--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In making movies, time is so…" description: "\"In making movies, time is so short-because it is so expensive-that we tend to neglect the place from which the best ideas come, namely that part of our..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mike-nichols-6630_collaborators_in-making-movies-time-is-so-short-becaus_640927.png" --- # In making movies, time is so short-because it is so… ![“In making movies, time is so short-because it is so expensive-that we tend to neglect the place from which the best ideas come, namely that part of ourselves that dreams. The unconscious is our best collaborator.” quote by Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mike-nichols-6630_collaborators_in-making-movies-time-is-so-short-becaus_640927.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mike-nichols-6630_collaborators_in-making-movies-time-is-so-short-becaus_640927.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mike-nichols-6630_collaborators_in-making-movies-time-is-so-short-becaus_640927.png) > “In making movies, time is so short-because it is so expensive-that we tend to neglect the place from which the best ideas come, namely that part of ourselves that dreams. The unconscious is our best collaborator.” [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He emphasizes that the subconscious mind fuels creativity, and that filmmakers should nurture their inner dreams. **In simple terms:** Dreams and the unconscious inspire the best ideas. Key Takeaway Cultivate time for daydreaming and reflection. Themes creativity film psychology Mood inspirational reflective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - scriptwriting sessions - storyboarding - creative retreats Key Concepts unconscious mind dream analysis creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance subconscious ideas with production limits? - What practices help access your unconscious? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on intuition may neglect practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collaborators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaborators/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Making movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-movies/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Neglect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neglect/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The unconscious is our best collaborator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-unconscious-is-our-best-collaborator/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [“That we don't remember the beginning or the ending of dreams is our unconscious reminding us that it's all about the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/that-we-don-t-remember-the-beginning-or-the-ending-of-dreams-is-our/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) > [The more you work with your dreams and your unconscious, and honor it, the more you understand it and it understands you. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-woodman/the-more-you-work-with-your-dreams-and-your-unconscious-and-honor-it/) [Marion Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-woodman/) > [I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-paint-what-cannot-be-photographed-that-which-comes-from-the/) [Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/) > [Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/our-life-is-composed-greatly-from-dreams-from-the-unconscious-and/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I love the editing process of making movies. I just wish that life had one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-love-the-editing-process-of-making-movies-i-just-wish-that-life-had/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [My mom is always telling me it takes a long time to get to the top, but a short time to get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/my-mom-is-always-telling-me-it-takes-a-long-time-to-get-to-the-top/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [In T20, there's a time shortage because you've got four overs. In one-day cricket, you relax, and the game goes long, and you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-tahir/in-t20-there-s-a-time-shortage-because-you-ve-got-four-overs-in-one/) [Imran Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-tahir/) > [One cannot buy, rent or hire more time. The supply of time is totally inelastic. No matter how high the demand, the supply will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-cannot-buy-rent-or-hire-more-time-the-supply-of-time-is-totally/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone else's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobi-yamada/embrace-your-uniqueness-time-is-much-too-short-to-be-living-someone/) [Kobi Yamada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobi-yamada/) > [Think not thy time short in this world, since the world itself is not long. The created world is but a small parenthesis in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/think-not-thy-time-short-in-this-world-since-the-world-itself-is-not/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [I've always had a clear sense that time is short and we need to live as fully as we can in every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/i-ve-always-had-a-clear-sense-that-time-is-short-and-we-need-to-live/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) > [Time is very short even for love. I don't know how people find time for hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-very-short-even-for-love-i-don-t-know-how-people-find-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It reminded him that time was short, but that beautiful endings could still be found at the end of cold, dreary days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-ford/it-reminded-him-that-time-was-short-but-that-beautiful-endings-could/) [Jamie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-ford/) > [“Philosophy is the theory of multiplicities, each of which is composed of actual and virtual elements. Purely actual objects do not exist. Every actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/philosophy-is-the-theory-of-multiplicities-each-of-which-is-composed/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) ## More by Mike Nichols > [Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/stand-up-comedy-is-a-very-hard-thing-on-the-spirit-there-are-people/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [It's the hardest thing on earth to like yourself, and then when you do, it's a catastrophe. I mean, the people I know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/it-s-the-hardest-thing-on-earth-to-like-yourself-and-then-when-you-do/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [I used to say that winning the Oscar means being back at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 1 A.M. feeling empty. It's the industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-used-to-say-that-winning-the-oscar-means-being-back-at-the-beverly/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [I'm an enormous fan of 'The West Wing.' 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At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-reason-that-most-british-actors-are-better-than-most-american/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Fear of comedy is all so much about who you do it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/fear-of-comedy-is-all-so-much-about-who-you-do-it-with/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [If you lose a parent, it never goes away. As a kid, I dreamed about my father coming back for 15 or 20 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/if-you-lose-a-parent-it-never-goes-away-as-a-kid-i-dreamed-about-my/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Nerves provide me with energy... It's when I don't have them, when I feel at ease, that I get worried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/nerves-provide-me-with-energy-it-s-when-i-don-t-have-them-when-i-feel/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Technically, maybe I learned most of all from George Stevens, and among his movies I learned the most from 'A Place in the Sun.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/technically-maybe-i-learned-most-of-all-from-george-stevens-and-among/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Jewish introspection and Jewish humor is a way of surviving . . . if you're not handsome and you're not athletic and you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/jewish-introspection-and-jewish-humor-is-a-way-of-surviving-if-you-re/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > ['Streetcar' is no longer about the moment at all. There is no Blanche DuBois anywhere; south, north, east or west. We don't have Blanche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/streetcar-is-no-longer-about-the-moment-at-all-there-is-no-blanche/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) [Explore all 98 Mike Nichols quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) ## More Collaborators quotes > [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“Well it's not possible to win this kind of thing. This is a continuous striving that people have done for a long time. 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You take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/with-every-script-i-write-a-note-to-my-collaborator-that-says-i-write/) [Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/) > [Even though I design my own jewelry, one of the great things about my job is being able to bring in really talented collaborators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-chiang/even-though-i-design-my-own-jewelry-one-of-the-great-things-about-my/) [Monika Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monika-chiang/) > [With the exceptional talent that is Guy Sigsworth as producer and collaborator, we have recorded a collection of original songs that sees me moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/with-the-exceptional-talent-that-is-guy-sigsworth-as-producer-and/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Spending a lot of time in London not only gave me inspiration, but also the opportunity to meet in person some great collaborators, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santhosh-narayanan/spending-a-lot-of-time-in-london-not-only-gave-me-inspiration-but/) [Santhosh Narayanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santhosh-narayanan/) > [Why hire these geniuses if they're forced to stick with the script? You want to empower your actors as collaborators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-levy/why-hire-these-geniuses-if-they-re-forced-to-stick-with-the-script/) [Shawn Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-levy/) > [I think that in the minds of many, the press is being seen less and less as a neutral observer in the impeachment enterprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-think-that-in-the-minds-of-many-the-press-is-being-seen-less-and/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [You have to know that your collaborators want you to make the movie that you want. 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