--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I start a film, I can sort of shut…" description: "\"When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit somewhere quiet and imagine the movie finished. I can imagine the camera angles, I can even imagin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg" --- # When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit… ![“When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit somewhere quiet and imagine the movie finished. I can imagine the camera angles, I can even imagine the type of music. Without knowing the tune, I can imagine the type of music it needs to be.” quote by Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg) > “When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit somewhere quiet and imagine the movie finished. I can imagine the camera angles, I can even imagine the type of music. Without knowing the tune, I can imagine the type of music it needs to be.” [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The filmmaker visualizes the entire movie in his mind, including images and sound, before production begins. **In simple terms:** He imagines the film’s look and feel before filming. Key Takeaway Use mental rehearsal to guide creative decisions. Themes imagination visualization preproduction audio creative process Mood focused creative anticipatory Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - film planning - storyboarding - sound design - director’s vision Key Concepts cinematography storytelling mental rehearsal Questions to Reflect On - How does mental visualization affect actual production? - What limits does imagination face in filmmaking? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints of budget or technology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera angles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-angles/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [While all the other kids were out playing ball and stuff, I used to stay in my room and imagine that there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kaufman/while-all-the-other-kids-were-out-playing-ball-and-stuff-i-used-to/) [Andy Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kaufman/) > [I loved movies, but I can't remember ever really wanting to be an actress, and I certainly didn't imagine ever being in a movie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-loved-movies-but-i-can-t-remember-ever-really-wanting-to-be-an/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I try to write 'and it's all very funny' after each scene description so that the reader can imagine the movie in their head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-try-to-write-and-it-s-all-very-funny-after-each-scene-description/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [The Farrelly brothers make movies the way you imagine a movie set would be when you're a kid - fun all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-fischer/the-farrelly-brothers-make-movies-the-way-you-imagine-a-movie-set/) [Jenna Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-fischer/) > [Starting out really punk came from not knowing any better and listening to music like that, not knowing how to play music - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/starting-out-really-punk-came-from-not-knowing-any-better-and/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I came to music and knowing a little bit about life, and I came to music knowing a lot about business - and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-came-to-music-and-knowing-a-little-bit-about-life-and-i-came-to/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) > [The public, hearing pop music, is, without knowing it, also soaking up jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-granz/the-public-hearing-pop-music-is-without-knowing-it-also-soaking-up/) [Norman Granz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-granz/) > [“For most of us, the other half of sanity lies simply in seeing and enjoying the unknown, just as we can enjoy music without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/for-most-of-us-the-other-half-of-sanity-lies-simply-in-seeing-and/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [I think my type of personality has all music inside of it, so I am full of music, without even knowing it, without even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/i-think-my-type-of-personality-has-all-music-inside-of-it-so-i-am/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [It's hard to make music knowing that it's not going to be received by the listener in the way that it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/it-s-hard-to-make-music-knowing-that-it-s-not-going-to-be-received-by/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [I know what makes me connect to my music - it is knowing that I am not alone in my feelings and my thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-know-what-makes-me-connect-to-my-music-it-is-knowing-that-i-am-not/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [Sometimes I have experienced at the start of a film you're very excited and enthusiastic and you've done all your preparation internally and externally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/sometimes-i-have-experienced-at-the-start-of-a-film-you-re-very/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [I fell in love with film. I didn't start out to be a film actor. I wanted to be a theater actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-fell-in-love-with-film-i-didn-t-start-out-to-be-a-film-actor-i/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [The start of a film is like a gateway, a formal entrance-point. The first three minutes of a film make great demands on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/the-start-of-a-film-is-like-a-gateway-a-formal-entrance-point-the/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I wanna chase down Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith. I would love to start my film career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shemar-moore/i-wanna-chase-down-denzel-washington-jamie-foxx-will-smith-i-would/) [Shemar Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shemar-moore/) ## More by Peter Jackson > [It's not a happy time when a film drops dead on your doorstep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/it-s-not-a-happy-time-when-a-film-drops-dead-on-your-doorstep/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [I don't have an anti-Hollywood feeling. It's just I'm a New Zealander. I was born in New Zealand, and it's where my house is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-don-t-have-an-anti-hollywood-feeling-it-s-just-i-m-a-new-zealander/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [The only thing about 3-D is the dullness of the