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/in-my-world-when-i-m-making-work-when-i-go-to-my-core-group-of-people/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [Hollywood's never been that appealing a world to me. It's just not my thing. I, just as a dummy, thought that was the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/hollywood-s-never-been-that-appealing-a-world-to-me-it-s-just-not-my/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [People make art for reasons other than money. People make art because they're compelled to, it's how they deal with the world or how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/people-make-art-for-reasons-other-than-money-people-make-art-because/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [Happiness is a strange word. So conclusive. Happiness is a thing that happens for a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/happiness-is-a-strange-word-so-conclusive-happiness-is-a-thing-that/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [It's funny, every time I start work on a new script, it feels like I'm going outside my comfort zone. But by the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/it-s-funny-every-time-i-start-work-on-a-new-script-it-feels-like-i-m/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [When I started teaching originally, I was teaching at NYU, which was not a good fit at all. It was one girl for every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/when-i-started-teaching-originally-i-was-teaching-at-nyu-which-was/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [I worked on a Hal Hartley film. I think I was a PA for costumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-worked-on-a-hal-hartley-film-i-think-i-was-a-pa-for-costumes/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [I got into photography in sixth grade. My father let me use his camera and then got me my first Pentax K1000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-got-into-photography-in-sixth-grade-my-father-let-me-use-his-camera/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [Jean-Pierre Melville is a favorite filmmaker of mine, I love the Hollywood New Wave, but that genre is made of films about men made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/jean-pierre-melville-is-a-favorite-filmmaker-of-mine-i-love-the/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [Friendship has made my life so rich and making things with people who are your friends... these are now decades-long relationships that are deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/friendship-has-made-my-life-so-rich-and-making-things-with-people-who/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [I don't want to watch a movie when it's done because I don't want to look at my editing. I don't want to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-don-t-want-to-watch-a-movie-when-it-s-done-because-i-don-t-want-to/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [With the closures of art schools and the drop-off in humanities, you can see where that's a direct loss for the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/with-the-closures-of-art-schools-and-the-drop-off-in-humanities-you/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [It's been a lifetime of trying to have less beef. Beef comes very naturally to me. I was born with my dukes up, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/it-s-been-a-lifetime-of-trying-to-have-less-beef-beef-comes-very/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) [Explore all 118 Kelly Reichardt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) ## More Editing quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [A perfect movie is a different thing, but a funny movie is easy. I was really happy that I got everyone that I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/a-perfect-movie-is-a-different-thing-but-a-funny-movie-is-easy-i-was/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When I see my movies on the editing table, I do think I could have done them a certain way. The satisfaction is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-see-my-movies-on-the-editing-table-i-do-think-i-could-have/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [And then to see the whole movie, you're pretty much waiting until the end of production. And the major lifting in terms of editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/and-then-to-see-the-whole-movie-you-re-pretty-much-waiting-until-the/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“It’s easy to see what to do once it’s already been done. The difficult time is before it’s to be done, and while you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-s-easy-to-see-what-to-do-once-it-s-already-been-done-the-difficult/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Once you sign on as an actor, you know, you don't go to the editing room, you don't see how they cut, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/once-you-sign-on-as-an-actor-you-know-you-don-t-go-to-the-editing/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [The momentum of production keeps you from giving up, so it's really the editing and writing phases where things can look bleakest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/the-momentum-of-production-keeps-you-from-giving-up-so-it-s-really/) [Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/) > [I spend a lot of time in preproduction working with authors, and a lot of time in postproduction.: editing, music, all that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-preproduction-working-with-authors-and-a-lot/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) Browse all 938 Editing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get into the system. But in fact I like going off and I like editing my own films and I like telling small stories where you can really get into the minutiae of stuff.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kelly Reichardt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i-couldn-t-get-into-the-system/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Editing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i-couldn-t-get-into-the-system/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/kelly-reichardt-3976_editing_i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i_1067362.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was working outside the system 'cause I couldn't get into the system. But in fact I like going off and I…” — Kelly Reichardt", "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": "Kelly Reichardt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was working outside the system...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i-couldn-t-get-into-the-system/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-was-working-outside-the-system-cause-i-couldn-t-get-into-the-system/#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 } } ] } ```