image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/the-only-thing-about-3-d-is-the-dullness-of-the-image/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [You shouldn't think of these movies as being 'The Lord of the Rings.' The Lord of the Rings is, and always will be, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/you-shouldn-t-think-of-these-movies-as-being-the-lord-of-the-rings/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [It's one thing to support your kid, but if you have an interest in what your child is doing, it makes it a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/it-s-one-thing-to-support-your-kid-but-if-you-have-an-interest-in/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Strategically, horror films are a good way to start your career. You can get a lot of impact with very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/strategically-horror-films-are-a-good-way-to-start-your-career-you/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [To his ex-wife in court, he said I lost interest in you when the Botox lost its effect and you looked like a plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/to-his-ex-wife-in-court-he-said-i-lost-interest-in-you-when-the-botox/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > ['Bad Taste' was - it was, in many respects, my sort of, my, I guess, my single-minded desire to want to break into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/bad-taste-was-it-was-in-many-respects-my-sort-of-my-i-guess-my-single/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [To me, fantasy should be as real as possible. I don't buy into the notion that because it's fantastic, it should be unrealistic, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/to-me-fantasy-should-be-as-real-as-possible-i-don-t-buy-into-the/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [I always have had a slightly jaundiced view about people who promote books about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-always-have-had-a-slightly-jaundiced-view-about-people-who-promote/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Obviously, movies, you're often on location, out in the rain or the sun, in a real place where the trees and the cars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/obviously-movies-you-re-often-on-location-out-in-the-rain-or-the-sun/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Structure is important in film, but there's often structure to be found in the most unlikely of places! It's quite possible to build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/structure-is-important-in-film-but-there-s-often-structure-to-be/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Film is such a powerful medium. It's like a weapon and I think you have a duty to self-censor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/film-is-such-a-powerful-medium-it-s-like-a-weapon-and-i-think-you/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [I remember when I was - I must've been 17 or 18 years old - I remember 'The Empire Strikes Back' had a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-remember-when-i-was-i-must-ve-been-17-or-18-years-old-i-remember/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [I love collaborating with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-love-collaborating-with-people/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) [Explore all 209 Peter Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) ## More Angle quotes > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [I like small things, I like small moments that are almost elliptical, that are not necessarily linear; they're natural things that happen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-small-things-i-like-small-moments-that-are-almost-elliptical/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Los Angles to me seems to be a little bit more forgiving. They're just as rowdy and they're just as excited but they understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cole/los-angles-to-me-seems-to-be-a-little-bit-more-forgiving-they-re-just/) [Adam Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cole/) > [Our mind is a flowing something. It oscillates. Concentration is merely the continuous return to the same problem from a million angles… So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/our-mind-is-a-flowing-something-it-oscillates-concentration-is-merely/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) > [There's only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today’s society. Sometimes we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-s-only-a-very-small-representation-of-girls-among-you-too/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The genius is a genius by the first look he casts on any object. Is his eye creative? Does he not rest in angles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-genius-is-a-genius-by-the-first-look-he-casts-on-any-object-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [I have known a very good, fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/i-have-known-a-very-good-fisher-angle-diligently-four-or-six-hours/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) Psixaristw > [He was not as soft as when I'd first met him, not as young, but the angles of his face, his quick gestures, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-was-not-as-soft-as-when-i-d-first-met-him-not-as-young-but-the/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sometimes I sit and look at life from a different angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/sometimes-i-sit-and-look-at-life-from-a-different-angle/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) Browse all 645 Angle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit somewhere quiet and imagine the movie finished. I can imagine the camera angles, I can even imagine the type of music. Without knowing the tune, I can imagine the type of music it needs to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-my-eyes-sit-somewhere-quiet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Angle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-my-eyes-sit-somewhere-quiet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/peter-jackson-1771_angle_when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-m_1843735.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I start a film, I can sort of shut my eyes, sit somewhere quiet and imagine the movie finished. I can…” — Peter Jackson", "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": "Peter Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I start a film, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-my-eyes-sit-somewhere-quiet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/when-i-start-a-film-i-can-sort-of-shut-my-eyes-sit-somewhere-quiet/#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 } } ] } ```